For the Reporter

Mayor Nancy Backus was honored for outstanding achievement with Auburn’s READY campaign at the 2018 City Livability Awards program, part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 86th annual meeting in Boston on Saturday.

The award recognizes mayoral leadership in developing and implementing programs that improve the quality of life in America’s cities, focusing on the leadership, creativity and innovation demonstrated by the mayors. Former mayors selected this year’s winning cities from a pool of more than 150 applicants.

“Our City Livability Awards program gives us the chance to express our pride in cities’ mayoral leadership in making urban areas cleaner, safer and more livable,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the Conference of Mayors. “We are grateful to Waste Management for its many years of support for the City Livability Awards program, and for the opportunity to showcase the innovation and commitment of mayors and city governments across the country.”

Susan Moulton, Waste Management’s senior corporate director of Public Sector Solutions, presented the City Livability Awards during the luncheon in Boston.

“Through the City Livability Awards, Waste Management is immensely proud to honor U.S. Mayors who are committed to strengthening our communities and enhancing the lives of their residents across the nation,” Moulton said.

Auburn’s READY (Real Emergency Aid Depends on You) program – led by the Auburn: Healthy for Life initiative – aims to increase mental health outcomes for high-risk populations in the South King County region. Through a readily-available instructional video and a targeted outreach campaign, the READY campaign emphasizes individual response to the mental health crisis – and works to inform the Auburn community about what to do if a friend, loved one, coworker or acquaintance is undergoing a mental health lapse.

The READY program has been readily embraced by the public and varying entities, including Public Health; the Auburn Police and Fire departments; Valley Cities Behavioral Health; the City Council; family practice residents of the Wright Center; and local psychiatrists. Since being introduced to Auburn, READY has been approved to be shared with other communities throughout the country.

Backus was delighted to hear that the hard work of the campaign had been recognized.

“The contribution of the READY campaign benefits all in Auburn – READY empowers our resident’s role in helping friends and family in the community,” Backus said. “By including local mental health professionals and law enforcement, we are able to offer residents and others the opportunity to know where and when to get help when they need it most.”

For more information on the winners, visit usmayors.org.