The Lincoln County Coalition had 19 participants at its final meeting of 2018 on Nov. 27. Representatives provided updates on what’s happening within the county through their various organizations and broke into three separate working groups to address specific needs.
Mountain bike trail workshops held
A third in a series of workshops on the trails was held in Caliente Nov. 27 to 28, where businesses agreed on the need to work together to prepare, as the 40-mile trail system is constructed at Barnes Canyon and Kershaw-Ryan State Park.
A steering committee has been formed which developed a plan to continue connecting with the businesses, monitor the needs of the mountain biking visitors and provide that information to business owners. The Lincoln County Authority of Tourism has created a monthly email newsletter specifically for businesses to keep them informed on upcoming events. A business membership arm of LCAT is also in the works. Another email newsletter is going out to the general public on the county’s upcoming events. All of this is connected to the county’s tourism website, LincolnCountyNevada.com.
Workshop held on dementia
Riley Franco, with Nevada Senior Services and Care Connection Resource Center, put on a Dealing with Dementia training session on Oct. 23 from 1 to 6 p.m. in Caliente. This was geared toward professionals and qualified for continuing education credits.
For more information on this and other senior services programs, contact Franco at (702) 333-1554 or Rfranco@nevadaseniorservices.org.
Opioid blocker training in the works
Mary Duff, with the NyE Communities Coalition (NyECC) is coordinating a Naloxone (opioid blocker) training session for the whole community. Participants will leave the training with a dose of Narcan (nasal spray). Dates and times are still to be announced.
Coalition helping with local food banks and grad nights
The NyECC has food security contracts with the Caliente Community United Methodist Church and Lincoln County Human Services.
The organization is also contributing to grad nights in both Panaca and Alamo.
Get Involved in Your Local Senior Center
The Panaca Senior Center is working to get more people out for lunch, which is now being served there five days a week.
The senior centers provide a great opportunity for socialization and taking part in various activities. Those wanting to participate at the Panaca Senior Center are invited to stop by or contact Irvin Wright at drirvinwright@gmail.com or (702) 420-0008.
Constitution study group meeting
The Constitution study group meetings are the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.
For more information, reach out to Irvin Wright at drirvinwright@gmail.com or (702) 420-0008.
Coalition reps attend Public Health Conference
Christy Blood, Nicole Rowe and Heidi Whimple recently represented the coalition at a public health conference in Las Vegas. Whimple reported some takeaways from the event.
Medical Miles for Rural Smiles put together an oral health mobile health van in 2016 and provided dental health services throughout rural Nevada. Lincoln County didn’t receive the van’s services at that time, and the group discussed whether such a service would be beneficial. Mary Duff mentioned Southern Nevada health district had a mobile dental health van pilot program and will follow up to see if it’s continuing.
The opioid crisis was discussed at the health conference. The people most at risk are males, age 45, on Medicare.
The dangers of vaping was also discussed. A scientist talked about lab research on vaping and said that vaping hasn’t been tested enough on humans to know the consequences. A person vaping puffs for five seconds. The carbon monoxide inhaled during that time is the equivalent of sitting in a tunnel with cars for four hours.
A lot of programs discussed at the conference cater toward bigger cities, and it was difficult to find any that are interested in going to a small town outside of Medical Miles for Rural Smiles.
Meeting broke up into smaller groups to utilize time more efficiently to discuss three key topics: behavioral health, infrastructure and system development and youth and community.
The behavioral health group planned creating a resources directory of local services and resources. The infrastructure and system development group planned how to coordinate volunteers and transportation services available in the county. The youth and community group will focus on providing a life skills class to provide to youth and the community and will look into what parenting and after school programs may be available.
The next meeting is Jan 22, 10 a.m. at the Panaca Town Center.
A Thank You to All Who Participated in the Meeting
Abby Egbert – Pahranagat Valley High School
Charles Reifsnyder – LC Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Chase Dirks – LC Sheriff’s Office
Eric Holt – LC Emergency Management
Janie Rippetoe – Lincoln Mental Health Center
June Taylor – RSVP
Kara Barcomb – Red Cross
Keith Larson – University of Nevada
Cooperative Extension
Kerry Lee – LC Sheriff’s Office
Kyler Martin – Pahranagat Valley High School
Mary Duff – NyE Communities Coalition
Maxine Lantz – Victim/Witness Services
Mike Redmond – NyE Communities Coalition
Nate Katschke – LC Commission
Nicole Rowe – LC Health Nurse
Rick Egan – Nevada Office of Suicide Prevention
Riley Franco – Nevada Senior Services/Care Connection Resource Center
Susan Austgen – Loving Care Animal Society
Toni Acuff – LC Human Services
Thanks to everyone for your participation and for finding ways to work together to better serve the community.
