Los Angeles — The Board of Directors of Heluna Health, a leader in population health programs and services, presented its 2023 annual Outstanding Achievement Awards on August 11 to two staff members and one project team that are advancing population health in unique, extraordinary, and/or innovative ways.
Rochelle McLaurin, Director of Contracts and Grants Management at Heluna Health, was recognized for her nearly 19 years of service. McLaurin’s team supports more than 500 projects throughout California and other western states, in areas such as maternal care, early childhood literacy, and homelessness. She recently helped manage Heluna Health’s COVID-19 response partnership with the California Department of Public Health. She has also been a key player in new business development, helping Heluna Health reach its annual new business goals, and played a large role in the acquisition of $113 million in projected, multi-year contracted awards. Beyond her respected management skills, her expertise in contracts, grants, and client relations, along with her collaborative spirit and sense of humor, have advanced numerous projects and furthered Heluna Health’s overall impact.
Also honored with an Outstanding Achievement Award was Kelly Van Hill Bennett, Communications Manager in the Program Quality and Communications Department for Heluna Health’s Breastfeeding and Nutrition Services (BFNS) team. A Registered Dietitian, Bennett has worked in Heluna Health’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program for 10 years, including the past six years managing its communications. Under Bennett’s leadership, the social media presence of Heluna Health’s WIC program has expanded, including the addition of Facebook postings in five foreign languages. She also led the redesign of its website, considered one of the best WIC agency websites in the U.S. Focused on increasing health equity for WIC participants, Bennett simplified the online application and enrollment process, allowing applicants to enroll within 24 hours.
The Board also recognized the work of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases program and the Heluna Health team that supports its work with program, contracts, and grants management, along with other assistance. One of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s key cooperative agreements, the ELC program supports epidemiology, laboratory, and health information systems’ capacity to prevent and mitigate the spread of infectious diseases in California. During the COVID-19 pandemic, its infectious disease control activities helped limit the spread of the disease in the state and ensure the health and well-being of Californians.
ABOUT HELUNA HEALTH:
For more than 50 years, Heluna Health has been providing direct service programs and support to hundreds of partner initiatives that use evidence-based strategies that improve population health outcomes. Our team works to create equitable access to maternal and infant care, expand disease prevention and treatment, enhance nutrition, support housing for persons experiencing homelessness, provide early literacy resources for low-income children, and more. To learn more about Heluna Health, go to www.helunahealth.org.
