Marjorie Rea and Jerry Frank
Both Awarded Berrien County Health Departments
2011 Friend of Public Health Award
Jerry Frank and Marjorie Rea were presented with “Friend of Public Health” awards for 2011 by the Berrien County Health Department Board of Health at a ceremony held Wednesday, May 4, 2011, following the regular monthly meeting of the Board. Duane C. McBride, Ph.D., Chair of the Board of Health, made the presentation. This is the first time in the eleven (11) year history of the award that two recipients were honored in the same year.
“The Board simply felt that both recipients were equally deserving and decided to break with tradition and honor both individuals,” McBride stated. “Jerry Frank, former Director of the Berrien County Department of Human Services was honored mainly for his advocacy for the Department’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program over the past decade. Marjorie Rea is a nurse practitioner and was the backbone of the Department’s Family Planning Program for the past 25 years.” This award, created in 2000 and given annually, has been established to honor a worthy recipient, either individual or organization, for outstanding contribution to the health of the community while reflecting the spirit of the Health Department’s mission and its population-based approach to health status enhancement.
“The support and collaboration Mr. Frank provided to make the Health Department’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program a reality for our community was truly remarkable. Marge Rea’s service and years of leadership to the field of Public Health Family Planning exemplifies the true sprit in which this award was created,” stated McBride. Dr. McBride added, “having two deserving recipients just demonstrates how vital it is for the Health Department to have such outstanding collaborators and partners in striving to attain its mission of protecting the Public’s Health.”
 
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