ICMA's Community Health and Safety Award recognizes the innovative local government programs or processes that demonstrate improvement in the community's safety, health, and/or wellness, including enhancement of the quality of life for the disadvantaged. This category is sponsored in part in memory of Carolyn Keane, first wife of ICMA's fourth executive director, Mark E. Keane, and in memory of Bill and Alice Hansell, parents of ICMA's fifth executive director, William H. Hansell. In 2006, ICMA presented one of two Community Health and Safety Awards in the 50,000-and-greater population category to Polk County, Florida, County Manager Robert M. Herr, and Assistant County Manager Lea Ann Thomas for the Polk HealthCare Plan. The article and narrative describe the managed care program, its funding, and community partnerships. Learn more about ICMA's Annual Awards Program.
