Serving both Hinsdale and Mineral Counties, Silver Thread Public Health District's Board of Health consists of members from both counties.
Our 8-person board is composed of elected county commissioners and local volunteers. Coming from diverse professional and personal backgrounds, our board is united in their dedication to improving our community's access to health and educational resources.
Bio coming soon
Bio coming soon
Bio coming soon
Bio coming soon
Jerry moved to Lake City in 1976, became an EMT and started volunteering with the ambulance team and Search And Rescue (SAR) in 1979.
He raised four sons here and all four became EMTs and served on both the EMS team and the SAR team. Jerry began serving as EMS Director in 1989, received his EMT-Intermediate certification in 1991, and Paramedic certification in 1994.
Jerry began serving as Hinsdale County Emergency Manager in 1994 and Deputy Coroner in 1998. He inherited the Coroner position in 2001 when the Coroner died. He was appointed to complete his term and has been elected since then.
Jerry retired from the EMS Director/Emergency Manager position at the end of 2018 after 40 years of volunteering and 1,000 EMS/SAR calls. He is finishing out his final term as Coroner this year.
Jim worked for over 40 years in various Environmental Safety & Health positions.
He holds an MPH From the University of Tennessee and an MS in Environmental Science from the University of Oklahoma.
After retiring from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2004, Jim has busied himself with volunteer work for the Creede Historical Museum, the Creede Repertory Theatre, and the Willow Creek Reclamation Committee - when not enjoying his retirement fly fishing of course!
For further information on the Public Health Act and Roles/Responsibilities of the Board of Health:
Pocket Guide for Local Boards of Health
Both counties have a rich history of collaboration, guidance, and shared expertise to better serve their communities and access the facilities they need.
In 2016, both sets of county commissioners agreed to merge the two health departments into the Silver Thread Public Health District to create a shared pool of resources for both counties.
Now, staff can provide cross-coverage as needed, and we have a dedicated health director traveling between the two offices.
A new prevention services program has been launched that provides a range of substance abuse and behavioral health services.
Additional grants secured as the combined population served by the public health district is larger than individual counties.
Both counties are served by a shared environmental health staff member employed by the public health district, eliminating the need to rely on regionally based resources.
Services can continue year-round as back-up staff is available.
Mineral County’s monetary contribution to the public health district has decreased as a result of new grants that pay for staff time and reallocations of existing grant funds.
With a wider peer support group, staff can share ideas and learn from each other’s experience and expertise.
All of these advances have only been possible thanks to the relationships, communication, and trust between the staff, the residents, and the board members of Mineral and Hinsdale counties.
Link for success story written by The Center For Sharing Public Health Services: Merging to Overcome Challenges in Colorado - Center for Sharing Public Health Services (phsharing.org)
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