Healthy Davis Together (HDT), the joint initiative between the City of Davis and UC Davis, received the Presidential Excellence Award at the annual International Town Gown Association (ITGA) Conference on June 7 held in Clemson, South Carolina.

The ITGA Presidential Excellence Award is presented to one or two town-gown communities each year that demonstrate exceptional performance in leadership, educational achievement or volunteer service. Mayor Gloria Partida accepted the Award during the Conference on behalf of the City, UC Davis and the HDT initiative.

Healthy Davis Together started in September 2020 with the bold goal of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and facilitating the coordinated and gradual return to city activities and the reintegration of UC Davis students back into school and community life. While the testing program will conclude June 30, 2022, the initiative will continue COVID-19 surveillance through wastewater monitoring along with sharing valuable pandemic response information with other university towns, leaders and others.

Since its inception 21 months ago, HDT has many collective achievements to report, including:

- Conducting more than 800,000 COVID-19 tests
- Administering 16,000 COVID-19 vaccines
- Collecting over 10,000 air filter and wastewater samples
- Supporting more than 50 K–12 schools in Yolo County with testing and education materials
- Providing free testing, grants, and other resources to keep over 400 Davis businesses open
- Forging strong, lasting bonds within our community

“Healthy Davis Together is a testament to what cities and universities can do together in terms of pooling resources and working toward a common goal,” said Mayor Gloria Partida. “Thank you to Chancellor May, the entire Healthy Davis together team and our City staff. We hope this will be a model for collaboration for other universities and towns.”

“Healthy Davis Together demonstrates the value that universities like UC Davis bring to their communities, and how when the city and university partner together, they can make a positive difference in the lives of their citizens,” said UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May. “We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the City in new ways as we emerge from the pandemic.”

“Healthy Davis Together is a reflection of the fabric and collaborative spirit of Davis,” said Chairman of the Department of Public Health Sciences at the UC Davis School of Medicine and Project Director of Healthy Davis Together Brad Pollock. “The City, County, campus, and community members rallied together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 like few other university towns. The success of the program was possible because of the remarkable and resilient people who came together to support our community and one another.”

ITGA is the global non-profit association dedicated to college campus and community interests by providing a network of professionals and resources and identifying and sharing promising practices, innovative solutions and professional development opportunities for municipal and university communities.

Press contact: Barbara Archer, [email protected], 530-400-3418