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Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 15 November 2016 15 November 2016

By Mary Alice Murphy

Members of the Grant County Community Health Council at their bi-monthly meeting on Nov. 14, 2016, approved Judy O'Loughlin, representing the Extension Service, as a new member of the Steering Committee.

Health Council Coordinator Cari Lemon announced the group had received a grant of $12,000 from Con Alma, which will go toward the inmate support groups in Luna, Hidalgo and Grant counties.

"We also partnered with Western New Mexico University," Lemon said. "The university will provide the interns for the sites at the three detention centers. We want to develop a continuous flow of interns, who will serve as an assistant to the inmate support coordinator for the wraparound program."

She said the second part of the Western partnership was to develop an academic program as part of the adult education services and the vocational technology program. "We also want to invite the expressive arts department, because the Grant County Detention Center is doing an art project with the inmates."

Health Council member Mary Stoecker said a wraparound training would take place Dec. 1-2 in Deming. She said Lemon would attend the training.

Stoecker explained the ISP (Inmate Support Program) had developed out of the Southwest New Mexico Continuum of Care Coalition. "The ISP launched in January this year. It will also be in partnership with Tu Casa (the substance abuse treatment facility, which will soon be constructed). A subgroup did research on the boomerang effect of inmates being released and returning to the detention center. They leave, but have no resources, so the recidivism is high."

Lemon said the vision is to have the program be tri-county, "but we're not there yet."

She said she also completed a grant-writing workshop, which took place on three days, with a day each in the past three months.

"I met with the steering committee and we talked about an idea, for which I an still seeking input," Lemon said. "The Health Council has printed a hard copy each year of a resource directory of local, state and federal resources. It has been an invaluable tool. We print out more than 300 each year, and copies are delivered to organizations. It has a couple of drawbacks. It's expensive to print each year at a cost of from $3000 to $5000. After it is printed, there can be no updates until the next year. Plus it's heavy, with 50 copies weighing 21 pounds.

"We want to upgrade the gcchc.org website and put the resource guide on the computer," she continued. "We may lose those who don't have computers, but we will have information hubs for the resource directories, at the libraries, Workforce Connections and other venues. It will be smartphone friendly."

New Health Council member Father Jaroslaw "Jarek" Nowacki, representing the ministerial sector, suggested the resource directory could be put on CDs to distribute to offices.

New member Stuart Rooks, representing agriculture, suggested jump drives.

Member Marilyn Alcorn said: "Couldn't the file on the website be downloadable or in a public access computer in an office?"

Lemon said it is already available on the gcchc.org website as a PDF.

Health Council co-chairwoman Priscilla Lucero asked if it would be updatable by the organizations represented in the director, to which the answer was yes.

"Many of the programs we have in the directory are going away because of reduced budgets," Lucero said.

New Health Council member Connie Glenn of Workforce Connections said the group already has the resource directory as an icon on its office computers that the public accesses.

Lucero recommended that Lemon be sure that any partners she adds to the grant are aware they are being named as a partner.

"I am completing a list of commitment," Lemon affirmed.

Terry Anderson, co-chairwoman, suggested giving the flavor of the partnerships.

Lucero said listing former partners and information hubs should be part of the grant application.

Council member Francesca Estevez, representing the legal sector, asked if copies would no longer be given out.

"It will take time to develop the transitional piece," Lemon said.

Lucero said those who have received hard copies in the past should be asked if they have the capability to use CDs or flash drives. "Put in the proposal that the Health Council cam provide in kind services. That is one way to ensure we don't forget those without computers."

Lemon also reported on the 24 hours of training by El Refugio Inc. (domestic violence shelter) on domestic violence prevention. "They hoped for 40 and 52 registered, so it was quite successful. As part of our partnership, I arranged the location and assisted with set up and tear down. We provided in-kind services of about $400."

Estevez thanked Hidalgo Medical Services for the use of its conference room.

Lemon also talked about the state Pull Together initiative. "I want to share the direction we might be shifting toward. At the last meeting on Sept. 20, after the really rich discussions, we talked about Trauma-Informed Communities. First Born was attending and it is working on the Trauma-Informed Communities, which has the essence of Pull Together. The county and the town are in support of staff going to training in efforts to reach out to children and families on what we are running into. There is a contradiction in the statement and what we're doing. If Trauma-Informed Communities is the direction we're going, we should all be part."

New Council member Dan Otero, Hidalgo Medical Services chief executive officer asked if Lemon were saying the two grassroots efforts of Pull Together and the Trauma-Informed Communities were not aligned, to which she said yes.

"I see Pull Together as more of a short-term program," Otero said.

"It is like duplicating efforts," Lemon said.

Anderson said to her the state initiative of Pull Together is more of a campaign. "We didn't want to go in so many directions. The pieces I've seen of the Trauma-Informed Communities program spread across everything."

Council member Kathleen Hunt said the Trauma-Informed Communities is more comprehensive. "It shows how we are using Pull Together in this direction."

Lucero said: "We don't want to see Pull Together fizzle out and lose the funding without knowing what is happening."

Lemon also discussed the Community Action Teams. "Four are still active. I met with the Community Partnership for Children, which is the umbrella over early childhood issues. We are doing what we can do realistically."

Lemon said she is working on a presentation to the Prospectors' Legislative forum on Dec. 1.

Lucero said it is important for Lemon to present the Health Council accomplishments. "The issue is that we need to keep our legislators informed, especially for new proposed legislation so they are informed of the positives. Networking like this is what we gain as a group. The Prospectors' Legislative Forum is also for any other group that needs to inform the legislators about what's happening and keep them up to date."

Stoecker suggested Lemon take an updated fact sheet to the forum.

Lemon brought up the need for a Health Council retreat to get new members on board and "we have a need to identify who the Health Council is now."

Lucero suggested the retreat be brought up at the next steering committee meeting.

Lemon also said a discussion needs to begin on who will be the next chairman or co-chairmen.

In sector reports, Health Council members presented what was going on in each sector.

Hunt, who represents mental health, said Border Area Mental Health Services is in the process of redoing its Medicaid certification and working with New Mexico Health Options. "We have a lot of adolescents who need help and are on Medicaid. The juvenile corrections program is going well."

Stoecker gave her last report for the Grant County Public Health sector, as she will retire at the end of the year. "Medically, finally the Public Health Office has flu vaccines and will start giving them on Friday, Nov. 18."

Otero said HMS is having a lot of dialogue around the clinically integrated network, which will bring HMS, the hospital and local medical practitioners together for better usage of resources. "With the new federal administration, we are looking at potential health care policy changes and must be ready to quickly address them."

Glenn said her office held a veterans' resource fair on Nov. 4 and will participate in the statewide effort to recruit veterans for jobs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 17.

Alcorn said Adult Care Services is focusing on dementia care. "We don't have the necessary volunteers for respite care. We are working with groups on getting diagnoses of Alzheimer's because it opens up avenues for help." She said Bridge Community is trying to find the funding or someone to take off with its proposed continuum of care for seniors in the community.

Cindy McClean, prevention sector and DWI coordinator, said the budget crunch has swept away a lot more of her program funding. "On Sept. 1, we got our distribution, which was $18,000. We used to get $60,000. Another sweep took what we don't have. Our programs got cut by 35 percent. We're the only ones in the schools doing prevention. I'm trying to save Corre Cantinas, which started 8 years ago. We now have a medication drop box at the Bayard Police Department, in addition to the one in front of the Office of Sustainability. We are partnering with La Plata Middle school for the bully-free program. If you have handouts, we would appreciate them."

Lucero said everyone is being impacted by the state economy. "They cut us 5 percent and then during the special session, cut another 5 percent. It's ongoing. It's important to keep educating the Legislature about what we're doing."

"I'm on the United Way committee," she continued. "Another $60,000 is coming into the community, doubling what we received last year."

She also reported that in the past five years, the Colonias Infrastructure Fund has put $13 million into projects in Grant County and $70 million into projects in southern New Mexico, which creates jobs.

Anderson said the Community Partnership for Children is working on a shared services network. "We got funded by Con Alma for a technical grant to bring in a national expert on the network. We also got a Thornburg grant to create a substitute pool of teachers and a part-time position for the back office. The position will pay $20 an hour for someone with business experience. And the substitute positions are for someone who is 18 years or older. We will train."

Nowacki said for the first time in the St. Francis Newman Center Parish, on Sunday, "we held a worship service for veterans. I am a lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol auxiliary. Tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 15), I will have a meeting with the priests of the vicariate, where we will discuss veterans. I try to visit veterans at home, so they don't feel alone."

"We have a veterans' sector," Anderson said. "We need a representative, so if you find one, please let us know."

O'Loughlin said the Strong Women Strong Bones program continues to be successful and grows each year. "We have offered the My Chronic Disease program twice this year. It's a six-week program and we will offer it again next year specifically targeting diabetes."

She said the Extension Office got a new 4-H agent in May and "she hit the ground running. We are in the open enrollment period for 4-H right now." She said her office also provides SNAP education at commodity distributions.

Rooks said his sector and the Farm Bureau are geared up for the legislative session and federal issues. "The Trans-Pacific Partnership could be a boost to agricultural producers."

A problematic issue is that the agricultural producers have to pay Workman's Comp even for part-time help. He said the cattle market is suffering because the federal government brought in beef from Argentina.

"We are doing things in cooperation with the Extension Office for local producers," Rooks said. "We are also making progress in the Ag in the Classroom programs. Several schools want to acquire greenhouses."

Guest speaker Mary Flores spoke about the STEP on the SCALE initiative. "I am a nurse at Gila Regional Medical Center. The push for this program came from GRMC to develop this intervention and it has snowballed. The hospital noticed huge numbers of the population have or are taking care of people with heart disease. It causes many re-admissions to the hospital. We have developed a one-hour long community talk. There are three steps each patient needs to do: Weigh every day; Take medications the way they were prescribed; and maintain a healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise."

She said some patients were saying they could not afford a scale, so she got $2,000, which will buy scales and $500 will go for items, where the patients can keep records. Flores showed a bookmark of what the patient should do. "It will reduce health care costs."

Lucero said prevention is important, and it is also important to prevent re-admissions.

The second guest speaker was Doug Dexter of the Gila Chapter of the New Mexico Back Country Horsemen, which is part of the American Back Country Horsemen organization.

"I am the chapter president of a great group of people who do work keeping the forests healthy and the trails safe," Dexter said. "We have 69 members, a lot of whom are new arrivals in town. And most of us are seniors. Our mission is to work with the Forest Service to keep the forest accessible to bicyclists, hikers and equine.

"We are doing mostly clearing of logs off trails," Dexter said. "We go out for five days at a time, camping, with a great camp cook, Cari's mother. Five or six folks go out to work the trails. We get grant money from the Forest Service to do the work. We have also been enlisted as an auxiliary to Search and Rescue to provide horseback search. Horses see things and hear things we don't. Plus, on top of a horse, we can see movement that we couldn't see afoot. We do demonstrations and offer services to pack you in and back out."

The motto is "Leave No Trace. It's a critical guide for us. We cleared 100 miles of trails in the past year. We also have a great website and the Gila Back Country Horsemen Facebook page or you can contact me at dexterdoug@hotmail.com.

Anderson talked about the value of the Prospectors' Forum book, which the group, mainly Lucero, puts together for the legislators. "Our Grant County Day this year will be Feb. 1 at the legislative session. Grant County holds the best county gathering. We come up with a brochure for our priority projects to advocate for."

"We stand united as a county," Lucero said. "We advocate and also participate in Grant County Day."

Lemon brought up the last item on the agenda. "We want to have a social gathering for the outgoing and incoming members." It was decided that she would seek input from the members on what they wanted and she would suggest a few dates for the event.

Lucero thanked Stoecker for her many years of service to the Health Council and the community and congratulated her on her retirement.