CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Montgomery County Health Department has earned the Commitment Award in the annual Excellence in Tennessee recognition program administered by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE).

TNCPE is Tennessee’s only statewide quality program and is patterned on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, the national standard for recognizing role model performance through innovation, improvement, and visionary leadership. Montgomery County Health Department will accept the award at the 24th Annual Excellence in Tennessee Awards Banquet on March 2, 2017, at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs.

Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett states, “We have always known that the Montgomery County Health Department was exceptional, but it’s nice to have others recognize it for the outstanding work they do every day. They are committed to providing excellent service to the public, while maintaining an efficient and inviting atmosphere. I am proud of the service they provide our citizens and pleased they received this great honor!”

The Montgomery County Health Department is an organization committed to protecting, promoting, and improving the health of people in its community.

Through an annual evaluation and assessment process, TNCPE recognizes high-performing organizations that demonstrate continuous improvement and role model processes. This year, TNCPE has named 19 organizations as 2016 Award winners that represent outstanding achievement in the following industry sectors: health care, manufacturing, service, education, government, and nonprofit.

“This award represents hard work, focus, and a dedication to performance improvement,” Gov. Bill Haslam said. Montgomery County Health Department’s efforts to improve its processes will go beyond the walls of the agency’s workplace to touch lives throughout Tennessee.”

Organizations apply to the TNCPE program at one of four levels. As the levels increase, so does the depth and complexity of the application, which is based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework™. Since the program was founded in 1993, only 23 organizations have attained the excellence designation. One will receive the Excellence Award this year; two organizations will be honored with the Achievement Award; thirteen organizations will receive a Commitment Award; and three will receive Interest Recognition.

Commitment Awards are presented to organizations that are beginning to demonstrate commitment to, and implementation of, performance improvement principles. They have demonstrated progress by identifying and putting in place a measurement system to capture data and analyze results, and some key process improvements, which are directly attributable to a fact-based improvement process.

“This program helps organizations look at the big picture and continuously strive to implement the best practices in their industry,” said TNCPE President Katie Rawls. “But it’s not easy—organizations like Montgomery County Health Department are truly passionate about performance excellence and have chosen TNCPE and the Baldrige framework to help them become the best they can be.”

A full list of winners can be found on the TNCPE website.