PHNAC Awards Committee
Rita Beam
Stephanie Stark
Carol McDonald
Army of One
The Army of One Award is given to an outstanding public health nurse from a single-nurse agency.
The recipient of this award is…
Robin Trujillo
Baca County Public Health Agency
Robin deserves the award for Army of One for outstanding work as the Public Health Nurse and Director for Baca County. It is a frontier county in the far southeast area of the state. There are about 3,600 residents who call Baca County home. It is a very large county, sparsely populated with some tough conditions, wind, and drought. Residents are proud, hardworking folks, who deserve the best public health department they can have and Robin has provided that. Robin was born and raised in Baca County, her parents and grandparents have lived there all of their lives. Robin went off to school and worked after finishing her BSN in the Colorado Springs area, but Baca County was calling her home to raise her family and give back to the community. Prior to her taking the position Baca County had struggled for several years to find a public health director/nurse after a long time nurse retired. Robin was hired and hit the ground running. She inherited some big responsibilities and some problems that needed resolution. The Friday before she started there was a death in the county south of Baca in Oklahoma of a child from a possible infectious disease. Robin started the following week and quickly went to work figuring out what need to be done and by whom. She immediately stepped in to the world of EPR, working with all of her regional partners to ensure that plans were in place, training completed, and her county was prepared. She has put together PODs and delivered H1 N1, organizing her local partners. She had to deal with several local issues related to foodborne illness, pertussis and rabies, but it did not deter her.
I have worked in Public Health for over 30 years and in the 80′s I was in her shoes in Baca County. In fact I gave Robin her vaccinations as a baby! During the past 30+ years I have worked with many nurses and Robin ranks as one of the very best. I have continued to be amazed at her knowledge skills and abilities! She is a great partner to the other public health agencies in the region, as well as her local partners. Since assuming her role, she has been able to complete all of the program deliverables for each program, not just at a minimal level, but with the highest standards and quality, she moved the public health office after collaborating with county leaders, and has established herself as a leader in her county. She is highly respected by all, and I believe she truly deserves this award! Baca County and the SE region is very blessed to have her as part of our work force. We need more young professionals like Robin to assume these roles for rural counties who are just as important as the urban counties. She is an Army of One and is winning the battle in Baca County!
