2008 Public Health
Helen Majzler, Boulder County Public Health
Nominated By: Kim Hills, Boulder County Public Health
Image: Kim Hills and Helen Majzler
For all of us at BCPH, she models the way in her very gentle but determined way. She enables us to act and to challenge the process quite regularly and in doing so allows us to stretch knowing full well that she is there for support. In her work, she inspires a shared vision with every project she takes on. But most significantly, Helen is all about encouraging the heart: in leading the celebrations of BCPH accomplishments, in rewarding others for their hard work, in documenting the history of Boulder County Public Health without fail, even in just bringing homemade scones to nearly every meeting she attends. (Everyone wants to go to Helen’s meetings!)
Between the years of 1964 to 1978, she graduated as a Registered Nurse, entered the Sisters of Mercy religious order (that means she was a nun!), got her graduate degree in public health, served as an associate professor of nursing supervising senior students during their clinical practicum at Mercy College in Detroit, left the order, and married Robert Majzler. Her public health career began as a community health nurse at the City of Milwaukee Health Department. Colorado got her in 1980.
Helen worked her way up the flagpole to Director of Clinical Services through serving in various public health nursing capacities at the health department in Boulder County. As Director of Clinical Services, she lead the department in shifting from a direct services model to population-based programming. She was instrumental in the development of the mass prophylaxis plan for Boulder County, and the list goes on.
She has been a relentless servant to many state and national public health associations, including a stint as the President of the Colorado Public Health Nursing Directors, and a key role in establishing PHNAC (the Public Health Nurses Association of Colorado). Locally, she chaired the Boulder County Movement for Children. And of course, she is a RIHEL fellow from the original class (1999) and has served (and still does) on the RIHEL Board of Directors.
Her collection of awards includes the 2004 Florence Nightingale Award and the 2002 Lillian Wald Award. And now, the RIHEL Health Leadership Award.