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National Wellness Month, celebrated every year in August, is already right around the corner. Here at WGA, health and well-being is taking center stage in the year ahead, as we’re already off and running with Hawaiʻi Governor Josh Green’s WGA Chair initiative, Health Beyond Healthcare.  

The initiative is all about strengthening mental health outcomes across the West. It will focus on access to care and improved delivery, while also putting an important emphasis on the broader social and environmental factors that affect mental health.  

Those factors can include everything from housing and community to workforce development and education.  

As Governor Green put it when he launched the initiative at WGA’s Annual Meeting earlier this month, “access to healthcare is one of the defining challenges facing the West. But health doesn't begin in a doctor’s office. It begins where we live, learn, work, and play. Through this initiative, we have an opportunity to work together across state lines to improve access to care, strengthen our communities, and advance practical, bipartisan solutions that improve lives." 

Recognizing the importance of this initiative, Governor Green’s bipartisan colleagues in the West are eagerly stepping up to support it.  

Join Governor Kelly Armstrong in Bismarck, North Dakota, on September 1 and 2, Governor Mark Gordon in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on October 8 and 9, and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on November 16 and 17 for our first initiative workshops.  

Register for the first workshop in Bismarck here and check back with WGA soon for more details on speakers and agendas for each of these gatherings.  

As we gear up for Health Beyond Healthcare, Governors across the region aren’t slowing down on their work to support health and well-being.  

Just this week, Colorado Governor Jared Polis helped cut the ribbon on a new medical school at the University of Northern Colorado. The school was supported by legislation Governor Polis signed two years ago, which allotted $128 million to the UNC campus. As Colorado’s third medical school, it will help fill a major need for more primary care physicians. 

In Utah, Governor Spencer Cox announced this week that the state has added 110 primary care providers in rural areas since last May, a 9.3% increase that surpasses Utah’s four-year goal.  

In Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek helped break ground on the Clackamas Recovery Center this week, which will help provide the full continuum of support for individuals healing from substance use disorders.  

Another behavioral health facility just opened its doors to Muscogee Nation residents in Oklahoma. The $72 million residential treatment center will help tribal citizens receive culturally competent care without leaving their community – a dream that has been in the works for years.  

Stay up to date with WGA in the coming months while Western Governors work together to address the region’s most pressing mental health challenges under the Health Beyond Healthcare initiative. From in-person workshops to webinars, panel discussions, podcasts, and, ultimately, the initiative report, WGA will learn from experts, engage with leaders, and help chart the future of mental health care access in the West.  

Nuclear lifecycle campuses: this week, the Department of Energy announced the five states that are in the running to host new Nuclear Innovation Lifecycle Campuses. Three of the contenders are in the West: Idaho, Oklahoma, and Utah.  

DOE’s Innovation Campuses will support the full nuclear fuel lifecycle, including fuel fabrication, enrichment, reprocessing, and final disposition of used nuclear fuel. They could also include reactor deployment and power generation, depending on the location.  

DOE estimates that establishing a campus could attract up to $50 billion in capital investment, generate as much as $10 billion in state and local tax revenue, and create nearly 25,000 jobs.  

From office building to housing: in Nevada, Governor Joe Lombardo recently announced that demolition work had begun at the Grant Sawyer State Office building in Las Vegas, which will soon be transformed into a residential community of more than 1,000 homes.  

The vacant building was once used as a state office complex but will now go toward addressing Nevada’s housing needs.  

"From reforming state policy and investing in housing development to putting surplus state land back into productive use, my administration has taken a comprehensive approach to making housing more attainable for hardworking Nevada families," said Governor Joe Lombardo. "Rather than allowing this property to sit underutilized, we're helping create a community where more than 1,000 Nevada families will have the opportunity to achieve the dream of homeownership.” 

Colorado turns 150: on Saturday, August 1, Colorado will celebrate its 150th anniversary as a state. Celebrations will be held over the weekend in all 64 counties, with festivals, concerts, museum openings, and more. 

Independent movie theaters across the state will also host the Colorado 150 Film Festival, which will highlight films shot in Colorado or by Coloradans.  

Organizers are also encouraging residents to get outside and enjoy the state’s natural beauty, from state parks and local trails to the 58 14,000-foot peaks.  

Downwinders’ clinic: in late July and early August, Intermountain Health will be offering free clinics in Utah for those who may be eligible for payments under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).  

RECA provides compensation to individuals and family members who developed serious illnesses after exposure to 20th-century nuclear weapons testing and development in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and New Mexico. 

RECA was recently expanded by Congress after the program lapsed in 2024. Western Governors have long supported RECA and called for its expansion to ensure that “downwinders” receive full compensation for adverse health effects caused by nuclear weapons development.  

Clinics will be held in St. George on July 30, Provo/Orem on August 4, Salt Lake City on August 4, Logan on August 5, and Ogden on August 7.