Montezuma County adopts five-year Public Health Improvement Plan priorities: behavioral health, food security and collaboration
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Summary
The county's final Public Health Improvement Plan, presented by Katie Maxwell in her final meeting, centers on reducing substance abuse and improving mental health, improving food security and strengthening partnerships; staff highlighted an EPIC grant application that would direct roughly $150,000 to youth services if funded.
The Montezuma County Board of Health on Jan. 15 received the health department's final Public Health Improvement Plan (PHIP), a five-year strategic plan required by the state and the result of two years of community outreach. "We are required to do a Public Health Improvement Plan every 5 years," Katie Maxwell said, and she told the board the plan reflects input from community surveys and listening sessions involving more than 800 residents.
The PHIP's top goal is behavioral health: "Goal 1: Reduce substance abuse and improve mental health in Montezuma County," Maxwell said, and she outlined three target areas — prevention/early intervention, cultural and social norms, and collaboration/provider support (including regular meetings and resource-sharing among front-line providers). The plan proposes youth-focused education (short social-media snippets, print ads, movie-theater spots) and supports for parents as part of prevention work.
Goal 2 focuses on food security: the department will support local food-resource providers, participate in food-security collaboratives, integrate food access into programs such as WIC and seek additional funding to expand access.
Board members emphasized alcohol as a visible and persistent local problem. One commissioner observed that alcohol is often normalized and called for attention to alcohol-related harms; Maxwell and others said prevention and cultural change are long-term efforts that require sustained funding and coordination. The planner pointed to local youth initiatives as an example: department staff described a group of high-school students proposing a sober-bar concept with mocktails to normalize non-drinking social options.
Funding will shape implementation: the health department applied for an EPIC grant and a speaker at the meeting said the EPIC proposal includes approximately $150,000 intended to support youth programs (named in the transcript as SCYC and TeamUp). Maxwell said the department will produce annual reports to track progress and that internal progress and outcome measures will be used to monitor implementation.
Board members thanked Maxwell as she prepares to leave the department; staff asked the board to keep PHIP priorities on meeting agendas and to support partner engagement and funding efforts.
