Grantees

Provided leadership and promoted collaboration to address community-specific behavioral health concerns; diminished the stigma of mental illness through greater awareness and understanding; increased early detection and treatment, and improved overall behavioral health outcomes for Coloradans.

Supported Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics in bringing consistent primary, mental and dental health care to children in their communities—particularly for families that have difficulty accessing health care through the traditional system—through clinics, mobile health care vans that serve rural and metro-area counties, and by establishing and servicing new school-based health centers.

Designed a monitoring tool for the Center for Research Strategies to assess the progress of health care workforce investments by the Colorado Area Health Education Centers, Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence, Colorado Health Institute and Colorado Rural Health Center.

Supported a Colorado Health Institute-led study of the scopes of care for advance practice nurses, physician assistants and dental hygienists, pursuant to Executive Order B 003 08, to inform legislative discussion in the 2009 session.

The Colorado AHECs and the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center are working to encourage rural and underserved high school students to explore health profession careers. The AHECs are also administering a health care scholars program to graduate students in health professions education and training who opt to practice in rural or other underserved sites. Most significantly, this grant developed and supported a multidisciplinary curriculum and training program for rural track health professions students.

Supported the Colorado Health Institute in building the statewide Health Professions Database to ensure that programs and policies are data-driven and can more strategically address Colorado’s provider shortage. Also developed an inventory of health professions academic programs and workforce initiatives in Colorado; as well as conducted workforce, scopes of care, and supply and demand studies.

Managed by the Colorado Rural Health Center, the Collaborative convened policy leaders, health care providers, educational institutions, and economic development and workforce planning authorities to collectively establish a strategic public policy framework for Colorado to advance health professions workforce priorities to address the shortage of providers and strengthen the health care system.

Supported the Colorado Hospital Association in developing standards and processes to measure and disclose nurses’ contribution to the quality of patient care in licensed health care facilities, pursuant to Executive Order B 002 07.

Support to conduct a health policy seminar for Colorado state legislators to provide them detailed information on each of the policy strategies included in the report from the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Reform.

Conducted local outreach in support of the Frontline film Sick Around the World, which explores how other industrialized countries deliver health care and what the United States might learn from their experience. A follow-up film, Sick Around America, focuses on the 225 million Americans under 65 not covered by Medicaid or Medicare who seek access to health care via the private insurance market. Learn more.