The Lincoln County Coalition met on July 24 at the Panaca Town Center, with 22 individuals participating. The bulk of the meeting focused on a review of the purpose of community coalitions, a review of what the Lincoln County Coalition has accomplished so far, and discussing strategy on what it should focus on in the future.

Nye Communities Coalition (NyECC) Executive Director Stacy Smith gave a presentation reviewing the various definitions and structures of coalitions as well as ways they can help a community. Her presentation initiated a conversation on the role the Lincoln County Coalition has played so far.

It was mentioned that the coalition has opened up communication and access to various resources that can help local programs and has served as a venue for initiating conversations regarding diverse needs such as a lack of ambulance volunteers and community mental health concerns.

Smith suggested that the next step is to decide on specific projects that the coalition can commit to, then develop steps to meet those goals and follow through from meeting to meeting. Setting up some sort of voting/discussion system where everybody has skin in the game is also important. Sometimes projects are driven by grants, but part of them need to be driven by the community and the group, she said.

Smith added that the coalition is only strong if everyone at the table steps up and goals are tied together.

Director of Community Building for NyECC, Mary Duff, next spoke to the group. She shared over two dozen coalition accomplishments since it first started meeting nearly two years ago, including promotion of events and services, engaging community partnerships, youth substance abuse prevention efforts leading to a Drug-Free Communities grant application, mental health first aid training, and capacity building.

Duff then shared some of the community needs that have come up during coalition meetings and asked the group to add any other needs they were aware of. This list included the need for expansion of emergency medical services (EMS) and more EMS volunteers, substance abuse awareness for seniors, more mental health professionals, food security, after-school programs, employment opportunities, housing, and family support services.

Duff posted the list at the front of the room and invited each person to come up and mark his or her top three priorities. Duff plans to review the list, clean it up, and bring it to the next meeting for goal-setting.

With the time remaining, coalition members shared announcements.

Church/Service Club Signs

The Lincoln County Regional Development Authority is working on church and service clubs signs that will be put up by the Nevada Department of Transportation in Alamo, Caliente, Panaca, and Pioche. Any nonprofits that regularly meet and provide services to the community can have a panel on the sign. The cost is $104.14 for printing.

Any organization wishing to be included on the sign can contact Ben Rowley at (775) 962-2461 or email ben@nvcmedia.com.

Community Meeting

All women of Lincoln County, ages 14 and up, are invited to a community meeting to “come learn how to emotionally, spiritually, and physically be prepared for hard times … together.” The event takes place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 15, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints building in Panaca. Workshops include how to use food storage, addiction awareness, and emergency preparedness. Pastor Becky Eizman of Trinity Assembly of God will speak on “building strong communities through faith in God.” A presentation will be given by a state representative on the need for foster families in Lincoln County, followed by lunch and then humanitarian projects.

On Sunday, a fireside chat will be held at 6 p.m. at the same location, with Roberta Hess Park speaking on “surviving, with hope, when hard times hit our families.”

Questions on this event can be directed to Lisa Carter at (702) 505-3752.

Mental Health

Another free Youth Mental Health First Aid Course is tentatively scheduled for September 14 in Alamo.

The Walk in Memory/Walk for Hope suicide prevention walk is happening September 15. Lincoln County residents are encouraged to participate at the local walk. All donations go back to the community and toward suicide prevention training for the schools.

For more information, contact Janie Rippetoe at (775) 962-8089 or jrippetoe@health.nv.gov.

School District

A service called Safe Voice is being deployed to all schools in the district. Safe Voice offers a hotline, mobile app, and website to report threats to the safety or well-being of students. It was established by the Nevada Department of Education and is operated in partnership with the Nevada Department of Public Safety. Reports are anonymous unless the reporter chooses to share his or her name. They are completely confidential and are received live by trained public safety communications specialists who will gather information, engage emergency responders if necessary, and pass the report on to school district personnel.

The Safe Voice app is available for free in the Apple or Android stores. The reporting system can also be accessed by visiting www.safevoicenv.org or calling 833-216-7233 (SAFE).

Questions on this can be directed to the Lincoln County School District at (775) 728-8000.

Senior Services

Riley Franco, with Nevada Senior Services/Care Connection Resource Center, just finished her certification for Dealing with Dementia Training for Professionals. She will be providing a training session for any professional caregivers (first responders, nurses, social workers, etc.) with the date and time to be announced. This will be a free training, about four hours long, and will come with an easy-to-read guide on dealing with dementia.

Questions on this program can be directed to Franco at (702) 333-1554, (844) 850-5114, or email rfranco@nevadaseniorservices.org.

Veterans

Linda Rollins was able to assist around 18 veterans at the Lincoln County Fair by helping them learn about and connect with their benefits.

Rachel Balez is providing a free service (CapTel phones) to anyone who has a hearing difficulty (both veterans and non-veterans). Balez can be contacted at (702) 595-7730.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival will be celebrating the armed forces with free tickets to selected performances on Sept. 4–7.

The offer is for anyone with a military ID, active or veteran, and includes a total of four tickets per ID to several different shows. Military personnel are invited to reserve tickets by calling 800-PLAYTIX or visiting the ticket office near the Anes Studio Theatre. A valid military ID will be required to pick up the tickets, and there is a limit of four tickets per family.

Additionally, Lincoln County residents are considered locals and will receive discounted pricing at the festival.

For more information on local veterans services and events, contact Rollins at (775) 962-1304.