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County health team begins windshield surveys of 38 colonias to map social drivers of health
Summary
Dona Ana County Health and Human Services, NMSU and Burrell College began a windshield‑survey project in 38 colonias to document built environment conditions and social drivers of health; student teams and Promotoras are collecting standardized observations to inform a needs assessment and future interventions.
Dona Ana County officials and academic partners on Sept. 9 described an ongoing windshield‑survey project that will document neighborhood conditions in colonias across the county to identify structural drivers of health disparities.
The county’s Health and Human Services director, Jamie Michael, said the project is designed to gather baseline, on‑the‑ground data that can guide policies and investments. "We don't have any of the results yet, but it's important for everyone to know we're doing this because it directly links to our strategic plan," Michael said.
Why it matters: County officials said health outcomes in the region are shaped by the built environment — roads, sidewalks, green space, access to grocery stores and clinics — and that having systematic data will help prioritize interventions. The county’s Dona Ana Wellness Institute and partners at New Mexico State University and Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine developed a survey instrument and trained students and promotoras to collect observations in each colonia.
What the survey does: The windshield survey is an observational instrument that asks surveyors to record housing condition, road quality, sidewalk availability, access to transit, proximity to clinics and grocery stores, visible signs of safety (street lighting, crosswalks), and other neighborhood features. Sylvia Salinas, the project's lead postdoctoral researcher, said the tailored instrument contains between 50 and 140 items depending on colonia characteristics.
Partners and capacity building: The county enlisted NMSU public‑health students and Burrell medical students to collect data; Burrell’s participation is framed by the college’s community health mission. Christian, a second‑year Burrell student, said fieldwork forced him to confront local access barriers: "It forces me to engage with the community… and understand what are the needs." Project leaders said the fieldwork also gives future clinicians direct experience with the social context that shapes patient health.
Timing and next steps: Data collection is ongoing; pilot work was completed in Chaparral and Vado. Project leaders expect to return results in early spring and to provide reports that county leaders, agencies and community groups can use to target investments. Commissioners suggested a roundtable work session with department heads, the Wellness Institute and community partners before finalizing recommendations to ensure the county can align budget and policy choices with survey findings.
Clarifications raised in the meeting: County presenters said the study covers 38 colonias; Commissioner Sanchez noted the county now recognizes 40 colonias in total and asked that any mapping reflect current colonia designations. Project staff said they would account for official boundaries in the final reporting.
Ending: County officials presented the windshield‑survey project as a diagnostic first step — documenting where infrastructure and service gaps exist so the county can design targeted interventions, measure change over time and better link health, housing and transportation planning to budgeted programs.
