The Next New Frontier: Nevada’s Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties

Abstract

Northern Nevada’s Healthy Communities Coalition (HCC) provides a compelling example of integrating asset building with prevention approaches through a complex partnership among six very different rural “frontier towns,” as they are referred to by the people in the area. The complexity of this coalition is a testament to the leaders’ fierce respect for the identities forged by each of these towns, and to their ability to gain the trust of small communities fearful of being overshadowed or co-opted by larger towns. Each of the six towns has survived challenges associated with isolation and small populations, such as limited resources for its youth, particularly when compared to more urban areas of Nevada, such as Las Vegas. The coalition honors the unique histories of these towns, emphasizing how each of them uniquely enriches the coalition’s work.