Headlines from CRHC

• New Faces at Colorado Rural Health Center -
• The Colorado Health Foundation continues grant to support Colorado Health Service Corps -
• Community partners donate to CRHC’s fitness challenge -
• Kaiser Permanente this year's GOLD SPONSOR at the 2013 Forum! -

New Faces at CRHC

Caleb Siem
Critical Access Hospital Program Manager
Caleb grew up in Platteville Colorado and went to the University of Northern Colorado for his undergrad where he received his B.A. in Philosophy with an emphasis in ethics and public policy, and minored in political science. Caleb just finished his Master’s degree in Humanities at the University of Colorado Denver where he focused on philosophy and bioethics.






Amanda Emerson , Program Assistant
Amanda provides support to the Outreach Department as the program assistant. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Earth Science and International Studies from Northern Michigan University, and has experience working with rural communities around the world addressing environmental concerns.
           

 

Samantha Hiner, Program Assistant

Samantha provides support to the Programs Department as the program assistant. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and Communication from Berry College, and has experience with event coordination and program development.

         

 

 

 

We would also like to introduce Lakesha Jones, who recently joined CRHC as the Grants Manager.  

 

 

The Colorado Health Foundation continues grant to support Colorado Health Service Corps

The Colorado Rural Health Center would like to thank the Colorado Health Foundation for its continued support of the Colorado Health Service Corps and our participation in the loan repayment process. Colorado Health Service Corps is a state, federal, and private partnership that seeks to improve access to healthcare professionals in underserved Colorado communities by repaying the educational loans of providers who agree to practice in areas with a health professional shortage. The Foundation is a longtime supporter to the Colorado Rural Health Center and we value their partnership in addressing the healthcare needs of rural Colorado.

Community partners donate to CRHC’s fitness challenge.

The 2013, CRHC winter fitness challenge has come to an end. The challenge consisted of CRHC staff getting active, eating right and becoming more health conscious. Points were assigned to various physical activities and healthy living habits over a six week period. Activities included running, skiing, stair climbing, drinking 64 ounces of water and eating the suggested daily amount of fruits and vegetables. At the end of the six week period we celebrated with a healthy potluck and recognition of those who participated. Everyone who participated received a prize which was donated from various Colorado community members. The Wellness Committee would like to thank all of our generous donors that helped keep everyone motivated throughout the six week challenge! Our donors included Simply Magical Massage, History Colorado, Denver Botanical Gardens, Landmark Theaters, Whole Foods, Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Royal Gorge, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver Art Museum and Denver Zoo! We appreciate the support from our community and the active staff that participated!

Kaiser Permanente

Colorado News

Colorado Community of Immigrant and Refugee Support Services Collaborate to Re-Launch Congolese Refugee’s Career

Adelard Lilimo left war torn Democratic Republic of Congo with the dream of practicing his profession of surgical nurse in the United States. Now, thanks to his own determination and multiple people from many organizations in the refugee and immigrant services community, Adelard is working at the University of Colorado Hospital and is well on his way to realizing this dream.

Upon arrival in the U.S., Adelard faced a series of obstacles. In the DRC, where he had worked as a surgical nurse, Adelard spoke French, Lingala, Kiswahili and Kikongo, but not English. With the help of Emily Griffith Technical College, Adelard enrolled in ESL courses and was able to improve his English language skills. Soon, Adelard’s needs for income became very real, and he turned his focus to obtaining a paying job. Carrying a stack of photos, which graphically illustrated his experience caring for severely injured patients in a DRC Emergency Room, Adelard came to Colorado Welcome Back, a program of Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning. His passion to help victims of suffering was an obvious driving force in his career. Colorado Welcome Back helped Adelard develop a long-term plan for getting back to his profession of a surgical nurse. He was then referred to Goodwill Industries. Goodwill utilized their connections within the community to land Adelard his first paying job in the U.S. While this position was not in the healthcare field, it allowed Adelard to practice his English in the workplace and gain valuable customer service experience. Intent on furthering his professional skills, Adelard attended skills development workshops offered by Colorado Welcome Back and prepared himself to re-enter the healthcare field. Through a chance meeting with a local pastor, Adelard landed his first healthcare position as a Certified Nurse’s Aid (CNA) at a home health facility. However, Adelard’s dreams did not stop there. With the help of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), he was able to secure his current position as a Pre-Operative Service Assistant at the University of Colorado Hospital.

In just a few months, multiple organizations and individuals came together and invested in Adelard’s success. Still, none of Adelard’s progress would have been realized without his incomparable determination and fortitude. As Adelard says, “I know I have so much to offer as a surgical nurse. I hope that I will be able to do this work again in my new country.” Knowing Adelard, his path to success will continue and will inspire other refugees to hold on to their professional aspirations. We at Colorado Welcome Back look forward to continued collaboration with our partner organizations, to supporting Adelard on his professional journey and for many future success stories like his for refugees and immigrants in Colorado!

Volunteer Mentors are needed to help foreign-trained doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in re-launching their careers

Who?
Experienced healthcare providers, currently employed or retired from their jobs (doctors, nurses, dentists, vets, lab technicians, social workers, etc.) willing to be mentors to their foreign-trained colleagues.

What?
Mentoring engagement with a carefully matched foreign-trained healthcare professional. What is requested is a time commitment of 2-4 hours a month, willingness to help, curiosity and openness to other cultures, patience and supportive attitude. Mentoring training will be provided. Many rewards include the immense sense of satisfaction in being a part of a team effort that gets a foreign-trained professional back on track to practicing medicine, meeting other volunteers, and learning about foreign cultures. Your knowledge of the US health care system, professional expectations and career options will help the fellow foreign-trained health professional reach his/her full potential in his/her new country.

Why?
Colorado is home to many highly skilled and educated refugees and other immigrants who are finding it very challenging to re-launch their healthcare careers in the US. Some of the barriers include lack of understanding of the US healthcare system, lack of access to professional networks, in addition to re-licensing requirements, essentially repeating the academic efforts they had already completed, an extremely competitive process of applying for residency programs, and/or other healthcare jobs.
Where?
Most of the Colorado Welcome Back participants reside in the Metro Denver area. We are looking to match a select group of them with mentors who also reside in the Metro Denver area.

COLORADO WELCOME BACK is a non-profit program helping foreign trained health care professionals re-establish careers in health care in Colorado. It seeks to build a bridge between the pool of internationally trained health workers living in our state and the need for linguistically and culturally competent health care providers. The program is managed by Spring Institute for Cultural Learning and is one of 10 Welcome Back Centers in the US. COLORADO WELCOME BACK is funded by the Colorado Refugees Services Program, Kaiser Foundation and the Colorado Health Foundation. There is no fee to the participants and the program helps them obtain the required licensing, evaluate options, assists in developing career plans, and helps obtain interim positions in the healthcare field while they are pursing their "bigger" career goals.

COLORADO WELCOME BACK offers foreign-trained participants from dozens of countries in the world free seminars, workshops, to prepare then for their career pursuit - training participants to successfully interview, write a professional resume, cover letter, etc.

Interested in becoming a volunteer mentor?

Please contact us by replying to enolan@springinstitute.org

For more information about the program, please visit www.coloradowelcomeback.org



Update from the CEO: Engagement in 2012

As the year starts to come to a close and I think of the accomplishments of the Colorado Rural Health Center team, I know these accomplishments would not have been possible without the engagement of our members, sponsors and partners. This year CRHC tracked over fifteen bills and was successful in the passage of our first piece of major legislation, House Bill 1052 concerning the collection of health care workforce data from healthcare professionals. Thank you to our Policy and Legislative Committee for lending us your time and expertise. We are looking forward to the 2013 session and encourage you to continue to share your voice. As you think about sharing your voice, many communities engaged in Community Health Needs Assessments through our STRIDES Program. These communities took engagement and collaboration to a new level with Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and public health participation. As new partnerships are formed CRHC encourages you to continue to reach out to your community members and together you can continue to innovate and accomplish great things. As Dan Heath says, “Identify the bright spots and grow them!” One bright spot that should be pointed out is CRHC staff placed thirteen providers in safety net communities in Colorado. With the workforce shortages that Colorado is facing we are proud of these placements and the ability to contribute to the healthcare of the community. Rural communities have always had a strong sense of connection and collaboration. This collaboration can be seen through the participation of fourteen Critical Access Hospitals and six Rural Health Clinics in CRHC’s Improving Communications and Readmissions (iCARE) Program. In 2012, the participating hospitals readmission rate was only 2.8%. Some of the innovative interventions that were put into place are standing orders for pneumonia vaccinations, collaboration with social workers to follow-up with patients discharged to ensure understanding of medications and instructions, scheduling of appointments with the Primary Care Office, and home visits conducted by the Director of Nursing for patients that do not have an identified primary care physician. Finally, rural hospitals and clinics have been heavily engaged in implementing electronic medical records and remain committed. To date, 18 rural hospitals and 18 rural clinics have attested to stage 1 meaningful use. Congrats to all! I wish everyone Happy Holidays and CRHC staff look forward to working with each of you in the new year to identify your Bright Spots!

Receive Up to $1,000 for a New Project, Program or Service! – Apply Now for a Seed Grant

If you are a rural organization and your project matches the Colorado Rural Health Center mission, you may be eligible for a Seed Grant of up to $1,000. Application deadlines are April 30th and September 30th. For further information, please review the guidelines and application form here. If you have any questions please get in touch with Kendra Brooks at kb@coruralhealth.org, 303.996.9698.

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

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:

• Cultural Competence and Caring for the Rural Veteran
• RHPI: CBOC Operations and Issues
• Rural and Veteran Culture Times of Change Forum

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 Español, 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.

Colorado Legacy Foundation Announces Recipients of $222,500 in School Health and Wellness Grants

The Colorado Legacy Foundation (CLF) awarded nearly a quarter-million dollars to thirteen school districts and one charter school throughout Colorado as part of CLF’s School Health and Wellness Initiative. They are: East Grand School District (Granby), West Grand School District (Kremmling), Durango School District (Durango), Archuleta School District (Pagosa Springs), Center Consolidated Schools (Center), La Veta School District (La Veta), Adams 12 Five Star Schools (Thornton), San Juan School District (Silverton), Scholars to Leaders Academy (Colorado Springs), Boulder Valley School District (Boulder), Mountain Valley School District (Saguache), Ridgway School District (Ridgway), Ouray School District (Ouray), and Woodland Park School District (Woodland Park).

“The Colorado Legacy Foundation recognizes the direct correlation between healthy students, healthy schools, education policies, and academic achievement,” said Dr. Helayne Jones, President and CEO of the Colorado Legacy Foundation. “We are thrilled to provide resources to districts that will help prepare students for healthy, successful lives both in and out of the classroom.”

The two-year grants, provided by an investment from the Colorado Health Foundation, will help school districts create and implement school health and wellness strategies and share the results of their work statewide. Participating districts will promote various health and wellness efforts including increased consumption of fruits and vegetables at school, providing healthy snack alternatives, implementing staff wellness programs, and increased physical activity.

“The Colorado Health Foundation believes that, together, we will make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation,” said Kelly Dunkin, vice president of philanthropy for the Colorado Health Foundation. “The Colorado Legacy Foundation, in partnership with school districts across the state, has done phenomenal work at incorporating health and wellness as a fundamental strategy to improve student achievement, and we are excited to invest in the expansion of their efforts.”

The new grantees were chosen through a competitive grant application process with selection based on their willingness and ability to implement innovative and collaborative systems as well as policy and environmental changes within their school health programs. Collectively, the districts serve more than 83,000 students.

Save the Date for the 3rd Annual Safety Net Clinic Week!

In an effort to raise awareness of Colorado's healthcare safety net providers, the Colorado Rural Health Center and ClinicNET are pleased to announce the third annual Safety Net Clinic Week, August 20-24, 2012. The week will be devoted to educating the public and policy makers about these vitally important health care clinics - federally certified Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Community-Funded Safety Net Clinics (CSNCs).

Colorado has 53 federally certified RHCs that provide health care in rural and remote areas of Colorado, and there are currently 35 identified CSNCs in Colorado that are free and charitable clinics, community clinics and family medicine residency clinics. These safety net facilities provide primary care and chronic care services to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured Colorado residents.

Safety Net Clinic Week Project Coordinator, Charlotte Kaye, will be collaborating with clinics to make this year’s Safety Net Clinic Week a great success! Are you interested in hosting a public official or candidate for office for a site-visit? Do you have an event or activity the same week that could be highlighted by Safety Net Clinic Week? Please contact Charlotte directly if you are interested in participating in Safety Net Clinic Week. She can be reached at

HPSA scores: What does it mean to me and my clinic?

Living and working in rural Colorado, you have most likely encountered the acronym, H-P-S-A. For many clinic administrators and providers, you are proficient in the world of HPSA scores and know exactly what a Health Professional Shortage Area score means and why it is important to you and your clinic. For those of you who probably have heard this word and know that it is significant to you and the work that your particular clinic does, but are not positive why, we hope the explanation below can shed some light and give you a reason to pay a little more attention to the benefits of having one.

What exactly is a HPSA score? This score is a federal designation assigned to a geographic area, population group (such as low-income), correctional facility, state or county mental health hospital, or public or nonprofit facility that can demonstrate a shortage of health professionals in the service area. HPSAs can be created for primary medical care, dental health, or mental health. They reflect the level of provider shortage for a service area and are on a scale of 0 to 26, higher scores indicating higher relative need than lower scores.

What is the benefit of having a HPSA score? Your clinic may benefit from having a HPSA score in three ways. The first one is recruitment and retention. Your primary care physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and Mental Health workers may be eligible to apply for loan repayment dollars through the Colorado Health Service Corps and National Health Service Corps loan repayment programs. Also by having a HPSA, you may be eligible to participate in the J-1 Visa waiver program. Secondly, your providers caring for patients on Medicare are eligible for the Medicare Incentive Program. This will provide them with a 10% monetary bonus on Medicare services billed. Lastly, if your clinic is located in a HPSA, you may be eligible to become a Certified Rural Health Clinic and receive cost-based reimbursement.

In the last few months we have seen several rural and frontier counties lose their HPSA scores. Every three years, Colorado’s State Primary Care Office (PCO) evaluates the HPSA designations in Colorado and re-assigns scores based on specific criteria. Part of the criteria that is often misinterpreted by clinics and their providers are the reporting of numbers of hours spent by providers providing direct patient care in the medical setting. It is important when submitting patient numbers to the PCO that your providers are submitting only hours spent directly caring for patients and the time spent charting and following up with those patients. Practice management, personnel management and administrative duties should not be counted. Incorrect reporting could indicate there is less need than there is in reality.

On a positive note, Gunnison County has recently been given a HPSA score! Congratulations to Dr. John Tarr at Gunnison Health Department for working tirelessly with the assistance of Colorado Rural Health Center’s Quality Improvement Specialist, Kathryn Steele, and the Primary Care Office to obtain a score for Gunnison County!

For more information on HPSA score designation, contact Kitty Stevens at the PCO at kitty.stevens@state.co.us, 303.692.2298.

For more information on the benefits of having a HPSA score, contact the Colorado Rural Health Center at info@coruralhealth.org, 303.832.7493.

Improving the Oral Health of Colorado's Children Brief

Governor John Hickenlooper recently made children’s oral health one of Colorado's 10 winnable battles over the next five years. This is an important goal because oral disease can negatively impact a child’s performance in school, speech development, nutrition, self-esteem and sleep.

To help inform this winnable battle, three foundations – The Colorado Trust, Caring for Colorado Foundation and the Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation – jointly issued a new brief, Improving the Oral Health of Colorado's Children. Written by Diane Brunson, RDH, MPH, Director of Public Health, University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, the brief details:

• the causes of oral disease,
• multiple prevention strategies,
• significant challenges in access to oral health care, and
• strategies for improving the oral health of Colorado children.

In addition to the brief, a two-page Executive Summary provides a high-level overview for policymakers.

Grant Opportunity for Rural Areas

You could be eligible for a grant up to $500,000 to support distance learning and telemedicine services at your organization. The Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is a competitive grant with around 100 awards each year. This grant targets rural areas in our country and funds programs that are interested in implementing distance learning and/ or telemedicine in rural areas to increase access to clinical and/or educational services. The focus is on using the unique capabilities of telecommunications to connect rural areas to each other and to the world, thus overcoming the effects of remoteness and low population density.

Some Distance Learning applications include:

• Real-time educational courses
• Virtual field trips
• Interactions with outside experts
• Mentoring and tutoring of distant students
• Collaborative projects
• Access to remote resources
• Staff development programs

Some Telemedicine applications include:

• Telehomecare
• Telestroke
• Telepsychiatry
• Virtual ICU
• Telepharmacy
• Teledentistry

TECHFunds Resource Center and Solutionz Conferencing Grant Program Services have partnered together to assist organizations like yours with applying for and securing grant funding to support your distance learning and telemedicine needs, providing as much or as little assistance as needed, including grantwriting services.

To obtain additional information about the DLT grant program you can visit their website or contact Irene Alvarez directly at Irene@techfundsresourcecenter.com.

Grand Opening at Middle Park Medical Center

The grand opening of Middle Park Medical Center (MPMC) was held mid-December with a ceremony very well attended by the community. The new medical facility includes 10 computer-friendly patient exam rooms on one side of the building, with special consideration given to visiting specialist’s needs. On the other side of the building is the lab, mammography, imaging, emergency room, and two in-patient beds. Central scheduling for labs, imaging, and other services creates a very efficient workflow.

MPMC is owned and operated by Kremmling Memorial Hospital District with locations in Kremmling and Granby and is committed to helping improve the quality, availability and access to health care to the residents of the region, while working to keep costs down and improve the sustainability of care to those they serve. MPMC provides hospital and health care related services to roughly 15,000 residents of Jackson, Summit and Grand Counties, and to thousands more who come to the area to recreate and work.

Celebrate the Power of Rural with National Rural Health Day - November 17

November 17 is the first annual National Rural Health Day, a day to “Celebrate the Power of Rural “and the community-minded, creative spirit that makes our country thrive. One in five Americans call a rural community home. Here in Colorado, 20 percent of our population lives in rural or frontier counties and these counties make up nearly 80 percent of the landmass.

Rural communities are wonderful places to live and work. They are also some of the best places to start a business and test one’s “entrepreneurial spirit.” These communities provide the country with a wealth of services and commodities. Rural doesn’t necessarily mean “remote” – diverse economic, cultural, and recreational opportunities abound in rural Colorado. With a strong agricultural and ranching foundation, Colorado’s rural economies include small businesses and larger industries.

Rural communities face unique healthcare needs. We must address accessibility issues, healthcare provider shortages, the needs of an aging population experiencing a greater number of chronic conditions, and larger percentages of un- and underinsured residents. Rural hospitals and clinics are essential resources to meet the healthcare needs. Colorado’s 29 Critical Access Hospitals serve as healthcare anchors for their communities, offering an array of services to meet the local needs. Our 52 Rural Health Clinics, rural Community Health Centers, Community-funded Safety Net Clinics, and private practitioners reach beyond geographical boundaries to deliver essential quality care in remote areas. These healthcare facilities provide a solid economic base for their communities, employing local residents and generating $2.30 in additional business revenue with every dollar spent.

Being a rural healthcare provider offers tremendous opportunities to develop close relationships with patients and the community. Due to their limited numbers, rural providers frequently take a holistic, patient-centered approach and provide comprehensive care to patients with diverse needs. From implementing electronic health records to becoming recognized patient-centered medical homes, Colorado’s rural providers are making extraordinary transformations to meet the healthcare needs of their communities, with limited capital and human resources.

As the State Office of Rural Health, Colorado Rural Health Center is proud to support Colorado’s rural communities and health providers and has showcased some exceptional efforts for National Rural Health Day. While we face great challenges in addressing the healthcare needs in rural Colorado, National Rural Health Day reminds us to celebrate the spirit and ingenuity that epitomizes rural health.

Dr. Don: The life of a small-town druggist

In the southwestern corner of Colorado, where the Uncompahgre Plateau descends through spruce forest and scrubland toward the Utah border, there is a region of more than four thousand square miles which has no hospitals, no department stores, and only one pharmacy. The pharmacist is Don Colcord, who lives in the town of Nucla. More than a century ago, Nucla was founded by idealists who hoped their community would become the “center of Socialistic government for the world.” But these days it feels like the edge of the earth. Highway 97 dead-ends at the top of Main Street; the population is around seven hundred and falling. The nearest traffic light is an hour and a half away. When old ranching couples drive their pickups into Nucla, the wives leave the passenger’s side empty and sit in the middle of the front seat, close enough to touch their husbands. It’s as if something about the landscape—those endless hills, that vacant sky—makes a person appreciate the intimacy of a Ford F-150 cab.

Don Colcord has owned Nucla’s Apothecary Shoppe for more than thirty years. In the past, such stores played a key role in American rural health care, and this region had three more pharmacies, but all of them have closed. Some people drive eighty miles just to visit the Apothecary Shoppe. It consists of a few rows of grocery shelves, a gift-card rack, a Pepsi fountain, and a diabetes section, which is decorated with the mounted heads of two mule deer and an antelope. Next to the game heads is the pharmacist’s counter. Customers don’t line up at a discreet distance, the way city folk do; in Nucla they crowd the counter and talk loudly about health problems.

Read the full article published in The New Yorker here.

Colorado Rural Health Care Excellence Award winner for 2011 –David Arnett, MD

Colorado Rural Health Center awarded David Arnett, MD, with the 2011 Rural Health Excellence Award at the 20th Anniversary Annual Rural Health Conference, August 11-12, 2011. Dr. Arnett was awarded this prestigious honor because of his extensive dedication to providing rural healthcare to underserved Coloradans for over 30 years. Dr. Arnett started a solo family practice in rural Salida, Colorado after graduating from Colorado University Medical School in 1979. Believing in rural outreach and the need to deliver high quality healthcare, he opened community clinics in Saguache, Colorado and Coaldale, Colorado in the 1980’s. He and his partners have traveled 50-100 miles to these clinics, once or twice a week for the past 30 years.

Dr. Arnett offers full family focused healthcare to all patients including pediatrics, obstetrics, geriatrics and sports medicine. He volunteers at local schools to improve adolescent healthy behaviors and has sponsored 9Health Fairs for over 10 years. Dr. Arnett serves as a preceptor for CU School of Medicine medical students, hoping to instill rural health concepts into the education of future physicians. CRHC was proud to present Dr. Arnett with this year’s Rural Health Excellence Award as he has truly made a significant and outstanding contribution to the healthcare of rural Colorado residents.

Paramedics filling health care gap as need grows

A select group of paramedics in several states is helping to provide primary health care by making house calls — an initiative encouraged by the federal health care law to address shortages in primary care and cut down on expensive visits to doctors and emergency rooms.

In Colorado's Eagle County, paramedic Kevin Creek makes house calls to take electrocardiograms, check patient prescriptions, check blood pressure, change dressings, draw blood and make other observations that used to require a doctor's visit.

"We all get into this because of the adrenaline rush," Creek said of his career as a paramedic. "I've done the car accidents. I've done the shootings and the stabbings. Instead of taking out the blood and guts, this is a move into preventative care, so people don't have to call 911."

Creek and a colleague participating in the pilot project through the Western Eagle County Ambulance District work full time under the supervision of doctors who refer them to patients. The doctors evaluate information provided by the paramedics and decide the next steps of care.

The Community Paramedic Program is free for anyone in Eagle County, which has an uninsured rate of 26 percent. But it is funded so far by $700,000 in grants from the Colorado health department, two private health organizations and the ambulance district, said district program coordinator Lisa Ward.

"We're the eyes and ears of the primary care physician in the home," said Ward. "It's out-of-the-box health care, and it's the future."

Colorado approved the five-year pilot program to determine how much money the state and federal government might save in Medicare and Medicaid spending in the county, which has a population of about 52,000, many of them in rural areas.

Continue reading...

Happy Safety Net Clinic Week!

Colorado State Governor John Hickenlooper has proclaimed August 22-26 as the second annual Safety Net Clinic Week!

Sponsored by ClinicNET and the Colorado Rural Health Center, the week is devoted to educating the public and policy makers about these vitally important health care clinics - Community-Funded Safety Net Clinics (CSNCs) and federally certified Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). During the week, state representatives will be visiting rural communities throughout Colorado.

Contact Sara Schmitt or Alicia Haywood for more information.

Share Your Opinion About Buying Health Insurance in Colorado

Health Insurance Exchanges are online marketplaces where consumers can shop and buy health insurance products in the independent and small business markets. Given the high number of ranchers, farmers and small business owners in rural areas, it is crucial the experiences and ideas of rural Coloradans are heard in order to ensure the Exchange works for residents from all parts of the state. The Colorado Center on Law and Policy is hosting focus groups around the state to better understand the consumer needs, opinions and perspectives of the Exchanges. This is a great opportunity to provide the rural voice in the process. A list of the meetings outside the Denver-metro area is below.

Check out the flyer or find more information on Facebook at: Colorado Insurance Exchange Focus Groups.

• Grand Junction, August 1st and 2nd


• Time: 6-8 pm


• Place: Mesa County Workforce Center


• Address: 2897 North Avenue

• Sterling, August 8


• Time: 6-8pm


• Place: CSU Extension Room


• Address: 508 S. 10th Avenue

• Greeley, August 1st


• Time: 6-8pm


• Place: Centennial Park Library


• Address: 2227 23rd Avenue

• Pueblo, August 3rd


• Time: 6-8pm


• Place: Rawlings Library (Thurston Room)


• Address: 100 E. Abriendo Ave

Colorado HealthStory Launches

The Colorado Rural Health Center, in partnership with ClinicNET and the Colorado Coaltion for the Medically Underserved (CCMU), were awarded a grant by The Colorado Trust and the Colorado Health Foundation as part of their public will-building campaign.

After receiving the grant last fall, the three partners began building a program modeled after the award winning StoryCorps, a project funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Colorado HealthStory aims to capture health stories as personal histories and as treasures of the local community in 21 communities across Colorado. Knowing everyone has a health story to tell; the joyous birth of a baby, the moving experience of sitting with a dying parent, a journey of remarkable healing, the daily reality of living with diabetes, the perspective gained from providing care, HealthStory invites Coloradans across the state to tell their health stories and join the conversation about health in their communities.

Once a body of stories has been collected, HealthStory staff gathers with community members for a local forum and listening session to share the health stories and local health data. The forums are a place to facilitate conversations about the story of access to health in the community and explore shared health priorities. Getting everyday Coloradans involved in the conversation about health is critical, because those decisions are too important and too personal to be made only by someone else.

After collecting stories in Aurora for two months, Colorado HealthStory held its first community forum in Aurora last night. The forum was attended by storytellers, city officials, community activists and community-based organizations. Attendees listened to a few of the stories collected in Aurora, shared issues related to health and discussed key health data specific to Aurora, as well as identified local efforts to address these issues. The next community forum will be held in Summit County, followed by Rocky Ford, both later in the summer

In tandem with its first forum, the website for Colorado HealthStory was launched yesterday at www.coloradohealthstory.org. There, visitors can find out more about the project, hear the stories and find out when HealthStory will be in their community.

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