Join us at the Local Public Health Heroes award ceremony and resource fair

The Local Public Health Heroes awards honor community members making our city a healthier place to live, learn, work, and play.

Local Public Health Heroes support the Minneapolis Health Department’s vision of creating a city where everyone can:

• Live healthy lives
• Have fair access to healthcare
• Have a healthy environment now and into the future  

Selection process

Local Public Health Heroes are selected based on:

• The excellence and impact of their work
• Alignment with one or more of the Health Department’s goal areas

Video

Hear from 2025 award recipients 

See event details

Local Public Health Heroes

Date

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Time of events

Resource fair
11 a.m. to noon

Award ceremony
Noon to 1 p.m.

Location

Public Service Building

505 Fourth Ave. S., room 100

Find using Google maps

A Healthy Start to Life and Learning, Thriving Youth and Young Adults

• Birth Justice Collaborative: This organization helps pregnant families who face big challenges in having healthy births. To reduce disparities, they support moms by providing continuous: 

• • Labor support
  • Care after birth 

A Resilient Public Health Infrastructure

• Portland House: Portland House is an incarceration alternative and prison prevention program for men 18 and older. They work with people who face big challenges and helps and supports their health.

Health Equity

• Dr. Miguel Fiol: Dr. Fiol is expanding access to healthcare through trust, cultural understanding, and staying involved with the community over time. He does this by meeting communities where they are: 

• • Physically 
  • Culturally 
  • Emotionally

Healthy Living and Healthy Food Systems

• Akhmiri Sekhr-Ra
• Camila Valenzuela-Panza
• Sierra Leone’ Williams 

These women serve the Minneapolis Health Department as lactation specialists. They launched a training called "Roots of Racial Inequities in Lactation" that focuses on health. This training supports women of color with breastfeeding and disparities education. Their goal is to improve health after birth. 

Safe Places to Eat, Swim, and Stay

• Healthy Roots Institute: Healthy Roots Institute puts community voices at the center of its work. It has changed how Minneapolis supports its smallest food businesses. They help make sure small-scale vendors are given the tools and resources needed to run safely and legally. 

• Gaebriel Lyrek: Gaebriel Lyrek is a health specialist at NorthPoint Health and Wellness and a founding member of the North Minneapolis Harm Reduction Coalition. He has been at the forefront of harm reduction and worked with the City to prevent overdoses.

Sustainability, Healthy Homes and Environment

• Sabathani Community Center: In addition to providing green workforce training programs, employees at Sabathani are installing new systems at the center to help during power outages and climate emergencies.