THANK YOU Thank you for your continued partnership in pursuit of a shared vision of improving the lives of all Coloradans. Your philanthropic support of major health initiatives at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is changing lives. From the opioid crisis to mental health and more, you are helping us reach underserved communities throughout the entire state.
National Mental Health Innovation Center
Peggy Hill, deputy director of the National Mental Health Innovation Center, is working in close partnership with the Colorado Health Foundation and NMHIC staff to fully design and implement opportunities for adults living through an acute episode of substance misuse or mental illness. Peggy, along with Executive Director Matt Vogl and Deputy Director Mimi McFaul, have also provided supportive consultation to other philanthropy and event planning staff on an emerging funding opportunity related to school-based mental health and resiliency support for children, and an upcoming educational event sponsored by the Colorado Health Foundation. The center’s leadership is also providing support for the foundation’s work in communities by building a robust community driven effort to increase the number of communities helping to develop new technology-based mental health solutions through the center’s Tech Innovation Network.
ECHO Colorado Renewal Grant
ECHO Colorado continues to expand the breadth of topical areas it is addressing and reach all counties of Colorado while leading a full collaborative statewide initiative to support the ongoing training and practice needs of professionals whose work impacts health. In the past year, we have strategically hired new staff to lead our programs, evaluation and data collection efforts, marketing and other operations. These individuals are helping us expand our work into new communities. From January 2017 to June 2018, ECHO Colorado has enrolled 1,039 Colorado registrants and grown our email list to over 3,500. ECHO Colorado has also initiated several outcome evaluation efforts including: • a randomized control trial focusing on the implementation of a Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) practice team training in rural Colorado. The intervention was completed in December 2018 and evaluation data will be analyzed and results disseminated in 2019; • a condition-specific study focused on asthma management in school-based health centers has been launched, preliminary results will be available in 2019; • a condition-specific study focused on management of pediatric depression has been launched and is currently in the design phase, we expect preliminary results late 2019; • ECHO Colorado’s involvement in care delivery re-design in partnership with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Colorado Medicaid’s upper payment limit program to allow CU Medicine to efficiently provide specialty care to Medicaid patients throughout the state; • an innovative study utilizing team member simulation focused on team-based care coordination has been launched, preliminary results will be available in 2019; Key Milestones • hired six new staff to expand the capacity of the ECHO Colorado Program Center • established a contract with one additional community-based collaborating organization • launched 12 new/renewal topics with preference to community needs and ECHO Act priorities with an estimated reach of 890 learners per year • launched marketing and communications plan • initiated outcomes evaluation • reported on all program evaluation and dissemination findings • reported on ECHO Colorado’s progress toward sustainability
Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention
We have made remarkable progress in the last three years to combat prescription drug abuse. Many of our milestones include the recruitment of talented staff who are dedicated to our mission. We continue to support local coalitions in addressing opioid misuse and abuse through programmatic technical assistance provided by our outreach coordinator and other consortium staff. Robert Valuck, PhD, Director of the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, also serves as a consultant for the Interim Study Committee of Opioids and Other Substances of Abuse. This committee is charged with developing policies for prescription drug abuse prevention and related topics. With your support, we have expanded and enhanced partnerships with all state agencies, many nonprofits, law enforcement, treatment providers, harm reduction organizations, university stakeholders, the recovery community and affected persons. Key Milestones • Hired Program Manager to support four work groups (treatment, recovery, heroin response and affected families and friends) • Hired Program Manager to support work groups (data and research, PDMP, safe disposal and public awareness) • Hired Program Manager to lead AmeriCorps Community Opioid Response Program • Hired Community Outreach Coordinator • Hired Finance Manager • Recovery Work Group is partnered with OMNI Institute to implement a brief needs assessment survey in emergency departments in rural, suburban and urban settings
Implementing, Evaluating and Scaling an Innovative Approach to Treating Depression Among Latina Mothers As a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and Valley Settlement Project, the aim of the Alma is a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and Valley Settlement Project. The aim of the Alma project is to co-design, implement and evaluate a peer mentoring program, in which mothers who have faced depression in their own lives are trained in an approach to support women experiencing depression during pregnancy and early parenting. We call this program Alma because the meaning of the word, in English and Spanish, captures what we hope moms will feel when they connect with this program. In English, the meaning comes from the Latin word for “nourishing” and “kind,” and in Spanish, the meaning is “soul.” Alma seeks to promote maternal and child wellbeing through sharing skills to help mothers struggling with depression. Peer mentors learn key skills in their own lives and then share and support other women. These skills include: self-monitoring, scheduling activities, solving problems, and connecting with informal and formal professional support. Peer mentors draw on their training and own lived experience to provide hope and reduce the social isolation and stigma associated with perinatal depression. Key Milestones With your support, we have achieved multiple milestones, including: • developing training tools and systems for the peer mentors and the mentoring teams in English and Spanish • developing evaluation frameworks and processes • strengthening community resource relationships • training a cohort of peers to deliver the Alma program in Spanish who have started mentoring over 15 moms from the local community • identifying key steps for future scaling and replication, including the digital delivery of the training and a case study to understand the organizational, cultural and contextual factors influencing the implementation of the Alma program at Valley Settlement using surveys, interviews, focus groups and an ethnographic observation
Recent Grants Awarded December 2017 - October 2018
DEC 2017
FEB 2018
$1,526,161
Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention
$99,970
Sheridan Health Services Telehealth: Expanding the reach of integrated behavioral health and primary care to underÂserved populations
FEB 2018
$864,404
Culture of Wellness in Preschools (COWP) Program: Whole Child Expansion
JUN 2018
$219,924
Warm Connections
JUL 2018
$400,237
Rural Track in the University of Colorado School of Medicine
$248,664
Creating Opportunities for Youth Engagement through Expressive Approaches to Social and Emotional Wellness in Rural Colorado
OCT 2018
Thank you for your dedication to the health and wellbeing of communities throughout Colorado. By investing in our top faculty and community outreach programs, you are making a tangible difference in countless lives. We look forward to your continued partnership and are excited about the opportunities ahead.