Description
Building a coordinated approach to community health and resilience first requires an understanding of the related needs and potential or experienced barriers to broader and sustained wellness in the community.
This strategy encompasses a quantitative and qualitative assessment of service, opportunity and infrastructure gaps in the community related to health and wellness, especially as they affect underserved populations in Westminster. The assessment should identify trends as well as an inventory of programs and initiatives offered by the city and other local and regional organizations working to improve health and wellness. Based on the outcomes of the assessment, the city can work with other community organizations to address the gaps, such as mental health and substance abuse service availability, safe multimodal transportation infrastructure, or public education about ozone alerts, high-heat days, deep freezes, or other triggers for emergency services.
Components
- Collect data on existing health and wellness services in Westminster (e.g., county health departments, schools).
- Conduct interviews with providers of related supportive services in Westminster, Adams County and Jefferson County to understand trends, wait lists, missing services and future plans.
- Compare existing resources and capacity levels with identified needs.
- Consider hosting public meetings to gather broader input on needs and existing services.
- Prepare a report with implementation recommendations and priorities that match resources and identify potential funding opportunities that extend beyond current resources.
- Support mental health service providers, advocating for resources to support and help bridge service gaps within our community.
- Raise awareness in the community about the availability of mental health services and encourage the community to take advantage of the services.