Lake County public health outlines tobacco licensing, testing and outreach goals for 2025–26

Lake County public health staff presented short- and long-term program goals on Oct. 15 during a work session of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, focusing on implementation of a countywide tobacco retail licensing program, completion of a five-year community health assessment and continued expansion of immunization and harm-reduction services.

The presentation said the county and the city of Leadville adopted matching tobacco retail licensing regulations in December 2024 and have been working through implementation during 2025. Public health staff said they have found it relatively easy for people under 21 to purchase tobacco in Lake County and framed the licensing program as a way to reduce youth access. "We have increased our blood testing by over 25 percent. So we're crushing it," the presenter said when describing outreach and testing gains.

Staff sought board input and flagged several continuing priorities for 2026: amending minor regulatory provisions for the tobacco program to reduce administrative burden, finishing the public health improvement plan that follows the community health assessment, continuing stable weekly walk-in immunization clinics, expanding harm-reduction and substance-use prevention work, and pursuing new grant funding to replace or supplement shrinking state and federal streams.

Public health presentation and context Public health staff — identified in the session by first name as Amy — said the county opted to run a single tobacco retail licensing program that covers both the city of…