In April, the American Academy of Pediatrics named Ruth Ota, RN the winner of the 2008 Child Health Advocate Award.
The AAP Child Health Advocate Award acknowledges the significant accomplishments of advocates and government officials who have served as a voice for children in the state and local government arenas. Ms Ota was nominated by the Hawaii Chapter, selected by the Committee on State Government Affairs, and approved by the Academy’s Executive Committee.
Ruth Ota’s persistent search for excellence has resulted in improved health care and health status for children of Hawaii. As a public health nurse with the Hawaii State Department of Health for 37 years and Chief of the Public Health Nursing Branch for 14 years, Ms Ota has been instrumental in identifying the gaps in services to populations with special needs including young children. To address the gaps in services to children, Ms Ota has developed many statewide committees comprised of Health Department staff, medical professionals, and community leaders to address concerns such as early intervention for children from 0 to 5, school health issues, and vaccine preventable illnesses.
In 1998, Ms Ota established the Hawaii AAP-Public Health Nursing-Department of Education Partnership (HAAP-PHN-DOE) to address public health issues in schools. Among her other notable collaborative accomplishments, she counts the creation of a statewide Child Death Review Committee, a requirement for routine vaccinations for child care entry, and the development of the public health response to natural disasters and bioterrorism emergencies.
Ruth Ota joins 28 other distinguished recipients who have been presented the AAP Child Health Advocate Award since 1991.
The Academy’s Division of State Government Affairs will be soliciting nominations for the 2009 Child Health Advocate Award in January 2009.
Congratulations to all of the AAP chapters and their nominees for their continuous hard work in child advocacy.
Should you have any questions regarding the Child Health Advocacy Award please contact the Division of State Government Affairs, at 800/433-9016 ext 7799.
