Silver City, New Mexico, June 11, 2014: The surveys are in, the community has spoken and the Grant County Community Health Council and its partners are answering residents' concerns on Monday (June 16, 2014) with the proposed Grant County Health and Wellness Plan, which will focus the Council's efforts for the next five years. The Health Council meets from 3 - 5 p.m. at the Grant County Administrative Center Commissioners' Room, 1400 Hwy 180 East. The public is encouraged to attend.

The Grant County Health and Wellness Plan is the culmination of the results of the Community Assessment, "Your Home, Your Voice!", from which the Health Council set priorities, then planned with invested community partners to create an action plan that directly addresses the health and wellness needs of Grant County residents for the next five years.

Health Council Chair and Economic Development Sector Representative Priscilla Lucero says, "The Assessment allows us to realize what the needs truly are in our community. We think we know what the needs are, but the Assessment is what the residents say!" The Community Assessment results are the primary information used to set the Health and Wellness Priorities. Over 5,000 residents took part in the most recent Community Assessment.

The new Health and Wellness Priorities for Grant County are: increase community health and safety, increase family resiliency, decrease interpersonal violence and increase services for mental health and substance abuse treatment for adults and youth.

Health Council Coordinator Chris DeBolt says, "Our plan to address the Priorities is a version of 'Back to the Future. We will partner with the community action team to address the work of the Priorities using a model that worked so well in the past with groups that are already engaged in the work we know needs to be done."

Community Action Teams coordinate organizations, agencies, businesses and community members' efforts to address broader health issues by mobilizing resources and affecting policy to directly address residents' needs. On Monday, the Community Action Teams will be reporting their plans and next steps for addressing the Health and Wellness Plan as related to their priority area.

The Community Action Teams reporting on Monday include the Community Partnership for Children, the Disability Advisory Council, The Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Taskforce, Grant County Community Advocates for Respect Equality and Safety (GC CARES), Fitness and Nutrition in the Community (FANC), the Senior Life Cycle and the Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (YSAPC). The Health Council also partners with the Substance Abuse Continuum of Care, which serves southwest New Mexico.

Lucero adds, "We look forward to work with Community Action Teams to meet the priorities that were outlined as part of the Community Assessment."

The Health Council is composed of 30 community leaders who represent various sectors in the community with the goal of mobilizing resources and affecting police for a greater positive impact on residents overall health. The Health Council is the Health and Wellness Planning Authority of the Grant County Board of Commissioners and supported by Gila Regional Medical Center.

For more information on the Health Council and its efforts call (575) 388-1198 or email: healthcouncil@grmc.org . The results of the Community Assessment are available online at www.gcchc.org .