PIERRE, S.D. (KELO-AM) – Linda Joy Vanhove, Sioux Falls, recently received the Outstanding Contribution to Public Health Award from the South Dakota Department of Health in the agency’s annual Secretary’s Awards Program. The award is presented to a department employee who has made significant contributions to the state’s public health over the course of a career.
A 22-year employee of the department, Vanhove served as the Regional Manager for the Sioux Falls area of the department’s Office of Family and Community Health Services until her retirement Dec. 20. The Sioux Falls region is the department’s largest service delivery unit.
In presenting the award, Secretary of Health Doneen Hollingsworth said, “Linda Joy is an exceptionally competent nurse whose skills include teaching, nurturing and mentoring the performance of others. Her work exemplifies the mission and the vision of public health and the profession of nursing.”
Hollingsworth noted that Vanhove’s leadership and nursing expertise enhanced services in the public health region she served and in the practice of public health nursing statewide.