Xavier Cragun, executive director of public health for Mesa County, and Michelle Trujillo, health promotion division director, told the Grand Junction City Council on Sept. 18 that Grand Valley Connects is an “enhanced resource navigation” program that helps residents with multiple or complex needs get connected to services.

The program’s staff said the service differs from a typical referral line by helping residents set appointments, complete paperwork and obtain required documents; staff also follow up at 30, 60 and 90 days to confirm connections are working. “We actually take steps to help them get connected to those resources,” Trujillo said.

Grand Valley Connects grew out of the community health needs assessment completed in 2021, presenters said. Cragun and Trujillo told council the program serves people who cannot successfully use a standard referral phone line — for example Western Colorado 2-1-1 — because they have multiple needs or barriers that prevent independent navigation.

Presenters described the program as locally funded and not constrained by state or federal grant deliverables. Trujillo said that in 2024 the program worked with about 900 individuals, attended 64 outreach events, conducted 10 focus groups and saw a 105% increase in Spanish-speaking clients after hiring native Spanish-speaking staff. For 2025 to date, staff said referrals are up 114% since March 2024 and an average of 4.98 needs are addressed per client each month.

Cragun and Trujillo listed the top reasons people seek help as housing, phone service, financial assistance, mental health and public assistance, and said the program has achieved an 88.28% connection rate to at least one resource for the people they serve in 2025. Trujillo said the program is not case management: navigators do not carry cases long-term but help clients get to an appropriate service and then do short-term follow-up.

Staff outlined partnerships with the Department of Human Services, the Connecting Council (a network they convene of about 42 organizations, with 70–90 individuals on the email group), and the Community Resource Network (CRN), a shared referral and document-vault platform they use with partner agencies.

On funding and sustainability, presenters said Grand Valley Connects currently receives grant dollars but is pursuing Medicaid and Medicare billing for community-health-worker services. Trujillo said staff have completed community health worker training and are preparing for assessments; if those credentials are passed, billing for services could begin in January 2026.

Council members thanked presenters and discussed opportunities to coordinate city programs with Grand Valley Connects. Council member Scott said he refers people to the program and urged continued outreach; other council members asked whether the city could integrate the program into city services, attend Connecting Council meetings and request site visits so staff and elected officials can better understand workflows.

Council direction / next steps: presenters asked the council to consider (1) attending Connecting Council meetings, (2) requesting a site visit, and (3) meeting with a resource navigator to explore how Grand Valley Connects could be integrated into city programs. Mayor and staff said they would share the handout provided by the presenters and consider follow-up visits and coordination.

Ending: City Manager Mike Bennett and Deputy City Manager Kimberly Bolin introduced the presenters and said staff would follow up about potential coordination.