A local lawmaker is among individuals and organizations said to have gone above and beyond to improve the health and safety of Michiganders.

As part of National Public Health Week, 16 individuals and organizations were presented with 2018 Hometown Health Hero and Jean Chabut Health Policy Champion awards for their contributions to protecting and improving the health of Michigan residents. This year’s awards focused on various areas of public health including behavioral health, communicable diseases, environmental health, injury and violence prevention and ensuring health equity. Republican State Representative Hank Vaupel of Handy Township was among those being honored. As chairman of the House Health Policy Committee, the state says Vaupel has scheduled hearings to dive deep into health policy issues, championed the safe surrender of newborns and supported training in opioid overdoses for medical first responders and paramedics.

The Michigan Public Health Week Partnership held an event at the state Capitol Wednesday morning to honor those who are helping the state achieve its “Healthiest Nation 2030” goal. (JM)