Lisa Hampton/Courtesy photo
BY LISA HAMPTON
Chair
Los Alamos County Health Council
As Chair of the Los Alamos County Health Council, I wanted to provide an update about the role of the Health Council and our current activities and objectives moving forward. The Los Alamos County Health Council is a state-mandated entity, and because of that has specific deliverables that must be met each year. In 2019, the State of New Mexico established 33 health councils and 10 tribal councils (through the passing of HB 137), which have legislative funding appropriated to them each year for carrying out a set of deliverables that includes education and outreach through the community on a variety of health-related topics. The state now has a very active and vibrant New Mexico Alliance of Health Councils (NMAHC) that facilitates collaboration between all of the Health Councils, as well as provides trainings on health advocacy at state and Federal levels.
The Alliance recently hosted an all-day community collaborative forum in Albuquerque that had over 300 attendees (in-person and virtual) including NM state Cabinet heads from the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, New Mexico Indian Affairs, and the New Mexico Aging and Long Term Services Department, a direct example of how they have brought together many different partners to increase the health of communities across all populations. In addition, the Behavioral Health Services Division management, Indian Affairs Division management, many State Representatives and our NM Lt. Governor attended and spoke. It was quite impressive.
Here are some links if you are interested in finding out more about the NMAHC: https://www.nmhealthcouncils.org/; https://www.nmhealthcouncils.org/healthcouncils; https://www.nmhealthcouncils.org/ccf
The Los Alamos County Health Council, along with the help of Social Services Division (SSD), conducted stakeholder interviews in 2023, a countywide survey in 2024 and researched many necessary health initiatives to come up with the Los Alamos County Comprehensive Health Plan (CHP). This document’s foundation is based upon the Social Determinants of Health, and includes an Action Plan with Recommendations for concrete items that will improve the health of our community members. This was approved by County Council in December 2024 and here is the link to read more: https://www.losalamosnm.us/Health-and-Public-Safety/1CommunityHealth/Comprehensive-Health-Plan
The Los Alamos County Health Council is a key entity within this community and is actively involved in several initiatives that come directly from the Action Plan, which we began implementing in January 2025. In collaboration with SSD and other county entities, we have many recommendations that are already in process to help improve the quality of health within the community.
Our monthly meetings take place on the first Thursday of each month, from 12:00pm – 1:30pm in a hybrid format, and are open to the public. Most meetings include a presentation from a community member focused on a relevant / current health topic, and updates from the Health Council members, SSD staff, and our County Council liaison. The December meeting will consist of creating the CY 2026 Work Plan, which is required by the County, and reviewing our progress on Action Plan recommendations. We invite you to join us!
Current members of the LA County Health Council are:
Lisa Hampton, Chair;
Jyl Dehaven, Vice-Chair;
Leticia Luketich-Martinez;
Gisel Martinez;
Celeste Raffin;
Rollin Jones;
Heather Muck;
Leah Blackwell
Joyce Richins
These are volunteer members who work full-time or are retired from full-time professions and serve the county because they care. There are currently several additional vacancies for the Health Council. To apply please go to the following link: https://losalamos.granicus.com/boards/forms/298/apply/4383084?code=76e9f743-85e2-4ee4-916f-6b3e293b54e6