CWC introduces 100% Valencia County initiative

The Community Wellness Council brought together community members and leaders at a recent summit to discuss how Valencia County coordinates vital resources for residents and also to provide an overview of the 100% Valencia initiative.

The CWC, which also doubles as a health council, is dedicated to “improving the quality of life in Valencia County by providing an avenue for collaboration of communities, businesses and governments.”

CWC is an active presence in the county that helps to identify local health needs, establish community priorities and create plans to implement local solutions. It is also known for its community resource directory, an invaluable asset that shows people all the places around the area that provide services for a wide variety of needs such as childcare, behavioral and mental health, aging services and much more. The resource directory can be found at resourcesvalencianm.org.

CWC coordinator Pamela Skinner said the organization is focused on addressing 10 vital services needed for people to survive and thrive. For surviving, these include medical and dental care, behavioral health care, housing security programs, food security programs and transportation to vital services.

The five services for thriving include parent supports, early childhood education, community schools, youth mentor programs and job training.

While the CWC aims to address these resources within the community through a taskforce designated to each vital service, Skinner said the ultimate goal is to establish a one-stop center that provides for all 10 vital services in one place and that’s where the 100% Valencia initiative comes in.

“People in Valencia County who have an issue with transportation are having to drive all over the county to get services,” said Skinner. “If they have a one-stop hub, where they can actually go and get everything done in one place, wouldn’t that be amazing?”

100% New Mexico is an initiative of the Anna, Age Eight Institute that provides participating counties a collaborative process for transforming “under-resourced communities into fully-resourced environments.”

Skinner said CWC adopted the goals of the 100% initiative because they address everything that a health council stands for.

“These services, such as medical and behavioral healthcare, determine our quality of life with the capacity to prevent adverse childhood experiences, trauma, substance use disorders and poor school achievement leading to a lack of job readiness,” the 100% New Mexico website read. “By guaranteeing services, we go upstream to prevent family involvement with child welfare, law enforcement, the courts and emergency room care.”

Currently, there are more than a dozen counties across the state participating in the 100% New Mexico initiative, which Valencia County became a part of in 2020. A community-wide, 100% Valencia County initiative survey conducted by CWC showed there is a need for more resources in the county to address the ten vital services and a need for these services to be more widely available.

The survey was conducted between July 2021 and May 2023 and the final sample consists of 505 respondents. According to the results, of the 16 percent who are in need of housing security programs 71 percent reported difficulty accessing these services. Of the 35 percent needing behavioral health care, 52 percent reported difficulty getting it. Of the 43 percent needing food security assistance, 43 percent said they had difficulty accessing it.

The survey data continues for each 10 vital services, but those who completed the survey indicated there are significant barriers in obtaining these services for reasons ranging from cost, long wait lists, not enough service providers and other reasons.

“A 100 percent one-stop family center within Valencia County is the ultimate goal for all of us. We want the big hub, and once we get that established we also want to break out with smaller buildings and providers,” said Skinner. “We want the community to start getting involved and we want people to know that this is something that we are definitely looking to bring into Valencia County.”

Skinner said they are currently in the beginning to middle stages of bringing their dream of a 100 percent family center to fruition and are now in the process of preparing grant submissions and proposals for funding to go toward the center.

Being that it’s a relatively new initiative, Skinner said the CWC is seeking support from the community, especially from government entities and organizations, that can help get the ball rolling. Skinner encourages those interested in learning more about the initiative to email her at communitywellnesscouncil@gmail.com.

“I believe there’s only one other county in New Mexico that is moving a little bit faster than we are, but I tell you, it’s coming,” said Skinner. “I know that it’s coming, so I think it’s pretty exciting for Valencia County.”

In the meantime, Skinner invites individuals to get involved in CWC by participating in one of their ten task forces dedicated to improving quality of life for the whole community by contacting Skinner through the aforementioned email address.

“I would like to extend an invitation to any and all community members of Valencia County, whether they’re private, an organization or they’re individuals, whatever they may be, to please join us,” Skinner said.