Why Silver Thread Public Health District?

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.

2020 Overview

The merger has resulted in a number of benefits, including:

• A new prevention services program has been launched that provides a range of substance abuse and behavioral health services.
• Additional grants are 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 backup 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)