San Miguel County 100% Resolution Sends an Important Message
Across New Mexico, county leaders are showing their support through resolutions that detail their commitment to ensuring ten vital services for surviving and thriving.
by Dominic Cappello
February 22, 2023
Through the local 100% New Mexico initiative, local elected leaders and stakeholders are transforming the adverse social determinants of health into positive outcomes. In San Miguel County, stakeholders have kicked off the 100% San Miguel initiative to address historical challenges. The initiative is a collaborative and data-driven process with the goal of creating an environment where every child can thrive. In support of the initiative, San Miguel County commissioners have passed the “San Miguel County 100% Community Resolution.”
The town of Hagerman in Chaves County recently passed a similar resolution supporting the 100% New Mexico initiative, and Taos County passed their own last year. Addressing epidemic rates of adverse childhood experiences requires some heavy lifting and the collective energy of all local stakeholders within the public and private sectors. Local support of mayors, city councilors, county commissioners, school board members, state lawmakers, and tribal leaders is key to the success of a local 100% New Mexico initiative.
The local county initiatives kick off by recruiting local stakeholders for an Anna, Age Eight book club and to form the ten initiative action teams. Each team focuses on ensuring access to one of ten vital services that include medical care, mental healthcare, food security, housing security, transportation, parent supports, early childhood learning, community schools, mentor programs, and job training. The goal of each county’s initiative is to create a seamless system of care and empowerment to support self-sufficient and healthy families and allow students to achieve success in school and become job-ready.
Initiative participants are big-picture people, able to understand how everything connects. Services need to support families in getting the first five years right so kindergarteners are trauma-free and ready to learn in twelve years of public school. School success depends on students and the entire school community being well-resourced, with state-of-the-art curricula along with easy-to-access healthcare. The goal is for all students to be high achieving and healthy, ready to develop the skills to find good jobs, and able to contribute to a local economy.
We applaud the vision and work of 100% San Miguel, strengthening systems through collaboration with local government and all community stakeholders.
The full text and signatures of the resolution follows. Please download and share a PDF copy of the signed document.
Mission: The 100% New Mexico initiative is dedicated to ensuring that 100% of families can access ten vital services crucial for their overall health, resilience, and success. This university-sponsored endeavor necessitates the local implementation of evidence-based strategies encompassing both community and school-based service hubs, aiming to prevent the most pressing and costly public health and safety challenges, including adverse social determinants of health and adverse childhood experiences.
Dominic Cappello
Cappello is a New York Times bestselling author and TEDx Conference curator with decades of experience advocating for health, safety and education. He has a Master of Arts in Liberal studies with an emphasis on Language and Communication from Regis University. He worked for the New Mexico Department of Health Epidemiology and Response Division and the New Mexico Child Protective Services Research, Assessment and Data Bureau, where he co-developed the Data Leader for Child Welfare program, which he implemented in New York City, Connecticut and New Mexico.
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The 100% New Mexico initiative is a program of the Anna, Age Eight Institute at New Mexico State University, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service. Contact: annaageeight@nmsu.edu or visit annaageeight.nmsu.edu to learn more.
