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Project Overview
The FSFE - Food Coalition is currently working on a grant funded project through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to examine and address nutrition security and health equity using a participatory assessment process. A team of community members from a variety of fields and backgrounds have come together as a Community Learning and Leadership Circle (CLLC) to design and develop the assessment. This participatory approach will allow for varied representation in order to identify the health-related questions pertinent to the diverse members of Archuleta County. The two focuses of the assessment are preventive health care access and utilization, and nutrition security. The former relates to preventative types of health care, identifying barriers to health equity through the lens of healthcare access and utilization. Access to these services requires adequate coverage, as well as the knowledge and willingness to utilize them. The latter focus seeks to strive for the equitable access to and consumption of nutritious foods for all the residents of Archuleta County. The assessment will provide helpful data that will assist in strengthening existing nutrition-related programs and developing any others that are potentially identified as a community need. The overall goal of the assessment and the activities that it will inform is to reduce food insecurity and increase access to preventive health care services for all residents of Archuleta County.
The FSFE - Food Coalition is currently working on a grant funded project through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to examine and address nutrition security and health equity using a participatory assessment process. A team of community members from a variety of fields and backgrounds have come together as a Community Learning and Leadership Circle (CLLC) to design and develop the assessment. This participatory approach will allow for varied representation in order to identify the health-related questions pertinent to the diverse members of Archuleta County. The two focuses of the assessment are preventive health care access and utilization, and nutrition security. The former relates to preventative types of health care, identifying barriers to health equity through the lens of healthcare access and utilization. Access to these services requires adequate coverage, as well as the knowledge and willingness to utilize them. The latter focus seeks to strive for the equitable access to and consumption of nutritious foods for all the residents of Archuleta County. The assessment will provide helpful data that will assist in strengthening existing nutrition-related programs and developing any others that are potentially identified as a community need. The overall goal of the assessment and the activities that it will inform is to reduce food insecurity and increase access to preventive health care services for all residents of Archuleta County.
Why Focus on Nutrition Security and Health Equity?
- When community members experience barriers to accessing nutritious foods and preventive healthcare services, their health outcomes are negatively impacted.
- High cost of food and healthcare are barriers that can isolate low-income and minority community members from both healthcare resources and healthy food retail, preventing individuals from making the healthy choice the easy choice.
Project Timeline
Design & Development of Assessment and Selection of Nutrition Security Project: 12/21 - 6/22
Implementation & Evaluation of Assessment & Implementation of Nutrition Security Project: 07/22 - 12/24
Design & Development of Assessment and Selection of Nutrition Security Project: 12/21 - 6/22
Implementation & Evaluation of Assessment & Implementation of Nutrition Security Project: 07/22 - 12/24
Community Engagement & Leadership Opportunities
Orientation Gatherings: Beginning in mid-December 2021, FSFE - Food Coalition hosted numerous orientation gatherings via zoom to introduce the community to the Nutrition Security and Health Equity Assessment effort in Archuleta County. More than 80 people, including residents and community leaders participated in these orientations. At the heart of this effort was to engage the community in seeing that we all play a role in impacting overall health outcomes in our community. It also was an opportunity for community members in whatever role that they play to reflect on how they can support the assessment effort for the benefit of the individual and the collective.
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Community Learning and Leadership Circle (CLLC): A seven member CLLC engaged in learning about the assessment process and the information needed to support its design and development. Individuals from diverse backgrounds served on the Assessment CLLC and worked alongside Healthy Archuleta and community partner agencies to help inform an assessment process that could capture people’s voices/experience in identifying the healthcare and food related issues and opportunities in Archuleta County.
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Health Care Agencies: Today Healthy Archuleta works in collaboration with health care partners and community members to continue the implementation of the assessment. Community members and partner agencies have been vital in assisting the assessment process in developing and carrying out the assessment plan in a manner that is relevant and responsive to the needs of Archuleta County.