Grantees

Provided technical assistance to nurse education programs statewide to incorporate six quality and safety competencies, including patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety and informatics (i.e., using information and technology to share knowledge, mitigate errors and support decision making). Based on key findings from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation‘s national pilot to implement quality and safety education in nurse curricula. (Visit QSEN online)

Developed and implemented a statewide train-the-trainer and toolkit model to promote and support use of the new Colorado Program Eligibility and Application Kit (PEAK), an online application to help individuals and families apply online for medical and food assistance benefits.

Helped communities define and act on their own vision of a healthy community. Twenty-eight communities across the state participated in this effort and their improvements ranged from creating a bus system, medical and dental clinics and community centers to establishing programs that provide for positive youth development, quality child care, senior wellness and more.

A multi-state, quasi-experimental evaluation of the Patient-centered Medical Home (PCMH) model in Colorado was conducted by the Harvard University School of Public Health. This evaluation identified factors associated with the implementation of the PCMH model as well as the outcomes related to patient and physician experiences, changes in quality of care measures and cost. With claims data from the participating insurance companies, the evaluation examined utilization and costs for patients in the pilot sites relative to similar patients in the comparison groups.

Supported needs resulting from the 2012 wildfires statewide.

Supported a peer-to-peer match meeting that provided Colorado early childhood stakeholders with technical assistance from national experts regarding two effective data sharing tools and implementation strategies that are being successfully used in other states and local communities to measure early childhood physical health and well-being.

Supported consumer training in advocacy through five regional AHEC centers statewide focusing on policy changes to expand access to health.

Supported the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative‘s work to increase awareness and educate health consumers statewide about barriers to health access, and strengthen advocacy efforts for policy changes to increase access to health care.

Supported the Colorado Rural Health Center‘s efforts to ensure that state policy and health leaders understand and support the health needs of rural Colorado through a combination of efforts including research, education, communications and advocacy.

Brought together a diverse coalition of business, labor and advocacy organizations to collectively educate communities statewide about the opportunity to achieve meaningful health care reform, engage in ongoing discussions about solutions to the health care crisis and encourage lawmakers to take action.