Predicting and Supporting Diversity in Colorado’s Future

By Ned Calonge, MD, MPH, The Colorado Trust

Over the past several months, we’ve shared many reasons why The Colorado Trust shifted its focus to achieving health equity across our state. Mildred Thompson, Director of the PolicyLink Center for Health Equity and Place, opened the second year of our Health Equity Learning Series last week with compelling, evidence-based predictions for the future of Colorado that reinforced our new strategic direction.

Thompson’s presentation included county-specific percentages of the Colorado population comprised of people of color. The demographic data began as far back as 1980, and then projected out to 2040. The data shows Colorado has already become an extraordinarily diverse state in the last three decades, and this will continue for many more years to come. The Latino population in Colorado was 12 percent in 1980, Thompson said; by 2040, it will be 33 percent. Driving this trend is the fact that the vast majority of people of color in Colorado right now are age four or younger.

The Trust will authentically partner with communities across the state, and our goal will be to encourage and strengthen resident- and community-led solutions. Initially, we have identified four regions in Colorado to begin our community-based participatory grantmaking. This is an exciting new venture for us, and a lot of research and deliberation went into where we should first concentrate these efforts. Per Thompson’s maps and data, our initial regions align with the areas of Colorado projected to have some of the most significant increases in ethnic diversity over time. We’re clearly off to the right start; as we learn from our initial efforts, we plan to expand our community-based grantmaking statewide in the future.

These same Colorado communities are in regions of our state where residents’ ability to maintain good health – which Thompson aptly defined during her talk as “overall well-being,” not just the absence of illness – is already a challenge for many. We’re in the midst of gathering as much community-specific information as we can for these regions, not just with data but also in-person conversations with community leaders and organizations. We want to collect as many thoughts and opinions as possible on how to improve health equity in these locales, and that will mean painting a complete picture that goes beyond just numbers on a page.

Thompson believes that meaningful community engagement has to extend beyond simply a town hall meeting once a year. Rather, it should involve “a voice, a vote and a role to play,” she said. It’s a principle we will take to heart as we engage all voices in the discussion around health equity.

Visit our website to learn more about Mildred Thompson’s presentation. We have many more engaging and insightful speakers planned for this year’s Health Equity Learning Series, with our next event scheduled for May 8 featuring Manuel Pastor, PhD, Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. Dr. Pastor’s background as an economist promises to provide a unique perspective on the topics of community engagement and health equity. For information on attending in person or streaming the event online, please sign up for our mailing list.