{"id":1319256,"date":"2020-04-03T13:01:46","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T19:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/?p=475927"},"modified":"2020-04-03T14:07:40","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T20:07:40","slug":"eagle-countys-mira-bus-staffers-help-people-help-each-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/eagle-countys-mira-bus-staffers-help-people-help-each-other\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagle County\u2019s MIRA bus staffers help people help each other"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/CvrMIRABus-vdn-040420-1024x637.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/CvrMIRABus-vdn-040420-1024x637.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/CvrMIRABus-vdn-040420-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/CvrMIRABus-vdn-040420-768x478.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/CvrMIRABus-vdn-040420-1536x955.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/CvrMIRABus-vdn-040420-2048x1274.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/CvrMIRABus-vdn-040420-600x373.jpg 600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"637\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><strong>Yazmin Almanza with Vail Health tests a patient for COVID-19 Friday at the Dotsero Mobile Home Park in Dotsero. The Mobile Intercultural Resource Alliance (MIRA) bus through Vail health is providing free COVID-19 screenings in select neighborhoods where transportation is an issue.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Melina Valsecia smiles as her phone rings again \u2026 and again and again \u2026 45 times last weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Valsecia, Liduvina Porres and Fatima Becerra staff the MIRA bus, a 40-foot RV that brings community resources to neighborhoods that need it. The \u201cR\u201d in RV is a misnomer. They love what they do, but it\u2019s not recreational.<\/p>\n<p>Most days you\u2019ll find the MIRA bus in one of the Vail Valley\u2019s many low-income neighborhoods, handing out information and school lunches to anyone who needs one, and providing free COVID-19 tests and myriad other things.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-476075\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-1-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-1-600x400.jpg 600w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><strong>Yazmin Almanza with Vail Health prepares a COVID-19 test during a free screening Friday in Dotsero. The bus will next be in the Aspens Mobile Home Park Monday in Avon.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Chris Dillmann | <a href=\"mailto:cdillmann@vaildaily.com\">cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>MIRA stands for Mobile Intercultural Resource Alliance, but it\u2019s more than an acronym. It\u2019s a rolling clearinghouse for local services in basic health education and screenings, application support for public assistance programs, food resources, workforce development, early-childhood education coordination and physical activity programming.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row vail-donation vail-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\" data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/VD-logo-white.png)\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/VD-logo-white.png\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\" data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/03\/vail-banner-paypal.jpg)\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe are a community resource. We were busy even before COVID-19,\u201d Valsecia said.<\/p>\n<p>Vail Health, Eagle Valley Community Foundation, and Eagle County government provide most of the money. Valsecia, Porres and Becerra go to neighborhoods and provide information. Most of their callers these days need information about financial and food assistance.<\/p>\n<p>They do not ask for information about legal status or much of anything else. They just ask what you need and answer questions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-476077\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-3-683x1024.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-3-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-3-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-3-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-3-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-3-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-3-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-3-scaled.jpg 1706w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><strong>Signs tell people how to set an appointment for a COVID-19 test Friday in Dotsero.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Chris Dillmann | <a href=\"mailto:cdillmann@vaildaily.com\">cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Luncheon is served<\/h3>\n<p>Earlier this week, they were in the Eagle River mobile home park in Edwards with Neighborhood Navigators, a bilingual program mostly comprised of neighborhood moms.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re lending a hand with the Eagle County School District\u2019s free and reduced lunch program. When the school district closed buildings to help combat the spread of COVID-19, one of the first logistical hurdles was reaching people in the free and reduced lunch program. The distribution program started at Battle Mountain and Eagle Valley high schools and expanded to a half dozen distribution sites from Dotsero to Red Cliff.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-476080\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-6-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-6-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-6-600x400.jpg 600w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><strong>The MIRA bus is making its rounds around the valley administering free COVID-19 tests with appointments.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Chris Dillmann | <a href=\"mailto:cdillmann@vaildaily.com\">cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>More than 900 lunches are handed out every day. Unlike the in-school program, you don\u2019t have to qualify for one of these lunches. Just go to the site, tell them how many you need, and they hand them to you. They\u2019re also delivering for some people who cannot get out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are thankful. Some come every day, taking lunches for other families,\u201d Valsecia said.<\/p>\n<h3>Tough times, good people<\/h3>\n<p>We care about each other most of the time, but sometimes it takes real trouble to bring it out of us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are a lot of people who want to volunteer. It\u2019s a matter of coordinating everything and everyone,\u201d Valsecia said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-476078\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-4-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-4-600x400.jpg 600w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><strong>Yazmin Almanza with Vail Health tests a patient for COVID-19 Friday at the Dotsero Mobile Home Park in Dotsero.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Chris Dillmann | <a href=\"mailto:cdillmann@vaildaily.com\">cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Along with driving the bus and working in neighborhoods, Valsecia is a health education specialist and earned her master\u2019s degree in public health education.<\/p>\n<p>The MIRA bus started rolling July 1, 2018. Three days later they were in the Roaring Fork Valley to work emergency relief during the Lake Christine fire.<\/p>\n<p>It may seem incredible, but the MIRA bus crew is meeting with agencies and assistance organizations to see what else they can do.<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-476079\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-5-1024x706.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-5-1024x706.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-5-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-5-768x530.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-5-1536x1060.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-5-2048x1413.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.vaildaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/MIRABus-vdn-040420-5-600x414.jpg 600w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><strong>Tests are safety stored after being conducted during the free COVID-19 testing Friday in Dotsero.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Chris Dillmann | <a href=\"mailto:cdillmann@vaildaily.com\">cdillmann@vaildaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt depends on capacity and safety. We are following the CDC guidelines,\u201d Valsecia said.<\/p>\n<p>People are not coming in groups, but they\u2019re coming. The MIRA bus staff will be there to greet them, long after the COVID crash is over.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaildaily.com\/news\/eagle-countys-mira-bus-staffers-help-people-help-each-other\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Vail Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yazmin Almanza with Vail Health tests a patient for COVID-19 Friday at the Dotsero Mobile Home Park in Dotsero. The Mobile Intercultural Resource Alliance (MIRA) bus through Vail health is providing free COVID-19 screenings in select neighborhoods where transportation is an issue. Chris Dillmann | cdillmann@vaildaily.com Melina Valsecia smiles as her phone rings again \u2026 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1319256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-04 03:57:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1319256"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1319261,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319256\/revisions\/1319261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1319256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1319256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1319256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}