Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montezuma County Public Health reports SAFE Coalition outreach, aftercare packages and regulatory updates
Summary
Public Health staff and SAFE Coalition leaders described suicide-prevention outreach for agricultural workers, bereavement and aftercare packages for people experiencing homelessness, and department updates on measles, tuberculosis, septic-system regulations and pending fee increases.
Niana Phillips, program manager for CNC (also referenced as the SAFE Coalition), briefed the Board of Health on July 1 about county suicide-prevention work focused on agricultural and middle‑aged to older male adults.
Phillips said SAFE has developed bereavement boxes to support people who have lost someone to suicide and created a Montezuma County aftercare package — a tote that converts into a blanket and contains hygiene items plus local and national resources — intended for people experiencing houselessness.
A connectedness work group within SAFE organized five “cattle crops and coffee” events intended to reach farmers and ranchers before busy planting and harvest seasons. Phillips said the events drew roughly 8–12 attendees at each session and that organizers paused events over the height of summer with plans to resume in the fall. Local donations from businesses and extension offices helped fund the events.
“Establishing meaningful connections can significantly decrease the likelihood of suicide for individuals experiencing a mental‑health crisis,” Phillips said, describing the work group’s objective to create informal, nonclinical opportunities for conversation.
SAFE plans to attend the county fair and will solicit community feedback via a survey; the group is offering a drawing for a 46‑gun safe for survey entrants aged 21 and older and will provide other activities for younger adults at the fair.
Public Health staff also gave routine communicable‑disease and operational updates. As of June 12, Colorado had reported 15 measles cases; Montezuma County reported no measles cases. Staff reported one active tuberculosis case (with directly observed therapy in place) and one suspected TB case, 21 dog bites in the quarter, and no COVID outbreaks during the last quarter. Board members asked clarifying questions about how the county and state define an outbreak for COVID and in facility settings.
Staff told the board that federal funding delays were affecting parts of local operations, specifically “half” of the immunization program, half of emergency preparedness and the maternal‑child health program; staff said they were awaiting decisions expected in the coming weeks.
Regulatory updates included new on‑site wastewater treatment system (OWTS) regulations released by the state in June. Boards of health must adopt local regulations in alignment with updated state standards by June 2026; state guidance recommends adopting earlier, before Jan. 1, 2026. Staff described the full set of changes as lengthy and said public‑health staff are reviewing roughly 150 pages of revisions to identify what has changed.
Staff also reported that the state will set new food‑licensing fees effective in a two‑step process: an interim fee change Aug. 6 through Dec. 31 and a new fee schedule effective Jan. 1, 2026, with gradual increases planned through 2028; exact fee amounts were not yet available.
Laurel Schafer noted other community events and supports, including the RISE Southwest Suicide Awareness Walk on Sept. 13; Sand Canyon Therapy is hosting a living‑with‑suicide‑loss support group that grew from prior walk fundraising.
The Board approved the minutes from the April meeting by motion; no mover or seconder was recorded in the transcript. The Board set its next meeting for Oct. 7, 2025.
