There are many challenges to delivering the numerous services the county provides to our citizens. We live in a large geographical area with a diverse population, which can make it difficult for people to access services.
To meet these challenges, the county embarked on a multi-departmental effort to start a pilot program called “Super Service Saturdays.” The county will open its doors to people from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on the second Saturday of the month (July 14, Aug. 11 and Sept. 8), at the County Health and Human Services Office, located at 2625 N. King St. in Flagstaff.
People who work in remote locations, work traditional 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday shifts or can’t make time for a scheduled appointment often have difficulty accessing services. They may have to use valuable vacation or sick time or take a cut in pay due to missing hours of work. We want to lessen the burden for those people.
In 2017, Coconino County conducted a Community Needs Assessment. One of the concerns that was consistently brought forward was the lack of access to county services during non-traditional hours. The Super Service Saturday pilot program will hopefully address these concerns while also increasing the overall awareness of county services.
During every Super Service Saturday, there will be a wide variety of services offered by the Public Health Services District, Community Services Department, the Career Center and other county departments. District 2 Supervisor Liz Archuleta also plans on attending to answer constituent questions on county issues.
Resources for job seekers, Financial Empowerment Workshops and WIC Services are just some of the staples at Super Service Saturday. People can also get a free backpack, while supplies last, when they get back-to-school immunizations or sports physicals during the July and August events.
Thanks to the support of the County Board of Supervisors and the County Manager’s Office, we look forward to launching the Super Service Saturday pilot program. Making our services more accessible to county residents is certainly worth trying. We hope that through this pilot, we can learn what services people use the most and how we can grow in the future. Through this learning process, we will evaluate the successes of the offering services outside of traditional hours throughout the year and determine if we can expand the program.
It is our hope that by extending these hours, we can make the lives of the people we serve just a little bit easier. So please help us spread the word to people who may take this opportunity to seek services on Saturdays. We look forward to working with our county and community partners to better serve our citizens. FBN
For more information and a complete list of services, please go to coconino.az.gov/superservicesaturday or call 928-679-7120.
Norma Gallegos is the Coconino County Community Services Director, Marie Peoples is the Coconino County Chief Health Officer, Carol Curtis is the Coconino County Career Center Director.