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Supervisor Santiago requests the Board recognize Leah Brown, El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency Social Worker, awarded the 2013 Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in Customer Service by a Public Agency, by the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce in South Lake Tahoe. (Est. Time: 10 Min.)
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On November 14, 2013, the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce recognized El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) Social Worker, Leah Brown as the recipient of the 2013 Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in Customer Service by a public agency.
Mrs. Brown has been an employee of El Dorado County for 13 years, including eight years working with children and families in the Child Protective Services (CPS) unit of HHSA.
Mrs. Brown was chosen to receive the Blue Ribbon Award based on her work on a recent CPS case. During this difficult case, Mrs. Brown worked collaboratively with a number of community organizations, including Foster Family Services, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Live Violence Free (the women's center in South Lake Tahoe).
The mother of the child, who actually nominated Mrs. Brown for the award, stated in her nomination that without Mrs. Brown's help she feared her child would not be alive today. Mrs. Brown's ability to identify risk and safety issues within the family unit and her willingness to empower this mother to believe in herself, allowed for the reunification of the family. Thankfully, the mother and child are together and doing well today.
Mrs. Brown expressed her gratitude and humbly accepted the Blue Ribbon Award on behalf of her colleagues and HHSA. In her remarks to the audience, she stated that the person who truly deserved the accolades and praise was the mother who diligently worked to ensure that she could care for and raise her child. Mrs. Brown's actions and words on that evening embody the spirit of social workers everywhere who are dedicated to making a difference one family at a time. Please join us in acknowledging and celebrating this award with Mrs. Leah Brown and those like Mrs. Brown who tirelessly serve our communities in El Dorado County.