New Mat-Su Health Foundation named for stalwart volunteer

WASILLA — Named in his honor, Bert Hall also was named the first recipient of the Mat-Su Health Foundation’s new Bert Hall Award for Commitment to the Health of the Community at its annual membership meeting June 10.

The annual award will be presented to an individual who has consistently exemplified commitment to improving the health and wellness of people in the Mat-Su Borough.

“Solving complex community health problems doesn’t just happen with one organization, doesn’t just happen in a board room and doesn’t just happen with talented people with extensive expertise,” said Elizabeth Ripley, Mat-Su Health Foundation executive director. “It takes community partners. Sometimes these partners are organizations; other times, they are individuals. We are honored to recognize one such individual with the new Bert Hall Award for Commitment to the Health of the Community.”

Hall’s contributions to the health of Alaskans include working with Mat-Su Health Foundation and Mat-Su Regional Medical Center; as associate director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; as commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services; as director of health and social services for the Municipality of Anchorage for more than 10 years; as the Alaska liaison to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; as a president of the Alaska Public Health Association, he represented Alaska on the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association; and on the Alaska Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. He helped put together the Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, and he currently serves as a Mat-Su Regional Medical Center trustee.

“Bert has been a mentor and friend to many people in the Valley. He has committed much of his life to making improvements in health and human services and the quality of life for veterans, for Mat-Su residents and for all Alaskans. He’s a tireless advocate for the people of Mat-Su and Alaska,” according to a press release announcing the award.

For these reasons, the Mat-Su Health Foundation has named its new annual award in Hall’s honor.