Welcoming Communities
Addressing the opioid epidemic & substance-use disorders
Gunnison Cultural Connection & Welcoming Initiative
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
Opioid Epidemic & Substance-Use Disorders
The opposite of “addiction” is not “sobriety.” It’s connection.
Opioid Regional Councils are responsible for distributing most of the $787 million the state of Colorado is on track to receive in opioid settlement funds.
As Chair of Region 14 Southwest Colorado Opioid Regional Council (SWCORC), I have worked hard with partners across our six counties to develop a 2-year plan for our region and navigate us through our first round of grants.
Gunnison County has been an important leader in our rural region, having already received a $1 million grant for opioid response in rural communities, and another $1 million grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to continue implementation of strategic plan goals related to the opioid crisis.
Because opioid regions are differently resourced, I have worked with the Attorney General’s office to initiate and lead an Opioid Data Workgroup. Our purpose has been to pursue an integrated statewide system of data indicators, evidence synthesis, and training and technical assistance for regions and local governments across Colorado.
In December 2023, the Colorado Opioid Abatement Council approved our request to pursue a procurement process for statewide data infrastructure relevant to opioids. This will give offer better tools — especially for less-resourced regions like SWCORC — to adjust our limited resources to save lives amid this evolving and ongoing epidemic.
2. Gunnison Cultural Connection & Welcoming Initiative
The Gunnison Cultural Connection’s (GCC) purpose is to build cultural connections that increase a sense of belonging for everyone.
The GCC began as a collaboration with City of Gunnison, Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley, Gunnison County, Hispanic Affairs Project, and Immigrants Unidos de Gunnison to acknowledge and build upon the decades-long work to establish trust, connection, and and integrated sense of community with immigrant populations in the Gunnison Valley.
In 2022, the City of Gunnison received a Rural Welcoming Initiative grant from Welcoming America, “a non-profit nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by ensuring everyone belongs. [Welcoming America] believe[s] that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of our communities and shared future.”
Support from the Rural Welcoming Initiative grant and an anonymous donation of $120K to the Hispanic Affairs Project have supported the GCC’s direct engagement and collaboration with local immigrant communities; as well as mapping needs and gaps across Welcoming America’s Welcoming Standard, which identifies concrete goals and outcomes to become a more welcoming community in areas of civic engagement, connected communities, economic development, education, equitable access, government and community leadership, and safe communities.
For the third year in a row, the GCC and City of Gunnison have also hosted Welcoming Week in Gunnison to develop partnerships and growth in these areas. Welcoming Week is celebrated by communities across the world every September.