Vancouver, WA — Battle Ground Police Chief Bob Richardson received the Washington State Public Health Association Public Health Leadership Award today at the association’s annual conference in Wenatchee. Richardson has been a member of the Clark County Public Health Advisory Council since 2011. He has advocated for public health issues before the Clark County Board of Health. He also has been a leader in addressing methamphetamine use, youth violence and stable funding for public health. The advisory council is focusing on health impacts from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Richardson helped the county obtain a grant from Vancouver-based Community Foundation for Southwest Washington for an upcoming pilot project on ACEs in Battle Ground. “As an advocate of community-based law enforcement, Chief Richardson understands the strong connection between the work of public safety and public health,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and public health director. “He is well respected in our community, and brings credibility and an understanding that public health is more than an organization; it is a community collaboration.”