June 2022

On the Ground in Routt County: Applying MCH’s Safe & Connected Built Environments

Liz Young-Winne

Built Environment Coordinator

Honestly, I was nervous arriving in Steamboat to help with and facilitate in-person events after years of collaborating mostly online. The adage “it's like riding a bicycle” couldn’t have been more true; the conversations, presentations, and demonstrations quickly became natural again. 

As we bicycled around Steamboat with 10-15 students per group, people would ask, “what are you doing?” Because keeping a group together on a bicycle is tough, the response was fast: “The Health Department and Routt County Riders are hosting bicycle education for 150 sixth graders at Steamboat Springs Middle School this week!” When Fred* (*fake name) invited us to his home to talk about housing affordability challenges, we were able to spend time explaining why urban planners work for the State Health Department and why we were in Routt County for three days.

Creating safe and connected built environments is a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) priority with the goal that all Coloradans will have increased access to safe places to walk, bicycle, wheelchair roll, and to create community connections. The availability of and access to high quality built environments can positively influence health outcomes, health equity, and is an upstream public health strategy (BARHII Framework). Public health professionals can partner across sectors (land use planning, public works, parks & recreation, transportation planning, housing authorities, nonprofits, etc.) to ensure local built environment policies and conditions advance the health goals of a community. 

Click here to read more about what we did in Routt County

Legislative Session Summary

Meghna Patta

Community Outreach Specialist

The second regular session of the 74th General Assembly adjourned just minutes before the midnight deadline on May 11th, 2022. Colorado legislators worked 20 hours straight due to the hundreds of bills that were still on the docket two days before adjournment, and major legislative priorities were passed in the end.  The legislature made historic investments into critical resources and supports for those in crisis, with nearly $500 million put into behavioral and mental health systems in the state. 

In another historic move, legislators passed the largest state budget ever at $36.4 billion dollars, $2.5 billion dollars higher than current spending levels, coupled with deploying $1.8 billion in federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act. They made key investments in affordable housing, mental and behavioral health, workforce development, and expanding child care centers. Legislators also introduced bills aimed at addressing policies to reduce justice involvement for young children, increase coverage for children and pregnant individuals, increase economic mobility, support affordable housing, and much more.  

A few bills of interest are briefly highlighted below, and a longer list of MCH-related bills may be found here. 

• HB22-1289: Health Benefits for Colorado Children and Pregnant Persons - This bill expands state-funded health and medical care (Medicaid and Children Health Plan Plus) to cover low income pregnant people up to 12 months postpartum, and children less than 19 years of age, regardless of immigration status. This bill also codifies in statute the CDPHE health survey for birthing people (formerly known as Health eMoms). 

• HB22-1369: Children’s Mental Health Programs -  The newly formed Department of Early Childhood is to contract with a Colorado-based nonprofit to provide children’s mental health programs engaging in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) prevention. 

• SB22-147: Behavioral Health-care services for Children - Supports and codifies the Colorado Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation and Access Program in the University of Colorado. The program will provide additional funding to existing programs and continue to support primary care providers to identify and treat mild to moderate behavioral health conditions in practices or in School Based Health Centers (SBHCs). 

• SB22-182: Economic Mobility Program - Codifies in statute and funds the Economic Mobility Program in CDPHE. The MCH program began piloting the tax outreach project in the summer of 2021, and this bill provides additional funding under the newly codified program for two more years. 

Legislative Session By the Numbers

• 120 days, ending right at the cap directed by the Colorado Constitution.
• ~60% of public testimony was delivered remotely.
• 657 bills were introduced.
• 513 bills passed, a 78% passage rate.
• 20 hours worked straight through to get to the finish line.

The 2022 Colorado Health Symposium, “Game Changers: The Status Quo Has Got to Go” - July 20 - 29, 2022. Keystone Conference Center, Keystone, CO. Registration for in-person attendance closes 6/24.

Strengthening Colorado Families and Communities Conference: Flourishing in Times of Change - September 19-21, 2022, Pueblo, CO. 

Public Health in the Rockies - September 27-29, 2022, Keystone Conference Center, Keystone, CO. 

Perinatal Toolkit Activation: Taking Action to Support Perinatal Mental Health

Workshops, Micro-Grants, and Sector Champion Training 

The Maternal and Child Health Programs at Tri-County Health Department and the Public Health Institute at Denver Health are offering no-cost training and action planning workshops to promote perinatal mental health. The workshops consist of a two hour action planning session and a one hour follow up session. They are designed to help service providers, organizations, and communities understand and embrace their role in supporting perinatal mental health. Workshop participants learn about the Perinatal Continuum of Care, a framework that highlights opportunities across sectors to promote and address perinatal mental health and use our Toolkit for Action to develop action plans to incorporate effective strategies into their work. Participants and organizations who attend the workshops are eligible to apply for Micro-Grants to support the implementation of action items developed during the workshop. Training-of-trainer opportunities to develop Sector Champions are also available. To learn more about any of these opportunities please email Kelly Stainback-Tracy and Jessie Reeder.

Public Health Digital Library

The Public Health Digital Library (PHDL) is now available to all local public health agency staff through CDPHE. The PHDL helps local agency staff find and use the best evidence-based information available. The PHDL includes:

• Over 300 electronic journals spanning the diverse knowledge domains in public health
• 75 electronic books in clinical and public health topics
• Global health and systematic reviews databases 
• Other information resources  

The PHDL features the PubMed database which makes finding and accessing PHDL journals easy across any health-related topic. Users can also find and order articles not available through the PHDL from the partner library, UC Health System Library.

• Access the PHDL 
• Access user guides for both LPHA end users and technical/communications support staff

I Matter Program Renewed through June 30, 2023

In May 2022, the Colorado State Legislature renewed I Matter, a program that provides up to six free counseling sessions for any Colorado youth. With the new funding, the program will extend until at least June 30, 2023, and could continue until June 30, 2024, depending on how quickly funds are expended. The program was originally set to expire June 30, 2022.

Learn more about the program's renewal in this press release and share I Matter in your communities by visiting the digital toolkit, where you can download social posts and our platform overview that explains what to expect when utilizing the website and services. You may order free I Matter materials through the program’s online ordering form. Visit IMatterColorado.org or YoImportoColorado.org to sign up for services in English or Spanish.

Blueprint for Change: A National Framework for a System of Services for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN)

The Blueprint for Change is a series of articles that make up a supplement in Pediatrics. The series is comprised of:

• A Blueprint for Change: Provides the rationale, guiding assumptions, and principles
• CYSHCN Profile: Uses the National Survey of Children’s Health data to highlight the diverse population of CYSHCN and their challenges to receive services in a well-functioning system
• Progress, Persistence, and Hope: Provides an overview of the history of MCHB’s role in supporting CYSHCN and their families
• Spotlight on four key focus areas: Health Equity; Family and Child Wellbeing and Quality of Life; Access to Supports and Services; and, Financing of Services

2022 Local Ballot Measure Tracker

For the third year in a row, The Colorado Health Foundation launced the 2022 Local Ballot Measure Tracker, a one-stop-shop compilation of municipal and county ballot initiatives from across the state of Colorado for the Nov. 8 election. 

Pulse 2022: Coloradans Continue to Face Health-Related Challenges

Pulse: The Colorado Health Foundation Poll is being released in phases. If you missed the first phase focused on the increasing cost of living and cost of housing, you can catch up here. The link above leads to a report that focuses on Coloradans’ views on health and well-being.

Affordable and quality housing is something many families across Colorado struggle to access. Life is made even more complicated when you have a child with significant health care needs. HCP Care Coordinator Anita Walter helped to connect Family Garza’s to a Habitat for Humanity Housing application because care coordination is more than just supporting the medical complexities a family must navigate, it is about ensuring access to all the supports a family needs to achieve well being, including a place to call home.  See photo from the family's ground blessing ceremony a few weeks ago, their new house is slated to be finished by early next year.  This is what MCH Priority Access to Supports looks like for Family Garza.

Strategies of Community Engagement

Last month we learned that to do community engagement correctly, we have to have intentional inclusion of those who are impacted by inequities. One thing to note is that community can look different depending on what your program's focus is on. It’s up to you to do your research and go through the process of identifying who’s most affected by the inequities of your area of work and whoever these people are, that is the community you should be including.

Three strategies you can use to engage community members meaningfully include, building relationships with community members, sharing power with these communities, and establishing belonging. How to do this will be shared with you in upcoming newsletters or if you’re looking for answers now, make a request by following the workforce development support request link provided below.

We’re here for you! Submit a workforce development support request for consultation, coaching, and training on a list of topics.