Public Health in the Rockies 2026

When the contract with the external evaluator for Colorado's Electronic Healthy Incentive Program (eHIP) pilot was canceled in early 2025, it left a gap: no evaluation funding and no clear path to capturing what the state was learning. What stepped in to fill it was a cross-agency workgroup that had been meeting informally for months with no fixed agenda, just an intention to share work and think out loud together.

Colorado was one of three states awarded the eHIP grant to pilot an EBT-integrated SNAP nutrition incentive program. Colorado SNAP Produce Bonus (CSPB), launched in July 2024, instantly reimburses SNAP households on their EBT cards for purchases of eligible fruits and vegetables. When federal evaluation support disappeared, staff from the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), Nourish Colorado, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) drew on their different organizational strengths to piece together a collaborative evaluation plan. CDPHE leveraged funding through its CDC SPAN grant and the expertise of its internal evaluators; Nourish Colorado brought on-the-ground relationships with farmers and customers; CDHS provided program infrastructure and data access.

Together, the partners conducted customer and farmer surveys, focus groups, and farmer interviews. Results show 97% of customers say the program helps them eat more fruits and vegetables and 80% of farmers report it helps them sell more produce. Nourish Colorado has used the findings to advocate at the state and federal levels for continued investment beyond the pilot.

This session explores how three organizations — a state human services agency, a public health department, and a nonprofit — used an open-ended, generative partnership to respond to evolving priorities. Attendees will leave able to identify the strengths different organization types bring to community health planning work, and explain why diverse partnerships matter, especially when funding becomes uncertain.