Los Alamos County Health Council Chair Philip Gursky outlines activities, concerns and future plans of the organization during his recent presentation to Kiwanis at Trinity on the Hill Church. Courtesy/Kiwanis

By BROOKE DAVIS
Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos

The Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos heard a presentation by Los Alamos County Health Council Chair Philip Gursky March 8 outlining the activities, concerns and future plans of the organization.

Gursky noted that the County Health Council is only about two years old, having just begun work at the end of 2019 when the coronavirus pandemic struck and affected its activities. They have done a “gap analysis” of the county’s performance versus needs and will be developing a comprehensive health plan and updating it annually.

Initially, Gursky plans on reaching out to the community to discuss such issues as vaccine equity, homelessness, food security and the number and adequacy of medical specialists in the area.

Among health care needs the council has already identified:

• The need for transitional housing for people in crisis;
• The need for a permanent home for LA Cares;
• More available and improved childcare;
• A co-location facility where medical providers from outside Los Alamos can meet and operate;
• More effective county health response to mental and psychological health needs;
• And improvements of senior care and hospice care; and

Gursky commended the County for “being very responsive on vaccine recommendations during the pandemic”.

About Kiwanis:

Kiwanis is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organization also accepts women as members. Membership in Kiwanis and its family of clubs is more than 600,000 members. Each year, Kiwanis clubs raise more than US $100 million and report more than 18.5 million volunteer hours to strengthen communities and serve children.

The Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos meets noon to 1 p.m. each Tuesday in Kelly Hall at Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church, 3900 Trinity Dr. in Los Alamos. The club’s meetings are open to the public.