Littleton, CO - Bebe Kleinman, Highlands Ranch resident and executive director of Doctors Care, received the "Public Health Hero of the Year Award" from Tri-County Health Department. The award is designed to recognize an individual, business or agency that has worked to improve public health.

Kleinman received the award for her extraordinary efforts to provide health care to the medically underserved through a coalition of health care providers in south metro Denver. In addition, Kleinman serves on the leadership team for ClinicNet, a statewide coalition of independent, nonprofit, non federally-funded clinics that provide health care for the medically underserved. She has spent the past 17 years working on behalf of the metro area's nonprofit community.

"I am extremely honored to receive this award from Tri-County Health Department," said Kleinman. "I've seen the improvement we can make in people's lives by giving them access to quality health care. I proudly share this award with all the people that have been willing to better themselves and their families by recognizing their health is a priority and an important tool for them to be productive members of our community."

Nominees were made from a field other than public health and were selected by Tri-County Health Department employees. This is the fourth year local recipients have been recognized for contributions to the improvement of public health.

Tri-County Health Department is the largest local health department in Colorado, providing services for more than one million residents of Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties. Services include certified birth certificates, immunizations, family planning, women's cancer screenings, nutrition services, West Nile virus prevention, and inspections of restaurants and childcare facilities.

Doctors Care is a nonprofit, short-term program designed to provide affordable medical care to the uninsured and underinsured in Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert counties. In 2005, physicians, hospitals, labs and pharmacies donated more than $3.5 million of services to Doctors Care patients. One thousand patients over the age of 30 received care through a network of 500 volunteer doctors. Another 2,500 children and young adults visited the Doctors Care Clinic in Littleton.