The Community Health Partnership's Genius Awards henceforth will be known as the Billi Odegaard Genius Awards.

The recognition of the retired director of the Multnomah County Health Department was a surprise announcement at the 2007 awards luncheon, Oct. 23, in Portland.

Mary Lou Hemmich, Community Health Partnership's executive director, said Odegaard's contributions to public health were numerous during decades with Multnomah County Health Department.

Among the initiatives that have grown from Odegaard's ideas are school-based health clinics and dental clinics. She also was a cofounder of Community Health Partnership. With OHSU President Peter Kohler, Odegaard was a cofounder of CareOregon (Hemmich was CareOregon's founding CEO).

"It really was Billi's inspiration and vision to bring together the safety net primary care clinics of Multnomah County with the hospital and specialists of OHSU," Hemmich said. Naming the Genius Award after Odegaard is a fitting tribute to all her contributions, Hemmich said.

The awards are presented "to recognize and acknowledge those who demonstrate responsiveness to Oregon residents in need, and whose work is distinguished by creativity, risk taking and boldness toward forging permanent improvements in the health of the public.

The 2007 award winners are Suzanne Briggs, Portland, for her work organizing the Hollywood and Kaiser Permanente Interstate farmers' markers, Gaelen McAllister, Salem-Keizer, for her work to improve school nutrition, and the MoVelocity Creative Team, Roseburg, for their work to encourage physical activity.
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