La Plata County Community Needs Assessment

Access to Healthcare for Small Businesses

In partnership with San Juan Basin Public Health, Local First and The Durango Network were awarded a grant from the Rocky Mountain Health Foundation to conduct a needs assessment to address affordable and effective health care for local, independent businesses in La Plata County. 

The overall goal of the assessment was to provide innovative health care models that change behavior, increase the quality and access to care, increase affordability, and ultimately improve the health and well-being of La Plata County residents. Through detailed focus groups, we explored the barriers to providing affordable health care for small businesses and their employees. This is the first phase of our work. In a future phase, we will test a variety of health care delivery models, including the formation of a health care cooperative, in order to provide effective and actionable health care options to the business community based on quantifiable data and on-the-ground case studies. 

Similar to Local First’s mission, we see this project as incorporating people, planet, and prosperity into an overall picture of healthier communities in La Plata County.

Many thanks to the Rocky Mountain Health Foundation for making this important work possible.The Rocky Mountain Health Foundation serves 22 counties in Western Colorado.  With the mission improving the overall health of a community, Rocky Mountain Health Foundation plans on distributing $1 million in its inaugural year. The Foundation addresses some of the Western Slope’s most pressing health needs, including access to healthcare, hunger, transportation to/from medical treatments, and integrated behavioral health.