Update from the CEO: Telling Your Story to Create Powerful Conversations

It’s November, the official month of giving thanks and I would like to thank all of our members, sponsors and exhibitors for helping make CRHC’s Annual Conference one of the best on record. We appreciate your continued support.

During CRHC’s Annual Conference all participants had the opportunity to hear the Story of Michael Skolnik, From Tears to Transparency. Patty Skolnik, Michael’s mother and Mother-Founder-Executive Director of Citizens for Patient Safety touched the hearts of all by sharing a story. With funding from The Colorado Trust and The Colorado Health Foundation, Colorado Rural Health Center, the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved and ClinicNET collaborate on a project called Colorado HealthStory. Colorado HealthStory is modeled after the award winning National Public Radio StoryCorps project and aims to help Coloradoans tell their own health stories to engender a sense of common humanity and a shared priority of equal access to health.

Colorado HealthStory offers the opportunity for Coloradans to share their health stories and for others to listen, relate, and start meaningful conversations about healthcare within their community and the state. Powerful discussions are necessary to continue to raise awareness.

In order to broadly share Coloradans’ stories and continue the conversation about health, the Colorado HealthStory team is excited to announce a newly renovated website. The website is easier to navigate and contains a number of resources to help community members and organizations incorporate our stories into their conversations and work. Whether you are searching for a story, looking for a community profile or trying to learn more about Colorado HealthStory, you can easily listen, learn and act at www.ColoradoHealthStory.org

Patty Skolnik says it best: "Can A Story Change A Life?"

Kick-off to CRHC's 2013 Membership Campaign!

For more than 20 years, Colorado Rural Health Center has been our state’s most trusted resource for rural healthcare. In the current economic landscape, it is more important than ever that we continue to support and advocate on behalf of rural healthcare and the safety net community. We remain loyally committed to ensuring our members have the resources and support they need to keep their communities healthy and vibrant. CRHC is well positioned to provide 20+ more years of support to ensure access to healthcare for all Coloradans, and we recognize that our work would be impossible without the dedication of our loyal members.

We invite you to JOIN US in 2013 as a supporter of rural healthcare.

Our MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM is for hospitals, clinics, students and small organizations. The fee is based on the number of full-time employees in your organization, and benefits are focused on discounts on events and programs, access to grants and scholarships, technical assistance services, resources, and information sharing.

Click here to sign up online or complete a PDF form.


Our SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM is for vendors, for-profit organizations and corporations, and other supportive parties. The fee is $2,000 and benefits are focused on connecting your organization to facilities in need of your products and services.

Click here to sign up online or complete a PDF form.


Our PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM is for large hospital systems, foundations, major corporations, and other organizations interested in making a significant investment in rural healthcare.

Contact Trevor Hall at th@coruralhealth.org for more information on Partnership.

New CRHC Sponsor: Rx RemoteSolutions

Colorado Rural Health Center is proud to announce a new group purchasing solution to its members with sponsorship support from Rx RemoteSolutions.

Rx RemoteSolutions supports the hospital pharmacy service by maintaining continuity of care and patient safety either after department hours, during periods of peak demand or other times of need with remote order entry and verification services. They provide patient-centered, safe, efficient, and cost-effective medication order verification and processing services from a centralized office. They also meet The Joint Commission and CMS standards, HIPAA regulations and applicable state licensing requirements.

Carl Geberbauer, Divisional Vice President of Rx RemoteSolutions says, “We are honored to be a supporter of CRHC.” Each CRHC member who becomes a client of RemoteSolutions will receive access to Rx Intelnet, an internet based proprietary, proven pharmacy practice resources and hundreds of effective policies, protocols, tools and more for everyday pharmacy practice. In addition, alert memos, updates and newsletters (clinical, purchasing and regulatory) and access to pharmacy practice web pages covering the breadth of pharmacy services will be provided.

Thank you to Rx RemoteSolutions for their continued support of rural health in the state of Colorado!

2012 Rural Health Excellence Award Winner

The Rural Health Excellence Award is a prestigious award given annually by Colorado Rural Health Center to honor those who have made a notable contribution to health, healthcare, or a healthcare delivery system in rural Colorado. To be eligible for the award, a candidate must have made a significant contribution to the health, healthcare, or a healthcare delivery system in a rural Colorado community, area, or region. Healthcare providers, board members, administrators, volunteers and others are eligible for nomination.

The 2012 Rural Health Excellence Award recipient is Dr. Scott Rollins, MD, at Plateau Valley Medical Clinic located in Collbran, CO (Mesa County). He was nominated by Sarah E. Lauderdale, RN, MSN-FNP Candidate 2012, who completed her 280 hour clinical rotation with Dr. Rollins this past summer. Her nomination states:

"Beyond feeding my interest in rural medicine, he is deserving of the award for many other reasons. Dr. Rollins participates in CU's Colorado Rural Health Scholars program as a preceptor for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year medical students who have declared to commit to the provision of health care in Colorado's underserved areas. Every year he inspires the next generation of rural health care providers by exposing them to the joy and challenges of rural medicine.

In addition, he has practiced in Collbran since 1994. Through his loyalty and commitment, he has provided the town of Collbran with high-quality, patient-centered care for over 15 years. Dr. Rollins is ACLS and Advanced Trauma Life Support certified and emergent care is available to Collbran and neighboring towns 24/7--which is quite a necessity in rural practice. Dr. Rollins has taken calls every other weekend for 16 years. This amount of time and effort alone deserves recognition.

Furthermore, his patients would attest that the care that he provides is top notch. One of the recent transitions in health care is the emergence of the patient-centered model in which the plan of care and goals for health are created within a patient and provider partnership. Dr. Rollins epitomizes the ideal of this type relationship. He begins many of his dictations with the goal that the patient has stated."

We commend Dr. Rollins' dedication to ensuring that all rural Coloradans have access to comprehensive and high quality healthcare! Thank you for all the submissions - the 2012 nominees included:
  • Tom Henton, Weisbrod Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home
  • Shirley Olson, FNP, Ouray Family Medicine, LLC
  • Matt Guy, Southeast Colorado Area Health Education Center
  • Konnie Martin, San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center
  • Gail Finley, Colorado Hospital Association
  • Dr. Christopher Fanale, Swedish Medical Center
  • Governor Bill Ritter, Former Colorado Governor
  • Dr. Beuford Durmon and Gurdon Durmon, Moseley Health Care Complex

Happy National Rural Health Day!

The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) and State Offices of Rural Health have set aside November 15, 2012 as National Rural Health Day to showcase Rural America; increase awareness of the unique healthcare issues facing rural communities; and highlight the efforts of State Offices of Rural Health and others to address those issues.

Help CRHC Celebrate National Rural Health Day!

CRHC has organized a number of events to celebrate National Rural Health Day. We will be hosting a luncheon at St. Vincent Hospital in Leadville, followed by a tour of the facility. Charles Reyman, Vice President of Communications at the Colorado Health Foundation, will be speaking as well.

Congratulations to our coloring contest winners Izzy, age 8, and Fiona, age 7! Their winning drawings depict how they stay healthy in their community. Both are students at Cressen Elementary School in Cripple Creek, CO. Click here to view the entire collection of drawings submitted from the second and third grade classrooms at Cressen Elementary.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our photo contest! The winners will be announce on Friday, November 16th. One winner per category (Colorado Landscape, Rural Life, Health Facilities) will be selected to receive a $25 gift card.

VA Office of Rural Health: Webinar Resources Available

Did you know about 3.4 million Veterans (about 41% of total) enrolled in the VA Health Care System live in rural or highly rural areas of the country? Men and women Veterans from geographically rural areas make up a disproportionate share of service members and comprise about 39% of the enrolled Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan; many of who are returning to their rural communities. In order to better serve rural Veterans, the VA created the Office of Rural Health in 2007.

You can now watch Rural Health on demand events in MyVeHU Campus. To access, simply sign into MyVeHU Campus and click on the purple On Demand button. Click in the search box and enter “rural health” and click “GO”. Once the titles appears, click on the right arrow, of the session you want to attend, which will allow you to view the broadcast.

Review the broadcasts as often as you like, share it with your co-workers and send the viewing information to anyone you think would be interested. All of the MyVeHU Campus resources are available anytime from anywhere. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available, after completing and passing the post test.

If you have any questions or problems regarding MyVeHU Campus, please contact the MyVeHU Campus Support Team at support@myvehucampus.com.

Click the links below to watch a short commercial for each webinar:

Annual Rural Health Conference Wrap-up

Thank you to everyone who attended the 21st Annual Rural Health Conference on October 25-26 at the Antlers Hilton in Colorado Springs! We had great presenters, record attendance and appreciate all the positive feedback we have received so far. Please click here to complete the Post-Conference Evaluation to help us continue to improve the event for all our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and presenters.

Click here to view session photos from the conference. New to this year, we set up an area with prop for attendees to dress up and take fun photos. We got some great photos as a result - thank you to everyone who took a photo for your enthusiastic participation! Check out some of the photos here.

(From left to right) 2012 CRHC Board President Robert Omer, CRHC Board Member Karen Tomky, CRHC CEO Michelle Mills, 2013 CRHC Board Secretary Sheryl Hieber, 2013 CRHC Board Treasurer Jason McCormick

All session presentations have been posted online - access them by visiting CRHC's homepage and logging on with the username and password found in your conference program. If you need assistance, please contact ga@coruralhealth.org.

See you next year!

Save the Date: April 3-5, 2013

The Forum is a two-day conference that will bring together participants from all over Colorado and the surrounding states. It serves as an essential educational, training, and networking event for all safety net clinics, members of the clinic team, and other interested parties. This is the 13th annual Forum, and the fourth year in which Colorado Rural Health Center has partnered with ClinicNET to put on the event. This partnership allows an expanded reach which includes other states and clinic types in order to address the issues facing all safety net providers.

More information will be released as the event nears - registration will open at the end of December.

Location Information

Sheraton Denver West Hotel
360 Union Boulevard
Lakewood, CO 80228

The Colorado HealthStory Website Gets a Face-Lift!

The newly redesigned Colorado HealthStory website is cleaner and easier to navigate, which means you can now access stories and resources with ease!

Visit the website and check out the new stories. From Montezuma County to El Paso County to Adams County, they've been busy collecting your stories – in order to start new conversations about health and health care in Colorado. You can search for stories by location, topic, Cuentos en EspaƱol, or visit our weekly featured stories.

Share your story. It’s easy. Find out when the HealthStory team will be in a community near you, then sign up with a friend or loved one to tell your story or hear theirs. When you arrive at the recording site, the HealthStory staff will explain the process and make you feel comfortable. Click here to learn more about how you can tell your story.

Sign up for updates. Follow conversations taking place across Colorado communities by signing up for the e-newsletter.

Welcome Kendra Brooks, our new Grant Writer!

As the Grant Writer for the Colorado Rural Health Center, Kendra Brooks is responsible for all the phases of the grant process for revenue development. Kendra is a native of Illinois with a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Iowa (Go Hawkeyes). Her background includes over 30 years of nonprofit leadership and management in the human service, health related organization, and educational institutions. She enjoys reading, needlework and playing with her toddler grandson.

Kendra is the main contact for two CRHC grants:

  • The Marva Jean Jackson (MJJ) Rural Community Health Scholarships Program can be used to help pay for the training and/or education of a local healthcare provider located at rural facilities or community groups. CRHC will match, two-to-one, the support provided, up to $1,000 a year. Read more about MJJ here.
  • Seed money is available for purposes or projects whose intent matches CRHC's mission: enhancing healthcare services in Colorado by providing information, education, linkages, tools & energy toward addressing rural healthcare issues. The maximum amount of an award is $1,000. Read more about Seed Grants here.
Contact Kendra with any questions on these funding opportunities at kb@coruralhealth.org or 303.996.9698.