About this Story
Archuleta County Public Health partnered with the Pagosa Springs Community Center to strengthen preparedness for extreme weather events and power outages. The project focused on improving local resilience planning, supporting vulnerable populations, and building long-term community partnerships to address the growing health impacts of severe weather in a rural community.
The Challenge
Archuleta County faces increasing risks associated with extreme heat, severe cold, and prolonged power outages. Rural geography, seasonal population fluctuations, and limited local resources can make emergency response especially challenging. Vulnerable populations, including older adults, low-income residents, temporary residents, and individuals experiencing homelessness, may face increased health risks during extreme weather events and utility disruptions. The county identified a need to strengthen local resilience planning and improve preparedness coordination with trusted community facilities that could support residents during emergencies. Ensuring continuity of operations and improving readiness at community gathering locations became a key priority for local preparedness efforts.
The Solution
Archuleta County Public Health implemented a demonstration site project to strengthen community resilience to extreme weather events, power outages, and related public health impacts through preparedness planning and community partnership development. The project focused on coordination with the Pagosa Springs Community Center as a trusted community resource that could support residents during emergencies.
Project activities included assessing facility readiness, evaluating backup power needs, and working with the community center manager to clarify roles, communication procedures, and operational considerations during emergency events. Archuleta County Public Health also monitors local air quality conditions, wildfire smoke impacts, and extreme heat and cold weather events to identify situations that may require public health interventions. Through this partnership, plans were developed to coordinate with community center leadership when conditions warrant opening a cooling center, warming center, or other community support services.
The project strengthened integration between public health preparedness, emergency management, and community resilience planning. Assessment of the community center’s capabilities highlighted the importance of reliable backup power to maintain operations during outages. Project findings helped demonstrate this need to local decision-makers, contributing to support for allocating funding to install backup power infrastructure and improve the facility’s ability to serve residents during emergencies.
The initiative was conducted in Archuleta County, Colorado, during 2025–2026, with support from NACCHO and CDC demonstration site funding and technical assistance.
The Result
The project strengthened collaboration between public health and community partners and increased local awareness regarding the health impacts of extreme weather events and prolonged power outages. Coordination activities helped improve preparedness planning and operational discussions related to supporting vulnerable populations during emergencies.
The initiative also reinforced the importance of trusted community facilities in rural emergency response and resilience planning. Through partnership development and training coordination, the project helped establish a stronger foundation for future preparedness and response activities within the community.
In addition, the project supported long-term resilience planning by integrating preparedness considerations into ongoing public health and emergency management discussions.
Lessons Learned
- One important lesson learned was the importance of early and ongoing collaboration with community partners. Trusted local facilities and community organizations play a critical role in supporting residents during emergencies, especially in rural communities with limited resources.
- The project also demonstrated the importance of flexibility during implementation. Administrative processes, contracting adjustments, and infrastructure planning can aAect timelines, but maintaining strong communication and clear goals helps sustain project momentum.
- Another key lesson was that resilience planning should prioritize populations most vulnerable to extreme weather impacts, including older adults, low-income households, individuals experiencing homelessness, and temporary residents unfamiliar with local risks and resources.
- This project model could be adapted by other rural communities seeking to strengthen local preparedness and build long-term resilience through partnership-based approaches.
Contact Information
Lacy Capre, Archuleta County Public Health, Colorado
Phone number: 970-264-8439
