WMH's Carl Costanzi honored by state group

Photo:

Carl Costanzi

FARMINGTON — Carl Costanzi, Oxford County 5210 Let's Go! Coordinator, has been presented a 2012 merit award from Maine Rural Partners.

Costanzi, along with other recipients from Mercer, Farmington, Fairfield, Rockland and Bangor, were celebrated during an awards luncheon at University of Maine Farmington Tuesday.

The local wellness advocate was highlighted for his work on the Rural Maine Health Network, an online collaborative tool that provides a platform for geographically diverse partners to coordinate efforts.

According to Costanzi, the Oxford County Wellness Collaborative, created several months ago, was a pilot of the state-wide network.

MRP, a non-profit that builds connections to improve quality of life in rural parts of the state, focused on three areas in 2012 – food, energy and health.

Launching the health network was one of MRP's main focuses in 2012.

Costanzi said he was surprised to be honored with the award and noted the other partners who worked on the project.

The network project, according to Costanzi, has a lot of promise but has taken some time to get off the ground.

Costanzi was hired by Western Maine Health as 5210 Let's Go! coordinator in November 2011. Before moving to Oxford Hills with his family, he worked as a molecular biologist in Philadelphia.

Prior to joining WMH, Costanzi was the co-founder of Ganderia Middle School in Oxford, where he worked as head teacher and developed the school's curriculum.