In February 2021, Pitkin County Public Health was awarded the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant (PBG) from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Office of Public Health Practice (OPHP). This grant, intended to progress and promote health equity, has been used to continue the Protect Our Neighbors project from 2020 working with the Hispanic/Latinx community throughout the Roaring Fork Valley.
Bridger Trap, who is pursuing his Masters in Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill, joined our team as a Health Equity Intern this summer to help lead the PBG grant for Pitkin County. Bridger worked closely with members of West Mountain Regional Health Alliance (WMRHA) and Mari Plaza Munet, a contracted Hispanic/Latinx Advocate, to create a comprehensive bilingual online and printed resource guide of local culturally- and linguistically-appropriate services (i.e, food assistance, mental health, economic assistance, housing, legal support, etc.).
Additionally, Bridger and Mari have collaborated with local and trusted Hispanic/Latinx leaders including Iliana Renteria (Community Advocate) and Samuel Bernal (La Tricolor) to develop messaging and radio ads speaking to mental health related themes of de-stigmatization, awareness building, and identifying individual strategies for promoting one’s mental wellbeing. Today, August 17th, is Bridger’s last day with the County and we are so thankful for his many contributions and leadership moving these efforts forward. Please tune into La Nueva Mix 102.5 FM (KQSQ) and La Tricolor 107.1 FM (KPVW) over the next few months to hear this moving community-driven campaign.
