Public Health in the Rockies 2026

Background: Today more than ever, providing inclusive and comprehensive health education to youth and young adults is critical to support the promotion of health and well-being, particularly in our under-served communities. This presentation will demonstrate the application of evidence-based health education practices and health education curriculum through the MSU Denver Peer Health Education (PHE) Program which serves under-resourced public schools in the Denver Metro area.

Methods & Results: The presentation will examine evaluation study design as well as data from current and past evaluation projects which indicate: 1) increased knowledge of student participants; 2) overall satisfaction of participating youth, college mentors, and partnering schools; 3) qualitative stories of all engaged in this program; and 4) opportunities for improvement in the delivery of the PHE program.

Implications: As public health is seeing unprecedented obstacles and challenges, promoting the importance of inclusive, and comprehensive health education is critical for today's youth and young adults. This presentation highlight the PHE curriculum approach, as well as identify effective near-peer facilitation methods and strategies implemented in under-resourced Denver metro high schools. Working within school districts requires adaptability, collaboration, and sometimes patience, to ensure that we develop methods and messages speaking to the realities of the students we work with.

Chronic disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S., with modifiable lifestyle factors contributing to disease burden. Lifestyle-based health programs that incorporate education and coaching have demonstrated improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and patient activation (ability to manage one’s health), both associated with better chronic disease outcomes. In partnership with CU Anschutz Medical Campus, Whole Health Collaborative (WHC) identified the need to conduct a program evaluation (PE) of its nurse-led health promotion program to examine its impact on HRQOL and patient activation across partner organizations following program inception. A PE guided by the RE-AIM framework was conducted across three cohorts. The intervention included 5-weekly group lifestyle education sessions followed by 15-weeks of individualized clinical support and health coaching. Outcomes were measured using the Short Form-36 and Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13) at baseline, post-class, and program completion. ANOVA and descriptive statistics were used to analyze outcomes, process, and balancing measures. All cohorts achieved ≥10% improvement in at least one HRQOL domain. Patient activation improved across all cohorts, with two cohorts meeting the ≥10% goal. Significant cohort differences were observed in general health (p = .003). Patient activation differed by time (p = .034), cohort (p = .010), and showed a significant overall model (p = .016). Role functioning–physical showed a significant cohort x time interaction (p = .036). Results support the effectiveness of the evaluated program. Integrating ongoing HRQOL and patient activation measurements can guide continuous improvement and scalability, strengthening WHC’s community-based initiatives to advance chronic disease prevention.

Individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability often rely on emergency departments and 911 responses for urgent or primary care needs, contributing to system strain and fragmented care. We partnered with the Aurora Regional Navigation Center to co‑locate a FQHC‑based walk‑in clinic that provides same‑day primary care, behavioral health, and care coordination directly within the shelter environment. This work is relevant to public health professionals because it addresses health equity, access to care, and community‑based crisis response for one of the most vulnerable populations. The main questions guiding this work were: 1) Can embedding a walk‑in clinic within a Navigation Center reduce avoidable ED or 911 use? and 2) How can cross‑sector partnerships strengthen linkage to ongoing primary and behavioral health services?

Clients accessing the Navigation Center’s walk‑in clinic are triaged by nursing and medical staff and then seen by a clinician when appropriate. Data from the first reporting period were extracted from the clinic’s electronic health record to count the total number of clients seen and the number seen by a clinician. The goal was to estimate how many encounters represented opportunities to address urgent or primary care needs in a lower‑acuity setting and thus likely negated an emergency department visit or 911 call. De‑identified aggregate counts were analyzed descriptively to characterize volume and service patterns.

During the reporting period, the Navigation Center–based clinic engaged 1,121 clients, of whom 599 were seen by a clinician. Early findings suggest this model reduces the need for higher‑acuity crisis responses while connecting clients to community‑based care.

Embedding a walk‑in clinic within the Aurora Regional Navigation Center is a practical, equity‑centered strategy to divert individuals from emergency departments and 911 responses into primary and behavioral health services.

Background:
French-speaking African immigrant communities in Colorado remain underrepresented in public health outreach, leadership initiatives, and Community Health Worker (CHW) development efforts. Language barriers, cultural differences, and limited access to culturally responsive health information may reduce engagement with public health systems. VIE Colorado partnered with the Patients Navigation & Community Health Worker Training (PNCT) program to strengthen relationships with French-speaking African community leaders and increase participation in public health initiatives.

Methods:
The initiative applied the “3 C’s of Community Engagement” framework: Connect, Collaborate, and Communicate. Relationship-building efforts focused on engaging community leaders, faith communities, and immigrant-serving organizations through bilingual outreach and culturally responsive dialogue. Collaboration between VIE Colorado, PNCT, and community stakeholders created opportunities to discuss health priorities, leadership development, and pathways to community health workforce engagement. Communication strategies included adaptation of public health materials into French, participation in community-centered events, and ongoing conversations regarding health access and prevention.

Results:
The initiative strengthened visibility and participation of French-speaking African communities within local public health spaces. Community engagement activities created opportunities for dialogue between public health partners and community leaders around oral health education, community health priorities, and representation in civic spaces. Participation in cultural celebrations, local government events, and collaborative meetings helped reinforce trust and encouraged stronger leadership involvement in community health discussions. Community leaders also contributed perspectives on health needs affecting their communities and participated in advocacy efforts supporting youth-focused initiatives. These efforts positioned community leaders as trusted messengers capable of strengthening connections between immigrant communities and public health systems.

Implications:
This initiative demonstrates how culturally responsive partnerships and multilingual engagement strategies can strengthen trust, shared leadership, and inclusion in public health practice. The 3 C’s framework serves as a practical model for engaging multilingual and historically underrepresented immigrant communities across Colorado.

* Background / Purpose: Medicaid requires 100% of enrolled children to be tested for lead at 12 and 24 months of age. Yet in 2025, only 3.44% of Colorado Medicaid-eligible or enrolled children received testing at both ages. While the Colorado Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program passively expanded provider outreach through webinars and mailings, the program recognized that blood lead test results were unreported or incorrectly reported. This gap highlighted the need for stronger collaboration between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and healthcare providers.

* Methods: We delivered 10 one-hour educational presentations in clinics across Colorado. The presentations focused on blood lead testing protocols, reporting requirements, and necessary case management steps. Attendees voluntarily completed an 8-question pre-presentation survey and an 11-question post-presentation survey, both using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = No knowledge, 5 = Very knowledgeable), to assess changes in competency.

* Results: Data from approximately 70 survey respondents showed a marked increase in knowledge of testing and reporting requirements. The proportion of participants rating themselves as “very knowledgeable” about Medicaid blood lead testing requirements increased from 1.4% (n=1) pre-presentation to 50.0% (n=36) post-presentation. Similarly, the proportion rating themselves as “very knowledgeable” about Colorado blood lead testing and reporting requirements increased from 2.8% (n=2) to 44.9% (n=31). Additionally, 68.9% (n=31) of attendees reported that the content provided new, relevant information with a definite impact on their professional performance. Qualitative feedback described the presentations as informative and useful.

* Implications: Direct, clinic-based education improved provider self-reported knowledge of lead testing and reporting requirements. This collaborative, scalable approach may strengthen surveillance, improve reporting, and support other public health programs seeking to improve community health outcomes.

In January 2025, Adams County Health Department (ACHD) launched a Shared Risk and Protective Factors (SRPF) internal Community of Practice (CoP) to strengthen collaboration across programs and increase collective impact on five interconnected health outcomes: chronic disease, mental health, substance use, suicide, and firearm violence. The CoP brings together over 20 staff from Nutrition, Nursing, Environmental Health, Operations, Epidemiology and Data Science (EDS), and Strategic Health Initiatives to address upstream public health challenges through a shared framework and coordinated approach. This presentation will highlight the development of the CoP, SRPF selection process, and current action-planning efforts.

The CoP meets monthly and is grounded in three objectives: 1) build a supportive network of direct service and systems-change staff across ACHD; 2) align at least three SRPFs with upstream, midstream, and downstream strategies that center social drivers of health; and 3) integrate professional development opportunities that support ACHD planning efforts. The planning team utilized the Communities That Care model to guide implementation phases and collaborative action planning.

Over the past year and a half, the CoP identified three priority SRPFs for coordinated action: social connection, access to care, and coordination of resources and services. Methods included cross-divisional collaboration, internal mapping of existing initiatives, review of county and departmental data, and development of SRPF profiles. The EDS Division created data presentations using BRFSS, HKCS, CHAS, and Belonging Barometer data to support prioritization and planning.

Results to date include increased cross-divisional collaboration, identification of overlapping initiatives, and development of coordinated action plans. Implementation is planned for Summer 2026 through December 2027.

This work reflects the conference theme, “Stronger Together,” by demonstrating how intentional collaboration across disciplines can strengthen public health systems and create more connected, aligned, and impactful approaches to community health.

Background / Purpose: The Broomfield Network consisting of 80 organizations utilizes the Unite Us platform to address social determinants of health by streamlining the connection between individuals and essential health and social services. The primary objective is to move away from fragmented referral methods to a centralized system that directly connects individuals to services and provides closed loop feedback to providers. The network organizations meet regularly to discuss data, process improvements, and coordinate on referrals.

Methods: Performance was measured by analyzing referral volume, median acceptance speeds, and resolution outcomes across various service types. Network growth was monitored by tracking the addition of partners per service category.

Results: January 2024-March 2026, 2,081 individuals were referred to services via Unite Us by the Broomfield network for a total of 2,698 referrals (average 1.3 per person), with 2,390 processed on-platform and 308 managed “off-platform”. Of the platform-based referrals, 73.1% were accepted by receiving organizations, and 13.4% were redirected to alternative agencies. By April 2026, 55.7% of all referrals reached a successful resolution, successfully connecting 1,225 individuals to needed services. Of the unresolved referrals, 313 were closed as “Unable to Contact Client”. Due to implemented process improvements by the network, accepted referrals rose from 58% in 2025 to 75.2% in Q1 2026.

Implications: The system demonstrated significant procedural improvements and network growth in partners. Despite these gains, "Unable to Contact Client" remained the leading cause of unresolved cases across all years. The implementation of a centralized referral network has coordinated partner engagement and increased service completion rates for clients getting them connected to services within days. To further improve outcomes, partners will focus on client engagement to reduce "unreachable" closures and continue expanding network coverage in high-demand, high-rejection areas such as Benefits Navigation, Housing, and Transportation.