New Hanover County earns 11 NACo Achievement Awards, including a "Best in Category" honor
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC – For the 11th consecutive year, New Hanover County has been recognized by the National Association of Counties (NACo) with Achievement Awards honoring innovative programs that improve services for residents. The county earned 11 awards in 2026 across nine categories, and for just the second time in its history, one of those programs was named Best in Category.
Help Right Here, the county's platform connecting residents to mental health and substance use disorder services, earned Best in Category in Civic Engagement and Public Information. NACo names just 18 Best in Category programs each year, one in each award category, making it the program's most significant national recognition to date and only the second such honor the county has ever received.
With this year's awards, New Hanover County now has earned 98 NACo Achievement Awards since 2016, including 10 or more in each of the past six years.
“These awards reflect a team that shows up for this community every day, and recognition from our peers across the country, the people who do this same work, means a great deal. Earning a national Best in Category honor for Help Right Here shows what this county can do when we put residents first.”
Help Right Here assists residents in finding mental health, substance use disorder, and other related support through an online resource portal and guided matching tool. It and the county's other 2026 honorees were recognized at the NACo Annual Conference and Exposition, July 17-20 in New Orleans, with Best in Category winners honored during the conference's General Session on July 19.
"What makes these recognitions meaningful is that they come from our peers, county leaders nationwide, who understand this work firsthand," said County Manager Chris Coudriet. "Our employees turn the board's vision into services residents can count on, and Help Right Here earning Best in Category is a clear example of that commitment to public service."
New Hanover County's 2026 NACo Achievement Awards, by category, are:
- Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation:Cape Fear Museum Strategic Plan Alignment and Implementation
- Civic Engagement and Public Information:Civic Engagement Mapping Tool; Help Right Here (Best in Category)
- Criminal Justice and Public Safety:Sheriff's Office Well-being Unit
- Health:Community Paramedics; Mental Health Provider Fellows Program
- Human Services:AI-Powered IVR for LIEAP and Energy Assistance Intake
- Information Technology:AI-Powered IVR for 24/7 Stormwater Emergency Response
- Personnel Management, Employment and Training:Inspections Ride-Along Initiative
- Planning:Northeast New Hanover County Flood Study
- Risk and Emergency Management:Critical Response and Readiness Program
Since 1970, NACo's Achievement Awards have recognized county government programs that strengthen or enhance services for residents. Awards are granted in 18 categories through a noncompetitive review process. NACo is a national organization representing more than 3,000 county governments across the country.
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