(This report consists of spoken dialogue and written submissions. Not all speakers are reported here but if a written response to the requested questions was submitted, then it was transferred to this report. If you do not find your organization represented, please return the questionnaire to Community Resource Center, P.O. Box 363, Buffalo, so it may be added to this record. You may call 684-7933 to request another copy of the questionnaire.)

Nels Lofgren, Mayor of Buffalo
In 1992, we had a strategic planning meeting at Paradise Guest Ranch. There were a lot of people involved. Basically, the main concern was that we are going to have growth and we needed a good infrastructure. Committees were set up to reach those goals. That has been reached, in terms of having enough water, sewer system, and the infrastructure to plan for growth. The thought at the time was that we would be around 4,000 people by the Year 2000. We're pretty much at that. We have met those goals and it's time to move forward.
We had another meeting last fall up at Paradise as to where we need to be down the road, maybe five to seven years. There were fewer people in attendance, but equally good input. The big thing that came out of that was we have so many assets; the volunteerism in this community is extraordinary. We need to develop those assets. Ideas included recognition for volunteerism, and coordinating volunteerism.

Then, Shann Hauck, director of Healthy Communities, Healthy Youth of Johnson County, obtained a community health planning grant to put together a comprehensive health planning coalition in Johnson County that resulted in an action plan calling for inventorying our community assets and connecting people with existing resources.

All of you in some fashion represent those assets. This afternoon we will begin to compile an inventory of community assets. That inventory can be used as the basis for a long-term plan and a one-stop, health and human services shop that will allow people to go to one place and get exactly what is needed without being shuffled off to another entity and eventually lost within the system. Also, when someone comes up with a project and says, "We really need this, who's best to do this?," we will be able to connect people with the means to help make a vision reality, as a result of knowing what volunteer and other resources exist.

About a month ago, we had a steering committee put together to start this planning process funded by the HC/HY grant, which was provided by the Wyoming Department of Health Maternal and Child Health Section. The suggestion was made by the steering committee to put three questions to all agencies offering services in the community: Who are you, what do you think you need, and what are you doing to meet those needs? That's why you are here today. We hope this is an interactive group. We want the community to develop this inventory and then utilize it. As a result of this process, by the end of the Year 2000 a community health planning coalition will have a five-year strategy that reflects the community's goals. This plan will be important to seek funding and to help the community meet its individual needs.

The sheets you filled out with the three questions will be compiled, and everybody will receive a report back. Oral reports will be given today, to the extent time allows. I ask that you be as brief as possible so we can get through as many as possible. Please leave your written sheets with the HC/HY staff or on your tables.

Robb Hicks, Buffalo Bulletin
The Bulletin serves as a provider of information. We also serve as a forum for opinions. We have our opinions that we put out each week, and we serve as an open discussion area of local issues. We serve as a watchdog for local and statewide government. And hopefully we also serve as a cheerleader for the community, and make our community a better place. Greatest needs: qualified labor pool, a stronger economy. There's an awful lot of news that we can't get to. The amount of advertising dictates the number of pages in the newspaper. More advertising means more pages and more people to cover the news. We strive to serve the entire county population. I'd say we fall short in serving our area youth. We are ever striving to find a way to get more young people to read and use the newspaper. We also fall short in manpower, the ability to get to every event that's going on. And that's it -- how's that for brevity?

Rep. Doug Osborn
I'm your representative in the State Legislature. I serve on the Labor, Health and Social Services Committee, and I'm also on the Department of Health Advisory Committee, the Telemedicine Committee and the Domestic Violence Elimination Committee. I represent Johnson County and about a third of Sheridan County. We have a budget shortfall that could be fairly substantial that means we either cut services or increase revenue through taxes.

David Miers, Pastor, Union Congregational Church
We provide crisis assistance, including financial support to transients, counseling, and are a member of Bread of Life food pantry. We give spiritual nurturance to nursing home residents and facilitate a cancer support group, and cooperate with the Ministerial Association. Our greatest need is, well, we have a problem with person power, so if you find yourself wasting your Sunday mornings sleeping, come join us. We have a problem with a lack of public outreach and awareness. Many of our services we don't publicize and coordinate with other people enough. We tend to be a little inconsistent in our service delivery; sometimes we respond to need very well and other times we don't. We serve our members who are of all ages and their friends and associates in the community that they refer us to. In the last decade, I would say that most of our new membership is coming from older, retired persons so we tend to be a little more aware of that population. At Christmas we provide a Christmas meal and we also deliver that to those who are shut-ins in the community because that's the one day of the year that Meals on Wheels doesn't operate. Several programs that we have primarily serve the elderly citizens.

Kim Wilker, Pastor, St. Luke's Lutheran Church, President BMA
I'm speaking on behalf of the Buffalo Ministerial Association. I believe we provide, through the association membership, we provide faith and spiritual affirmation. Faith undergirds everything we do in life. Our understanding as a ministry is that we're called to serve God and love our neighbor, regardless of denomination. Only seven churches of 16 participate in the association. We provide the food pantry, ecumenical worship services, baccalaureate at the high school, scholarships for Buffalo high school seniors, transient assistance, a back-to-school prayer breakfast, celebration of the national day of prayer at the courthouse, worship and Bible study at care center, and we deliver for Meals on Wheels at least one month of the year per church. I would like to see our other nine or 10 churches work together also, and to show that unity also. It's difficult to set aside our differences and focus on our commonality. We focus on serving the community in the name of our particular faith. All the churches in Buffalo at this time are Christian churches. I suspect as Buffalo grows, we'll see churches of other faiths also. Will the Ministerial Association remain Christian ministerial or become interfaith? Also, I think our group falls down some in providing support for our local people with socioeconomic needs, how we could be a more holistic group. You could be so heavenly bound you'd be of no earthly good, and we'd like to be earthly good. Hopefully our organization serves all ages in the community.

Tim Blaney, Northern Wyoming Mental Health manager
Northern Wyoming Mental Health is a four-county agency -- I'm the manager of just this county. We provide affordable, low-cost mental health services to anybody and everybody. T hat includes children, families and adults. We offer consultation services to the nursing home, hospital, school, law enforcement -- whoever would ask for that sort of help. We work with a lot of other community agencies. We're kind of a liaison between different people and different things -- I spend a lot of time in places where people are gathered to discuss community issues -- this is my third meeting today. When considering our greatest need, I first thought of money. But everybody could say that, so I won't say that. Instead, the biggest need of the mental health center is a change in the misperception about what mental health services are. People think you have to be whacko to go in to the center and get help, and don't want anybody to see them there. That's something that's changing over time but that's something we struggle with -- people wonder what the heck we do in there. A specific need is therapeutic foster parents. We have a program where children are placed in a family rather than in an institution. If anybody wants to be a foster parent, please tell me. Last year we had about 400 new clients, just in Fiscal Year 99. That's not anybody who had come there before. We have a children's summer program that's pretty successful. We kind of do anything and everything.

Steve Samples, St. Luke's Episcopal
I, think like a lot of us here, I wasn't really sure why I was being invited to come here. The other pastors who spoke mentioned the food pantry. I think in terms of this meeting, I would like to talk about the food pantry and just say that in terms of what our greatest need and shortcoming, or gap in services, is that we have a great resource that is really underutilized. The food pantry is there to address the needs of people in low income jobs and we really try to help them with food and with money and we have lots to offer and we're just underutilized. We really need to get the word out. Seven churches are participating. That's something that I would bring to everyone's attention here. I think what we need to do in terms of that is keep the momentum going. I think that as community leaders, all of us are people who kind of get things started and they gain momentum, but sometimes its hard to get things started. We want to get the word out.

Dave Harness, ambulance service and Coroner's office
We provide health care in emergency settings to children, teens, adults, and the older people. In fact, we had a call while I was here today, but luckily there was someone available to handle that situation for me. I think what we give to the community is that emergency care as well as education. We teach classes in the community and bring people the education of emergency health care. The more rural you get, the more less specific that health care can be. And the further you get away from Buffalo, the standard of emergency care is less and less because it takes us longer to get there and sometimes that standard is: "How fast can we get them back to where the doctors are?" In the wintertime, the EMS system of Wyoming serves a population base of about 350,000. In the summer months, that goes to 11 million. You can see the tremendous increase in call volume we get. Apply that to Johnson County, then I guess we're hauling around a lot more tourists than we are you, and that's good.

Kathy Bulchis, District Ranger, Big Horn Forest
The national forest is a member of and a contributor to the community, contrary to what people may think. We are responsible for stewardship and management of the resources and use of the Big Horn Forest. The forest attracts tourists and affects the community's livelihood, as well as quality of life and recreation. We employ people from the community and bring others into the community who with their families join the community, enroll in schools, and spend money here. We serve as role models for youth who are interested in national resource work. The National Forest Services is involved in rural community development and that includes a grant program; a number of grants have gone to the Big Horn Country Coalition. I think something that we're seeing is that public demands and expectations are increasing and it's a challenge to satisfy all the different types of users -- we have to balance quality versus quantity. We need to keep our responsibility to conserve our natural resources for future generations. We also have a need to prevent and correct resource damages and there is less and less money to fund that. We have not been able to talk to the public enough. Due to reorganization and downsizing, we have not had much opportunity to recruit new people into the organization. This is a nationwide problem that's going to lead to a lack of experience among employees. The biggest thing is that with all the viewpoints and interest, it's a challenge to try to bring people together to work together to work those things out. There's a lot of commonality, when you come together. Our organization serves all of the public. National lands are for and are visited by everyone but the primary use is local use: Gillette, Casper and the Midwestern states. Types of use range from hiking and snowmobiling to tree harvesting, camping, and spiritual fulfillment.

Penny Laird, Child Development Center special education teacher
We serve children from birth up to 6 years of age. We are basically the special education unit for the babies. We employ special education teachers, occupational therapists and physical therapists. We have been in the business for about 20 years. If we have a downfall, it's exposure. Many people do not even know we exist. We rent the west wing of the Children's Center. Most people think we are the same organization. We are not. We screen children for free, we provide services. We work with a lot of the preschools, daycares, a lot with families. We would just like people to know we are there. All services are free. We serve all of Johnson County. Our normal head count is between 15 and 20.

Debby Lynch, Director, Johnson/Sheridan Youth Home (Wyoming Alternatives for Youth)
I don't see too many other organizations in this community that work with the teenagers we work with that are needing out-of-home placements. We are a local community-based program offering a safe place for children who are in crisis and in need of out-of-home placement. We serve kids at an entry level position. They are in crisis. Often they are living in situations that haven't been identified before --- we refer youth and families to other services to prevent further entry into the system. If kids do need the services of the system, we want to be able to identify that, as well, and work collaboratively with all the other service agencies in the community. Our greatest need is the ability to provide services to people who can't afford services that are needed for their child that can't access dollars in the court system or in any other way that need prevention intervention. We also are in need of a couple board members. We serve children ages 10 to 17 -- boys and girls. We serve about 87 youth a year, primarily from Johnson and Sheridan counties, but sometimes out-of-region kids. They are coming to us for long-term living out of district court, and they are court-ordered to us -- pre-delinquent, delinquent, children living with abuse or neglect, or Children in Need of Supervision (CHINS). We also do crisis placements. Those kids we're seeing are kids who needed time out, there is a crisis at home, and everybody needs time to regroup and come up with a plan for whatever other services they are going to need. We're an alternative to jail so that kids do not need to be in a locked position and we don't want them in jail. We also offer respite to foster homes if parents need time to regroup to get their plan together. We offer 24-hour emergency placement and services.

Nadine Gross, Director, Buffalo Chamber of Commerce
We represent the business community. We work actively to promote our community, economic development, and a strong economy. We also are an information center to not just for the tourists but to people who have just moved here who are looking for information and services and what our community has to offer them. They ask about organizations they may want to join, or the may just need to find somebody to repair appliances. We work with businesses trying to expand. We continue to promote our community and having stability in our economic development base. We also talked about the organization's participation in community events; the Chamber sponsors parades for the whole community, which brings people into the community and their dollars, but we also work with various clubs and organizations and individuals who sponsor events for the community and activities of that kind. Our biggest need is, number one we all look at our budgets. We continue to have a more stable budget in our Chamber. However we are also business driven and as our business grows, we are also increasing our membership and we are very concerned with having the money to continue to promote our community and see it grow and still serve the membership. We have more than 216 members, including not just businesses but also clubs and organizations -- the YMCA and Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth are among our members. Also we're also involved in clubs and organizations, including several organizations made up mostly of retired business people in the community. We serve anybody who needs help.

Dan Meadows, Knights of Columbus
We are the largest ethnic fraternal organization in the world. Last year, the Knights of Columbus donated 55 million man hours and $110 million to charities. We are funded primarily by our insurance program. Locally, people who have a problem drop notes in a (???) box and we try to service through that program we have. We helped a handicapped lady here in town with many home improvements in her house. We raised money for a cancer victim through a spaghetti dinner. We've helped elderly people move. We have a Tootsie Roll program. Sales are used to help the mentally handicapped locally, statewide and internationally. Local funds go to Special Olympics. This year, the statewide Special Olympics are here and we're providing a breakfast for about 120 people. I should thank all the banks while I'm at it, insurers, etc., who buy Tootsie Rolls and distribute them. We give money to the Crisis Center, the YMCA, and provide a scholarship for a local graduating Catholic from Claremont, Kaycee or Buffalo. This year, we donated to the local Cub Scout group and we also donate to a national Morality in Media group. We're too small to do too much about Morality in the Media here, but all the clubs fund Morality in Media and by working together we should begin to be able to see some change nationally. Also, we put on a local free throw contest for 10 to 14 year olds. Who we serve changes from year to year depending on requests that we get.

Rosemarie Davidson, Sheridan College
Sheridan College offers classes in Buffalo. I've actually seen a few people go through and get their degree. We offer a wide variety of classes, from sign language to math to Wyoming government and computer classes. Some people take classes for personal growth and others are getting their degree. We need more people to take the classes. We need 10 people per class to break even. We need more people and more businesses to sign up for classes. You have to be at least 16 years old to take a class. We have lots of high school students taking classes and getting college credit.

Sara Beth Ramsey, Student Input -- high school, tobacco youth coalition
The high school provides students with an education. The youth coalition does projects in the schools to promote tobacco use prevention I have a lot of leadership skills. I'm a proactive youth. I volunteer a lot of places. At the school, I think we have some vocational needs, home economics type stuff, and also facilities things. In terms of the youth coalition, I see a lack of youth motivation, creative projects, and also community involvement which is very important for the coalition. I'm just one person. I do a lot to make the community a better place in any way that I can, but I don't get as much done by myself as I can with others involved. The high school serves anybody who would like to use the facilities. The coalition serves the youth in the community and in Clearmont and Kaycee and give them some information about tobacco and things like that. I would give anyone information about what I know and what I've been taught.

Alan Greub, 4-H
Our organization is an asset because it provides leadership and skills and learning responsibility. We send several youth to Washington, D.C., so they can get a feel of how the capital is run. On our shortcomings, we need more volunteers and more certified leaders as well as also right now we need a county extension agent and home economist. And more community support. We really appreciate the community support that we have, but the more the better on that. We have got over 200 youth enrolled in Johnson County alone. We've got over 100 leaders. They provide different services for the community, like they volunteer at nursing homes and some of the clubs provide meals for shut- ins at Christmas and Thanksgiving, and we also help gather the food for the food pantry. Other than that, we just need more support.

Lynne Michelena, First Interstate Bank. Buffalo
There are four banks in town and we all offer financial products and delivery systems. The four banks are involved in everything. We support the community through teaching and financial counseling and our employees out in the community. We buy Tootsie Rolls and we love it, and we do participate in the community, and I think the four banks are a great asset. Buffalo is like all the communities in Wyoming and Montana that I'm involved in that the primary shortcoming is the lack of a work force. There is a lot of need for more people to move in. We are all growing. We are looking for workforce. A lot of that is dictated by the economy. We serve everyone -- all ages, all types of borrowers and savers, and that's what makes it fun.

Bill Tyrrell, Department of Family Services field office manager
The Department of Family Services serves as a safety net for children and adults in the community, providing financial and medical assistance, food stamps, child care, low-income energy assistance, shelter care, nursing home care, and protective services to children and adults. We also provide assistance to children and families who have difficulties with the legal system -- children who are pre-delinquent, delinquent, or are Children in Need of Supervision (CHINS). As far as our local needs, some of the areas would be having the local job service represented here. There are a lot of transportation issues because government employment and other services covering Buffalo are in Sheridan and people are unable to travel to Sheridan easily. Job Service and Social Security pulling away from the community is placing an undue hardship on the community. Also, we have a need for career path job availability. We're always looking for people who will provide foster care. We contract with them or with the group home -- people who are willing to provide shelter for someone outside their family. I would encourage people to look at those opportunities to help others. We serve the low income, elderly, disabled and those who are unable to protect themselves, and juveniles covered by the Juvenile Court Act.

Larry Kirven, M.D, Johnson County Healthcare Center
Today I'm representing the hospital, which serves the entire county and surrounding area. The goal has always been to serve residents of Johnson County. No one ever gets turned away. We offer emergency care, long-term care, home health care and hospice care. We changed the name of our institution to Johnson County Health Care Center because we wanted the name to represent the fact that we want to be the health care center for the entire county and serve the needs of the county. We are a University of Washington clerkship site. We had to compete statewide to be a clerkship site. We were told that our hospital is several times bigger in budget than a similar sized community's hospital in Wyoming. I think that's due to community involvement here. The challenge to keep up as medical costs rise and reimbursement falls. Our operating loss last year on Medicaid alone was about $2 million. We only get $250,000 from the county. We are an asset because we don't turn anyone away, 24 hours a day. Our problem is going to be trying to keep up in a competitive, expensive business and we suffer from the same manpower problems as everyone else. It's hard to find people who will come here to work for a lower salary, particularly in nursing and medicine. Equipment is a whole another matter. This year, we are replacing our CT scanner, which will cost about $1 million. These are the kind of challenges we face. Our service area we estimate is about 7,000 to 8,000 -- we still get people from Gillette and Sheridan. We will serve anybody that comes. We try and accommodate everybody. That's another problem: As a community hospital, we treat many people who are uninsured and who can 't pay cost of the care. That burden falls on the hospital.

Jolene Lux, Family Crisis Center director
We provide services to people involved in domestic violence and sexual assault. We offer a 24-hour hotline, a crisis shelter, and peer and support groups for victims. We offer prevention education in the schools. We also operate a food and clothing bank and we also administer the FEMA money for Johnson County. We now have the Johnson County victim witness program to help victims through the court system. Our biggest need, gap, is the stigma of domestic violence. Victims are still reluctant to report it. Often the first people they report it to don't believe it and so they don't come back. We need money. And even though we had a food drive that the Boy Scouts helped us with, we're almost out of food. We also provide clothing. We are in need of clothing in our clothing bank. We serve all victims of crime in Johnson County, whether you're a senior, male, female, or child, we are there to help you.

Randy Ricard, Buffalo Police Chief
The police are the primary emergency response people. We are the professional peacemakers in the community. We are the central repository for the majority of criminal woes. We are the eyes and ears of the community and we monitor dark side and keep it isolated and away from the mainstream. We offer DARE and a one-on-one school-oriented program from kindergarten through graduation. It's a chance for kids of all ages to go one on one with one of their police officers to let them know we're human beings and we care about them. It has been a good program. Soon we'll have seniors on patrol -- we hope to get that kicked off in the next couple of months. That program is to turn some responsibility over to seniors to check on other seniors who are housebound. Our greatest need is manpower and money. Right now I'm able to put only one officer on the street per shift 24 hours per day, which creates a serious safety consideration for the officer and for people in the community. We have caseload considerations. There are a lot of cases that are not being worked. There are emergency response considerations. We need to restructure the interior of the police department to create more administrative assistance, and a full-time investigator to work cases from start to finish. The gap we're experiencing right now is DARE, which is about to die. We don't have the funding. We don't have the money to continue with the program. I don't know how much longer it's going to live. We serve you, your family, friends, your neighbors. We serve 4,000 to 6,000 people per day, and more in the summer when our tourist season begins.

Marilyn Novotny, Talbot-BHJ Insurance
I am the President of the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce. As a business owner in Buffalo it is important for this community to thrive, grow, and be healthy. We've got to have decent wages and workers. It is important that we, as employers, in order to enable to provide better wages for employees, to have people to spend their money locally. It is extremely important. Also, our wages need to increase. Unfortunately, low wages force parents to hold more then one job and this takes away from their families. Raising the wage base is one of the healthiest things we can do for our families.

Virginia Purdy, Audubon Society
Number of people in area must save recreation. There are fewer and fewer place to go for people and animals. We must keep a balance with man and animals. Bio-diversity - Balance with animal and man must be controlled for natural habitat. Roads need to be maintained and monitor the use for the preservation of roads and animals. Keep some of the wilderness preserved- beauty is important - which is why people come here.

Harvey Finch, AARP Foundation - Senior Employment
We work with people over 55 to find work in your community. We retrain by putting these clients in training sites in your area. Our greatest need/shortcoming/ gap in services is networking, communications and host agencies. We serve seniors over 55 years old with a low or poverty income.

Edie Taffner, Historian, American Legion and American Legion Aux.
I feel our organization holds a respected place in our community. As people know we carry out many community service projects, and help other community organizations with their projects. We sponsor Girls and Boy State, give education grants, sponsor Americanism Essay contests in grade and high school. We promote Americanism and patriotism in the community. Our greatest need is younger members - Our membership is mostly older and working women. We need younger leaders for Junior Aux. The Legion has a shooting program that they would like to start, but don't have the personnel that has the time to work on it. We need members that are willing to work on projects as we are a service organization. We serve Veterans, Veterans families, youth, and senior citizens in our area and VA Hospitals, Veterans Home, etc.

Rhonda Ramsey, RN, Coordinator, Best Beginnings for Wyoming Babies
Compliments existing health care providers (i.e. DFS, clinics, and public health, to provide an avenue for educational needs, case management of high risk and support systems for the pregnant woman. The greatest shortcoming is limited access due to part-time basis, not on site to make contact and establish a relationship with the client. We serve all pregnant women, and infants to one year.

Heather Eklund, Buffalo Head Start
We offer a free pre-school not a daycare. Medical screens, eye exams, and dental services. We serve meals that have been approved by a licensed nutritionist. We provide educational opportunities for parents and assist parents in receiving their GED's. We also provide social services for families.

Chris Samietz, Buffalo Senior Center
Provides nursing, transportation, approximately 17,000 meals, congregate and home delivered approx. 42,000 per year to homebound, community based in home service. Our greatest need is funding and volunteers. We serve senior citizens and the disabled.

Dave Long, D.A.R.E.
We educate young children about drugs, dangers of drugs, and danger of violence in schools. We provide to young people a "knowledge" that police are here to help and provide support to them instead of just a negative support, i.e. tickets, arrests. Our greatest needs are man power, trained officers to teach D.A.R.E., room for D.A.R.E. office area, time of to attend D.A.R.E. education classes, and money to supply students with materials. We serve the entire town of Buffalo...city and county.

Linda Barker, Department of Employment, Sheridan Employment Center
Assist employers with information needed to help train and empower youth and other citizens in the community. We can provide employment services and training to individuals requiring assistance. Help youth develop transferable skills. Our greatest need/ shortcoming/ gap in services are communication, need list of youth service providers, VOA, juvenile justice partners, distance for Buffalo residents from Sheridan, need employers willing to participate. Funding is never enough. We serve youth ages 15 to senior citizens needing assistance gaining employment.

Lucille Grigsby (participant), Diabetic Support Group
This group offers support and information for people who deal with diabetes. Keeping current on new diabetic equipment and medications. Our greatest needs are to increase the number of attendants to the diabetic support group, diabetic educational materials, referrals to the support group, advertising the meetings, community involvement. We need the doctor's support and referrals for the support group. Possible advertising could be radio, newspaper, and mail outs. We serve all people men, women, seniors, disabled, and youth of the county and city. Currently we have about 6-12 diabetics attending the support group. There are over 300 diagnosed diabetic patients in the area. Diabetic children are welcome.

Diether Van Houten, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
DVR works with persons with disabilities, which have a substantial impediment to employment - specifically to enter, maintain, and or learn employment skills. The focus is on employment and we work with persons age 16 through the age of retirement. Or need is for more jobs that offer vocational training. We are a statewide organization and this division serves Sheridan and Johnson Counties. We serve all disabilities - physical and mental - and work with the whole person and addressing all rehabilitation needs to arrive at a successful employment outcome.

Chanda Ewing, Emergency Management/ Local Planning Committee
We help to prepare the county for any emergency disaster. We do this by public awareness, which includes training on preparing for disasters, reminders in the media, group presentations, etc. We also formulate the legal plans that the county will follow in a disaster or emergency. As the EMC (Emergency Management Coordinator)) my role is to coordinate efforts of all response personnel to avoid duplication or omission of required procedures. Volunteers are in short supply and there is a lot of "catch up" work to be done. We serve every person in Johnson County.

Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth of Johnson County, Shann Hauck
HCHY of JC is part of a statewide initiative that encourages citizens to reclaim their responsibilities to young people. We are a non-profit organization with the mission to promote the framework of developmental assets in youth by building an awareness of five fundamental resources in Johnson County, WY; Ongoing relationships with caring adults, safe places and structured activities, a healthy start for a healthy future, marketable skills for effective education, and opportunities to serve.

An office was opened October 1999 called the Community Resource Center. The staff works on the initiative as well as tobacco prevention activities. We also operate a helpline for information and referral of health and human services that serve Johnson County. We connect people with a variety of needs to the resources available in our area. We are also in the process of identifying volunteer opportunities so we can match people in the community with organizations so they can reach their goals.

We serve Johnson County and the surrounding area; specifically youth.

Peggy Roadifer, Johnson County CASA
CASA provides a service to children as they proceed through the court system. We are investigative reporters assigned one-on-one to a child and report directly to the District Judge. We help the court make informed decisions about a child. We are in need of solid, caring, adults with time to volunteer for a child during their time in the court system. We serve children who have been abused or neglected, CHINS (Children in Need of Supervision) some divorce custody children and occasionally delinquent children.

Valorie Coda, Johnson County Cooperative Extension Service
The statewide outreach and information distribution system of the UWCES keeps the county, federal, and state governments in touch with the people of Wyoming. The mission of the UWCES is to provide Wyoming youth, adults, and communities with lifelong learning opportunities that encourage the application of research-supported information and leadership skills. Johnson County CES is, as the present time, without an Agricultural Educator and a Family Consumer Science Educator. However, an Ag Educator will be in the office by April, and we are fortunate enough to be able to rely on the services of Campbell County for a FCS Educator. Right now it does take some time to get responses to questions, and no programs are active in the community at the present. If a program is requested, there are educators from other counties and the University willing to give them. We serve all Johnson County and it's people. The Extension office maintains a close working relationship and provides leadership, instruction, and resources to the Woolgrowers and Woolgrowers Auxiliary; Cattlemen and Cattlewomen Associations; 4-H Council and clubs; Fair Board; Johnson County schools; Senior Center; Johnson County Homemakers; Soil Conservation and Conservation Districts; and various day care centers around the community.

Mindy Hartman, Johnson County Family YMCA
We try to meet the community's needs in all aspects of what we do. We offer recreation opportunities for all ages. Our facility has an indoor pool, hot tub, weight room, fitness room, a game room, and child care. Financial assistance and scholarships are available for those who need help. At this time we are suffering some large growing pains. We have approximately 1500 members using our facilities plus participants who sign up for classes or youth sports. We are looking at the possibility of expanding our facility. We serve all ages and disabilities. Our pool has a handicap lift and railings for access. We offer aquatic classes and free time for water exercise, arthritis, and swimming lessons. We offer training with our weight machines and free wights. We offer cardiac classes, kickboxing, step areobics, and walking classes for the community.

Cynthia Twing, Johnson County Library
The Johnson County Library provides sources for intellectual, cultural and historical information to all patrons, regardless of age, sex, or race. It is the only location in town I am aware of to offer free internet access. Computers and other equipment are available for public use. It is a social gathering place for people of all ages. It is an after-school haven for children of working parents. The library promotes literacy for all patrons, infants through adults. Since the advent of the internet, the library has become a place where people from all over the world (literally) can come to check their e-mail - it has become a communication center. Prospective residents of the area often stop in to check out our services. Our needs are not critical at this point. Maintaining access to current technology is an ongoing project, with funding of that service a constant concern. Also, there are many instances where it is obvious we are in need of more space - our meeting room is a very busy place, individual use rooms are in demand, more space for computer units would be nice. We serve patrons from all areas of the county as well as anyone who holds a library card from any library in the state. Because we are linked to most libraries in the state via the WYLD (WY Library Database) system, and we have access to practically any library in the country, we are a universal entity.

Ann Jarvis, Johnson County Public Health
Our mission is to help prevent disease and decrease death from disease. Johnson County Public Health is your local link to the state health department, county board of health and medical health officer. Our public health commitments are as follows: To prevent the spread of disease (Immunizations, strep throat cultures, communicable disease programs, Wyoming Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention Program, HIV counseling and testing), Prevent Injuries (car seat rental program, bicycle safety), Promote healthy behaviors (One-on-one or group education, family planning, smoking cessation classes, Best Beginnings for pregnant women, parenting education, sibling classes, home visiting for pregnant and parenting families), Respond to disasters (disease outbreak), Increase access to health care (information and referral to local/state/national providers and organizations, Kid Care), Help people find the services they need (link to state Public Health programs for pregnant women, children with special healthcare needs, and dental assistance, link to community programs that offer financial assistance for medical needs, link to programs that offer assistance for other basic needs), Protect against environmental hazards (radon, water quality, lead).

Organizational need; Additional nursing staff, jail health nurse, communication-cell phone or two-way radio, Money for adult vaccines. Community gaps noted; need for affordable assisted living for seniors, more outreach services in Kaycee, people age 19 through senior citizens fall through the cracks for medication services, vaccines or health care, lack of accurate knowledge of existing programs for community members and providers, need for after-hours, weekend and holiday service.

The community is our patient. We offer programs supporting out public health commitments for the young to the old, including maternal/child health. In fiscal year 1999, we logged 5,095 contacts.

Rod Kessler, Johnson County School District Number One
We are an asset to the community because we provide an educational and social setting for 16 hours a day for students, staff, and community members. Dreams are created and the journey begins! The school district needs a more stable funding system and suitable facilities. Hiring and keeping high quality employees is a challenge - good ones retire - replacement is difficult. We serve all community members. Schools of the future will develop and serve the community in learning partnerships.

Alaire Freeman, Klondike-Piney Grange #67
We initiated Meals On Wheels, and from that started nursing and transporting services. Then initiated application for a grant for a Senior Center, which is now the best in the state. Members continue to deliver Meals on Wheels and give support to the SR Center through cookbook sales, canned foods foe holiday baskets; help send FFA band members to National meetings and with their Christmas floats; provided a 4-H award each year for achievement day; support J.C. Fair; initiated the handicap ramp at the Buffalo Post Office (1986-1997); initiated run-a-way truck turnoffs on Highway 16 west of Buffalo; donated wheelchairs, bulletin boards, and monies for various activities for Amie Holt Care Center; participated in Living History Days at the Jim Gatchell Museum and Ft. Phil Kearney.

Our orgamization's greatest needs are; we need new younger members. Sometimes we get an idea but do not have enough able-bodied members to carry out properly, so it gets dropped.

We feel that the projects we have initiated and continue to support serve much of the population of the area, from senior citizens to youth. We are always looking for worth while community service projects. Many of the projects that the Grange has initiated have been taken over by other groups, which is fine. However, many people have forgotten where the ideas originated!

The Wyoming State Grange Deaf Activities has some funds for use for worth while projects for youth. There is also a video, Listen to the Wind, which is available.

Terri Dawson, Parent Information Center
We provide information, support, and referral to families with or without disabilities on how to advocate and participate actively and positively in their child's education, schools and learning. What we need the most is referrals to families ( as in they know who we are- school districts don't refer very often) we prefer to support families before they are in conflict with districts. State wide families of children and without disabilities with birth through 21 years old.

Monica Burridge, PTA
The Buffalo PTA activity supports teachers and students in the education and activities of our district. We support and develop ways to continue to bring parents, teachers and the community closer to creating a much higher level of education to the youths of Buffalo. What our organization needs the most is advertising. Advertising to the general public that PTA is not just for elementary or middle school parents or even that at the high school level PTA stops. People need to know that PTA is for every concerned community member that encourages our youth to become an active member of society and this community. We are currently focusing on the Johnson County School District but welcome the surrounding school districts as well.

Ross Elliot, State Farm Agent
We provide insurance to citizens and businesses in Buffalo and Johnson County. Our greatest need is a strong and wholesome local economy. We serve citizens of all ages; approximately 1600 families.

Heather Dawson, Students for Healthy Communities
Our efforts are in getting the youth of our community involved in healthy activities and setting a positive example for younger people to follow. Students for Healthy Communities would like to have more time to do everything we wanted to do, we have a gap in our following through with activities we have already done. We also lack in the number of students actively involved. We lack the contacts with adults community leaders about some of their activities of what we could help with. We serve youth in Buffalo and surrounding communities. Even though we have done activities for high school students and elementary students, our targeted audience that we feel that we have the most influence on is the middle school students.

Dr. William Novotny, The Vision Center of Johnson County
Provides primary vision and eye care. Vision: Glasses, contact lenses, vision therapy, low vision, sports vision, industrial vision, children's visual development. Eye care: Prescriptions for infections, injuries, glaucoma, pre and post cataract surgical care, pre and post laser refractive surgery, macula degeneration management. The community's small population base does not allow investment in many of the latest technological instrumentation. However, our organization is well equipped to provide primary care. We serve Buffalo, Kaycee, Gillette, Tensleep, and Story and some Sheridan residents; all ages. Faculty and staff capable to handle a population of 12,000.

Jack, Tarter, Veterans' Home of Wyoming
The Veterans' Home of Wyoming provides domiciliary care (assisted living) on a long-term basis primarily to veterans and to a limited number of their dependents. The Veterans' Home of Wyoming has close ties with several local agencies such as the YMCA, Buffalo Senior and the Johnson County Healthcare Center. We provide employment for 44 employees and administrative services to two other state agencies in other communities. We provide office space to three state agencies who have six employees. Our greatest need is the ability to hire qualified staff. Currently, Certified Nurse Aides are difficult to hire. The State of WY needs to increase the Support Services budget, as we are operating on fewer dollars in this area then we had in 1992 when we had 75 residents. We now average 110 residents. We care for America's heroes, this country's veterans.