The Colorado Trust

Equality in Health Initiative

A new seven year (2005-2012), $13 million Colorado Trust initiative seeks to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities in Colorado. According to the 2002 Institute of Medicine report, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, there is evidence that a trend in bias, prejudice and stereotyping on the part of health care providers may contribute to differences in care. In Colorado and across the country, minority populations experience higher rates of chronic diseases, and they are more likely than Caucasians to be uninsured and unable to access care.

Fourteen nonprofit organizations - including educational institutions and health care clinics - across Colorado have been selected as grantees of this new Trust initiative. A second cycle, mid-way through the Equality in Health Initiative, will provide funding to an additional group of grantees. All grantees will receive grants averaging $60,000 annually for five years.

The first group of grantees selected will work to bring about improvements in one or more of the following areas: equality in treatment in medical services, equal access to care, equal environmental conditions and healthy behaviors among racial and ethnic minorities. The grantees are:

1. Asian Pacific Development Center (statewide)
2. Boys and Girls Club of Craig (Craig)
3. Children's Hospital and Piton Foundation (statewide)
4. Clayton Family Futures (Northeast and far-Northeast Denver)
5. Colorado Community Health Network (statewide)
6. CU School of Medicine (statewide)
7. Full Circle Inter-Generational Project, Inc. (Northeast and far-Northeast Denver)
8. Marillac Clinic (Mesa County)
9. Metro Community Provider Network (Arapahoe and Jefferson counties, and Aurora)
10. Metro Denver Black Church Initiative (Metro Denver)
11. Rural Communities Resource Center (Akron and Yuma counties)
12. Summit County Care Clinic (Summit County)
13. Telluride Foundation (San Miguel, West Montrose and Northeastern Dolores counties)
14. Women's Resource Center (Larimer County)

(Click here for additional information about grantees.)

The Colorado Foundation for Families and Children will serve as the statewide coordinating agency for this initiative, providing day-to-day management and technical assistance to each grantee in the areas of cultural competency, program development and program implementation.

An independent evaluation of the initiative will be conducted by the Association for the Study and Development of Community. The evaluation will determine whether the cultural competency of grantees changes over time and how these changes influence the outcome of their work. It also will identify the conditions necessary for an organization to bring about positive changes in cultural competency.

For additional information about the Equality in Health initiative, contact Ginger Harrell, Program Officer, The Colorado Trust, 303-837-1200, ginger@coloradotrust.org. For more information on the evaluation, contact Nancy B. Csuti, Dr.PH, Director of Evaluation, The Colorado Trust, 303-837-1200, nancy@coloradotrust.org.