AMA presents government service award to Auburn mayor

WASHINGTON — The American Medical Association (AMA) presented Nancy Backus, mayor of the city of Auburn, Wash., with the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service.

Since her election in 2014, Mayor Backus has lead the development of programs to improve the overall health of the Auburn community, focusing her attention on the challenges of homelessness and drug addiction. She is the co-convener of the King County Heroin and Prescription Opiate Addiction Task Force and One Table, a regional initiative focused on tackling the issues of homelessness and housing affordability. She serves on the board of All Home, a regional board committed to making homelessness rare, brief and one-time. In 2015, she convened Auburn’s Task Force on Homelessness to develop strategies to address homelessness in Auburn and in 2016 formed the Blue Ribbon Committee for Auburn — The Healthiest City in Washington — 2020. Among their accomplishments is Real Emergency Aid Depends on You (R.E.A.D.Y.), a one hour course on mental health designed to increase awareness, eliminate stigma, and teach basic skills to use during a mental health crisis.