In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the award and National Public Health Week Former Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees, the 2019 award recipient, presented Cass County Public Health with the 2020 Distinguished Service Award for their tireless work through the COVID-19 pandemic.

McNees said “In my previous duties, I’ve worked with the organization many times on many levels and I’ve seen their commitment long before we’ve seen what has happened in the last year. This year’s recipient has gone above and beyond the call of duty, diving into an unknown crisis headfirst, never knowing what was coming next. You will never hear them complain or lose their cool—whether they’re contact tracing, organizing flawless (to our eyes) vaccination clinics, or answering 100’s and 100’s of calls from concerned community members, some of whom probably weren’t as kind to them back. Whatever the situation, they’ve handled it with grace and professionalism.”

McNees said “Thank you will never be enough for what your team has done for our community. We owe you so much.”