HomeMy WebLinkAbout20241590.tiffMemorandum
PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
PHONE: 970-336-7203
FAX: 970-352-0242
1150 O STREET
P.O. BOX 758
GREELEY, COLORADO 80632
To: Board of County Commissioners
From: Jennifer Finch
Date: 6/10/24
Re: For 6/17/24 BOCC Agenda
I'd like to request an agenda item for the 6/17 BOCC Meeting: Weld County wins
six NACo Achievement Awards
The NACo Achievement Awards program is recognizes innovative county
government programs in 18 categories covering a wide spectrum of county
responsibilities.
The Weld County Board of Commissioners is proud to share that the work of several
county departments has earned recognition by the National Association of Counties
(NACo).
2024 NACo Achievement Award Winners:
Justice Services and the University of Northern Colorado's Criminal Justice Program:
Colorado Pretrial Assessment Tool
(Doug Erler and UNC representative)
In Colorado, the law requires Judges to use risk -assessment information in their
daily decision making when setting bond and pretrial release conditions for
certain new arrestees. The Colorado Pretrial Assessment Tool ("CPAT") is an
empirically based pretrial risk -assessment tool developed in 2012 to inform bond
decisions. The tool measures a defendant's risk of failure to appear (FTA) for
court or new arrest while on pretrial release status. In 2017, Weld County,
Colorado, government officials via its Department of Justice Services,
approached Drs. Victoria Terranova and Kyle Ward, with the University of
Northern Colorado's (UNC) Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, with
the idea to examine and statistically validate the current CPAT and consider
constructing and piloting a revised version of this tool. Work began to develop
an initial framework and Weld County staff worked to bring in six (6) additional
Colorado counties into what would become a funded research project. The
2024-1590
(a/f l
study was completed between January 2018 and June 2020 and the Colorado
Pretrial Assessment Tool - Revised ("CPAT-R") was developed.
Weld County Department of Human Services: Kinship Program
(Jamie/Tami and staff)
In Weld County, we're transforming the way we support children and families
when potential out -of -home placement becomes necessary. Our Kinship
Program is at the forefront of innovation, utilizing a Human Centered Design to
ensure every child and family gets the responsive and personalized care they
deserve. We've redefined "the system" by operating our Kinship Program using a
"prevention first" model. This model involves a partnership between two Human
Services divisions, Child Welfare and Family Resource, with Family Resource Crisis
Services Caseworkers (CSC) taking on initial responsibility for assessing and
supporting potential kinship caregivers instead of pursuing traditional foster care.
CSC's are certified Child Welfare Caseworkers but because they are part of the
Family Resource Division, they are closely connected to team members who
have expertise in a variety of community and internal resources which are often
needed by kinship caregivers. CSC's are able to help families quickly access
necessary resources such as food, medical, financial, childcare, transportation
and mental/behavioral health resources. On average, CSC's remain involved
with kinship families around 60 days, but will stay involved as long as needed to
ensure all immediate needs are met in order to provide care for relative children.
Weld County Department of Human Services: Teamwork Innovation Growth Hope and
Training (TIGHT) Program
(Jamie/Tami and staff)
Introducing the Teamwork Innovation Growth Hope and Training (TIGHT)
program, a game -changer for Child Welfare -involved opportunity youth. TIGHT
empowers youth and young adults (typically between the ages of 14-17) with
education and community -based projects, helping them remain or transition to
the lowest level of care, and even eliminating the need for out -of -home
placement. Modeled after the traditional Youth Corps models often evident
within AmeriCorps programs, TIGHT affords the opportunity for youth to earn a
modest incentive for their positive involvement, fostering educational growth in
parallel to developing work maturity skills. TIGHT's success is driven by creative
funding leveraging Child Welfare Block Grants, Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF), and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds.
Weld County has expanded TIGHT to include summer crews to further support
parents and guardians providing intentional oversight and supervision while
school is out of session. TIGHT has proven to be a successful solution creating
brighter futures for youth and communities alike.
Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment: Clinic Outreach
(Jason Chessher, Shaun May and staff)
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout revealed the efficacy of "pop-up" vaccination
clinics in reaching vulnerable populations, facilitated by strategic community
partnerships. Following this success, attention turned to rising rates of Syphilis, HIV,
and declining vaccine compliance in Weld County. In response, the public
health department expanded its outreach efforts, notably increasing the
frequency of "pop-up" clinics for STI testing and immunizations from 6-8 annually
to a remarkable 97 events within a year. By fostering collaborations with schools,
libraries, employers, and other community stakeholders, the initiative effectively
addressed resource challenges while prioritizing the needs of high -risk and hard -
to -reach individuals. The program's resounding success garnered support for a
Mobile Clinical Unit as part of the county's Strategic Plan, reflecting a
commitment to further expanding community engagement and healthcare
accessibility. This innovative Clinical Outreach strategy not only swiftly responded
to pressing public health concerns but also laid a robust foundation for
sustainable, community -centered healthcare delivery. Through proactive
measures and collaborative partnerships, the department demonstrated its
dedication to addressing evolving health needs and ensuring equitable access
to vital healthcare services within the community.
Weld County Human Resources Department and Public Information Department:
Recruitment Campaign
(Jill Scott and staff / Jen Finch and staff)
With job shortages still permeating the workforce in the aftermath of the COVID-
19 pandemic, we saw an opportunity to light the way for talented people to join
Weld County Government — to find their passion and their purpose with us. In
2023, the public- and employee -facing Human Resources webpages were
rebranded, a Join Our Team section was added to the external website for
people to learn about what it's like to work for Weld County Government and
find job opportunities, and a Welcome to Our Team section was added on our
employee intranet to give employees a virtual tour of what it means to work at
Weld County Government, reiterating benefits, and connecting them to
important Information Technology and payroll resources. A companion booklet
was created to provide a snapshot of benefits and HR divisions and is handed
out at New Hire Orientations. Finally, the county's Linkedln was launched to
showcase benefits, job openings, and achievements of current employees. In
the past year, the rebranding and upgraded recruiting efforts have produced
fruitful results in garnering the lowest number of job openings in recent years.
Weld County Office of Emergency Management, Public Safety Communications and
Public Information Department: Emergency Alerts Education
(Tina Powell and staff / Roy Rudisill and staff / Jen Finch and staff)
During emergency events, time is of the essence, and it is imperative for residents
in impacted areas to receive emergency alert notifications and information in
an expedited manner. Every year, the Weld County Office of Emergency
Management (OEM) and the Weld County Regional Communications Center
(WCRCC - dispatch) coordinate a test notification alert that is sent to all
registered phone numbers in the notification system database. In late 2022, the
Weld County Public Information and Communications Department was asked to
help develop public outreach information and strategies to provide residents
with information about the notification system and to encourage residents to
register their cell phone number in the system. The result of the work of the Public
Information and Communications team was a comprehensive communication
plan launched in 2023 that increased registrants, enabled the public to be better
informed and confident in their understanding of county emergency alerts, and
decreased time county staff had to spend answering multiple phone calls from
residents following the alert notification.
2024 ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. "-Helen Keller
The National Association of Counties is proud to award
Weld County, Colo.
A 2024 Achievement Award for its program titled:
Public Safety Collaboration — Weld County, Colorado and the University of Northern
Colorado
Matthew Chase, CEO/Executive Director
NACo 2024
ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
Winner
Hon. Mary Jo McGuire, NACo President
2024 ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. "-Helen Keller
The National Association of Counties is proud to award
Weld County, Colo.
A 2024 Achievement Award for its program titled:
Weld County Kinship Program
Matthew Chase, CEO/Executive Director
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Hon. Mary Jo McGuire, NACo President
2024 ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. "-Helen Keller
The National Association of Counties is proud to award
Weld County, Colo.
A 2024 Achievement Award for its program titled:
Weld County's TIGHT Program
Matthew Chase, CEO/Executive Director
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NACo 2024
ACHIEVEMENT
AWARDHon. Mary Jo McGuire, NACo President
winner
2024 ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. "—Helen Keller
The National Association of Counties is proud to award
Weld County, Colo.
A 2024 Achievement Award for its program titled:
Weld County Health Dept. Clinic Outreach
Matthew Chase, CEO/Executive Director
NACo 2024
ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
Winner
Hon. Mary Jo McGuire, NACo President
2024 ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. "—Helen Keller
The National Association of Counties is proud to award
Weld County, Colo.
A 2024 Achievement Award for its program titled:
Weld County - Join Our Team (Employment Recruiting)
Matthew Chase, CEO/Executive Director
Hon. Mary Jo McGuire, NACo President
2024 ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. "—Helen Keller
The National Association of Counties is proud to award
Weld County, Colo.
A 2024 Achievement Award for its program titled:
Emergency Alert Notification Improvements: Increase users, decrease calls to staff
Matthew Chase, CEO/Executive Director
NACo 2024
ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
Winner
Hon. Mary Jo McGuire, NACo President
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