NACo Healthy Counties Advisory Board brainstorms over breakfast

Key Takeaways

Healthy aging, food disparity and mental health were top of mind for members of NACo’s Healthy Counties Advisory Board at an early-morning breakfast meeting Sunday, Feb. 13 at the NACo Legislative Conference.

Under the guidance of Loudoun County Chair-at-Large Phyllis Randall, who chairs the group, they broke into small groups to talk about those challenges in their counties. Before the committee began in earnest, however, Randall had the members participate in a breathing exercise, taking a moment to focus on their own mental health after two years of the pandemic. “You cannot pour from an empty bucket,” she noted.

The first group focused on mental health and substance use, tackling what Randall referred to as an upcoming “second pandemic,” after the loss of so many. “A nation cannot lose almost a million people and not have collective trauma.” 

Members discussed at length the challenges and need for creating treatment centers for mental health. They discussed the critical need of getting mental health services to youth who are facing higher-than-ever suicide rates and mental and behavioral health difficulties. County officials also discussed the need for equitable access to resources for families and youth through wraparound services, which is lacking in many places.

A second group focused on food insecurity, specifically centering on residents dealing with the lack of accessibility to food, supply chain issues and proper planning for land use. “What does a healthy environment look like? Does it involve a lot of green space? Does it look like a walkable community?” Randall asked.

A second group tackled the topic of extreme disparities in food security. Some communities, both rural and urban, include residents experiencing a “food desert,” where there is no access to quality food, whether it be supply chain issues or having no way to reach the nearest grocery store. On the other end of the spectrum, dubbed the “Dollar General-ification” of some communities, is the overabundance of cheap, low-quality, high sodium prepackaged foods. These low-quality foods provide minimal benefit and can cause lasting deficiencies. The group focused on the need for equitable distribution methods and the creation of food hubs like farmers markets and mobile food stores. 

Finally, the last group tackled healthy aging and what needs are specific to those who are over 80 years old. “Let's talk about how to make sure that our aging population is living their best lives, all the way through their life and maybe even talk about how to exit this life in the best, most dignified way,” Randall said.

The group spoke of the power of peer-to-peer resources, pairing seniors with county residents to attend events, help each other learn and fight back against loneliness. They discussed the challenges of “aging in place,” which many elderly have been forced to endure through the pandemic and what might be done to help them learn how to be safe. 

The group suggested forming a program to send a nurse, handyman and occupational therapist to the homes of elderly to help them identify challenges and teach them how to interact safely with things they may have taken for granted a few short years ago. They also suggested NACo form a new focus group around the problems of healthy aging.