Cochise County Health & Social Services Director Barbara Lang was recognized in Phoenix with the Pete Wertheim Public Health Leadership Award by the Arizona Public Health Association (AzPHA). The award highlights leadership and innovative solutions that have improved health outcomes across Arizona.
“I was overcome and humbled,” Lang said after receiving the award. “I never feel like I do enough. I just want to help my community be the best it can. This award belongs to the teams and partners who show up every day for Cochise County.”
The presentation took place during AzPHA’s 2025 Public Health Awards event, which acknowledges professionals advancing public health throughout the state.
Lang has more than 25 years of experience in public service, including roles in health administration, managed care, juvenile probation, and legislative affairs. She has led organizations with up to 450 staff members and budgets over $100 million. As Arizona’s Chief of Behavioral Health Licensing and Administrator, she oversaw the creation of administrative codes for more than 1,200 behavioral health organizations.
She previously received the Women in Rural Health Award in 2017 for her work expanding integrated care to rural areas. Nationally, she has served on boards such as the National Quality Forum for Behavioral and Substance Abuse and contributed to standards for crisis services through CARF accreditation workgroups. Her efforts have also resulted in regulatory changes affecting foster youth, victims’ rights, and healthcare governance. Additionally, she helped expand a behavioral health nonprofit from five to 48 locations across several states.
AzPHA’s Pete Wertheim Public Health Leadership Award is given to individuals who address public-health needs through innovative, evidence-based approaches that benefit Arizonans.
Recent data shows challenges remain in Cochise County related to student academic performance. In the 2022-23 school year, 70% of students in grades three through eight did not pass the mathematics section of the AASA exam (https://www.azed.gov/), while 76% of high schoolers failed the mathematics section of the ACT (https://www.azed.gov/). For English proficiency during that same period, 62.4% of students in grades three through eight failed the AASA English section (https://www.azed.gov/), and 65% of high schoolers did not pass the ACT English section (https://www.azed.gov/).
More recent results indicate some improvement: In the 2023-24 school year, 27% of high schoolers passed the mathematics section of the ACT (https://www.azed.gov/) and 28.5% of third through eighth graders passed mathematics on the AASA exam (https://www.azed.gov/).
