May 15—WATERTOWN — The public health director at Jefferson County Public Health Service has received the Home Care Association of New York State's highest honor.

Ginger B. Hall was recently awarded the association's Ruth F. Wilson Award, which is given to a dedicated individual who has significantly contributed to home care over their career.

According to HCA, Mrs. Hall has been a home care leader for 35 years, championing needs and solutions throughout the field, and especially giving voice for rural and small communities home care needs across the state.

She currently leads the county's Public Health Service, where she has held progressive roles with increasing responsibility, from public health nurse to quality improvement coordinator, supervising public health nurse and director of patient services.

In addition, Mrs. Hall devoted eight years of statewide service to the HCA board from 2009 to 2017, and was a powerful and effective voice at the board's policy, advocacy, member service and visionary levels.

The association said of particular note was her trailblazing work leading the Collaborative Model of Community Medicine and Paramedicine in the region.

HCA and the Iroquois Healthcare Association (IHA) were approached by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to lead a strategic project to create and pilot a model integrating home care, hospitals, primary care and emergency medical services. HCA and IHA identified the north country as a potential target and reached out to Jefferson County Public Health as a lead with Mrs. Hall at the helm.

Within weeks, Mrs. Hall mobilized a team in Jefferson County comprised of her home care agency, Samaritan Hospital, Fort Drum Regional Planning, EMS and physicians to kickstart the Collaborative Community Medicine and Paramedicine Program.

HCA said through their tireless work and in-depth meetings, they were able to develop a fully realized, community-centric design, set forth and implement plans and commence services to patients integrating the hospital, home care agency, EMS and physicians, by fall 2022.

Mrs. Hall and her team quickly became the go-to resource for other site models in mid-Hudson and Broome County, HCA said, readily sharing their knowledge and resources, conduct trainings, and offer technical assistance to inquirers.

Mrs. Hall's work has since been shared with the governor's office, the state Department of Health, health plans and others as the model for how innovation and collaboration can be done across the state, according to HCA.