Sacramento County was recently recognized by the National Association of Counties (NACo) with a 2019 Achievement Award for the Black Child Legacy Campaign (BCLC). This annual awards program honors innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents. The BCLC was chosen from 616 entries across 32 states.
In 2011, alarmed by decades-long data showing that African American children in Sacramento County were dying at disproportionate rates – almost twice the rate of children of other races – Supervisor Serna convened a blue ribbon commission to do something about it. This resulted the creation of the Steering Committee on Reduction of African American Child Deaths and the Black Child Legacy Campaign (BCLC), a community-driven movement. Over the next six years, efforts to reduce African American child deaths through a collective impact model and through targeted, community‐based programs to reduce risks are showing promising outcomes. When comparing 2013 to 2016, there was a 45 percent decrease in the African American infant death rate and a 76 percent decrease in disparity.
“I am grateful and humbled for this recognition and want to thank our numerous community partners who have invested tireless energy and countless hours toward improving the lives and outcomes of our youngest citizens,” said Supervisor Phil Serna. He adds, “Congratulations to all the Achievement Award recipients across the country who are providing innovative and effective government services and programs our residents expect and deserve.”
In addition to the BCLC, the Sacramento County Assessor’s Office was recognized for implementation if its NewAIMS Permit Module that replaced labor-intensive paper-based building permits and plans processes with an integrated electronic workflow, improved data verification, record tracking, and security system.
NACo will recognize award-winning counties at its 2019 Annual Conference and Exposition July 12-15 in Clark County, Nevada.
Nationally, NACo’s annual Achievement Awards are given in 18 different categories that reflect the vast, comprehensive services counties provide. The categories include children and youth, criminal justice, county administration, information technology, health, civic engagement and many more.
Read more about Sacramento County’s effort to reduce African American child death rates in NACo CountyNews, “Sacramento County reducing black child deaths.”
