At its core, Mesa County Public Health works to protect and promote the health of all residents. Healthy businesses are essential to a healthy community.

Public health plays a critical role in supporting local employers by providing guidance, education and resources. Reflecting on our agency’s achievements in 2025 highlights the essential role public health plays in helping local businesses thrive.

Retail food

Mesa County Public Health works closely with retail food establishments in Mesa County. Through education and ongoing support, the agency helps businesses meet regulatory requirements while protecting customers and employees.

Each year, our team hosts an annual webinar to help retail food establishments prepare for the year ahead. In 2025, we regularly offered training for current and future food-service workers. These courses focused on best practices for safe food preparation and preventing foodborne illness.

Agriculture

Mesa County’s burn-permit program is another example of how public health supports business needs while safeguarding community health. The program is especially important for agricultural operations that rely on open burning to manage vegetation. Our team provides a clear permitting process, monitors conditions and issues no-burn advisories when necessary.

Mesa County Public Health helps businesses operate safely and legally while protecting healthy air quality. In 2025, MCPH issued approximately 2,400 burn permits, supporting essential operations while protecting the health of the community.

Grocery stores

Mesa County Public Health also strengthens the local economy by directing federal dollars into Mesa County grocery stores. Benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program are redeemed at local grocery stores. This provides consistent revenue and strengthens the local food economy.

Our team helps retailers meet requirements, stock healthy foods and run eWIC systems to better serve local families. In 2025, approximately $2.5 million in federal dollars were put back into Mesa County grocery stores through WIC.

Childcare

Access to reliable, affordable child care is a critical factor in workforce participation and productivity.

Mesa County Partnership for Children and Families works to help working parents find quality child care through a platform called BridgeCare. Using BridgeCare data, Partnership for Children and Families tracks what parents are searching for in specific areas and identifies gaps in available care. These insights help encourage providers to expand or develop services. In 2025, 113 licensed child care providers actively used the database.

Partnership for Children and Families further supports businesses by helping to sustain a reliable workforce in the early childhood industry. It invests in expanding access to quality care through initiatives such as Universal Preschool. Partnership for Children and Families also provides coaching, safety support and workforce scholarships.

In 2025, the team awarded $89,600 in early-childhood-education scholarships to adult and high school learners. This helps build the future workforce while supporting today’s employers.

At every level, Mesa County Public Health’s work reflects a commitment to community well-being and economic stability. Public health is not just a safety net, but a strategic partner in business success.

We are proud to serve our community and local businesses, and we look forward to another year of collaboration.