Public Health in the Rockies 2026

Public health professionals are often asked to communicate complex community needs, program impact, and next steps in ways that are clear, compelling, and useful for both community members and local decision-makers. However, many communication products rely heavily on data tables, long reports, or technical language that may not fully reflect community priorities or support timely action. This skill-building session responds to the need for practical, equity-centered tools that help public health professionals translate local data and community voice into concise, accessible, and actionable public health briefs.

This interactive workshop will guide participants through a reusable five-part framework for developing one-page public health briefs. The framework includes: identifying what needs to be communicated and to whom; selecting relevant local and state data; integrating community voices, quotes, themes, or lived experience findings; structuring the narrative for different audiences, including community members and local stakeholders; and using simple data visualization and layout strategies to create a brief that is easy to understand, share, print, QR-code, or use in meetings.

Participants will apply the framework through a guided practice exercise using a Local Health Agency topic, such as vaping, as an example. Presenters will walk through how the same public health topic can be framed differently depending on the audience. For community members, the brief may emphasize accessible language, shared priorities, community strengths, resources, and what comes next. For local stakeholders, the brief may highlight data trends, service gaps, community-identified needs, program impact, and action steps for planning or policy. Participants will then practice selecting key messages, identifying appropriate data points, incorporating community voice, and considering simple visual strategies that support the intended narrative.

This session supports best practices in public health communication, community engagement, health equity, and applied data translation. By pairing quantitative data with qualitative community voice, participants will practice moving beyond simply reporting numbers toward creating communication products that reflect both evidence and lived experience. The session also supports skill development by giving attendees hands-on experience with a practical template and process they can adapt for future topics, programs, assessments, reports, grant updates, coalition meetings, and community engagement efforts.

The session is relevant to local, state, tribal, and federal public health professionals, community health staff, evaluators, coalition partners, and others working to translate data into meaningful public health action. Aligned with the conference theme, Stronger Together, this workshop emphasizes that public health communication is stronger when local and state data are combined with community priorities, barriers, strengths, and lived experience. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies for creating public health briefs that inform, engage, elevate community voice, and support shared decision-making.

Background / Purpose: Public health depends on our ability to not only interpret complex science, but to inspire action through communication. Behavioral and social sciences provide the critical “how” for this mission. This session serves as a primer on risk communication science, designed to help professionals move beyond traditional messaging models and address community needs through evidence-based outreach.

Methods: This session showcases communication models that blend technical expertise with cultural humility. We use behavioral science to explore how risk perception —often a mix of actual hazard and public “outrage” — impacts community response. Participants will apply structured frameworks to maintain transparency, including the Hazard-Impact-Action (HIA) model for public health action directives and the Know/Don’t Know model for navigating evolving scientific information and uncertainty.

Results: These models ensure that health messages remain clear, consistent, and supportive. By translating complex data into actionable and accessible information, we empower individuals to make informed decisions. Focusing on the “so what” and “what now” increases the effectiveness of guidance while reducing the cognitive load on communities during high-stress situations.

Implications: Our technical expertise is most powerful when paired with an understanding of human behavior. Attendees will gain practical tools to support language justice and bridge the gap between science and community action, ensuring no community is left behind.

Interactive plan:

A 60-minute session is essential to bridge the gap between theory and application. We will use real-time polling to visualize "outrage factors" that drive community concern versus actual scientific hazard. We will also lead a collaborative “message surgery” where we take jargon-heavy technical excerpts and use the HIA framework to transform dense data into clear, empathetic, and actionable guidance. Integrating frequent “pulse-checks” ensures the content remains relevant to diverse public health roles. We are open to a 90-minute slot if the committee prefers a deeper dive.

Background: Medical assistants (MAs) and nurses are often among the first to discuss vaccination with families in primary care, yet little is known about how they communicate about HPV vaccination. Their interactions may shape parental perceptions, prime clinician conversations, and influence vaccine acceptance, but their communication practices have not been described. This study aimed to describe self-reported HPV vaccine communication practices, attitudes, and training needs among MAs and nurses working in primary care clinics.

Design/Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of MAs, nurses, and other non-clinician staff (e.g., certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, and other non-licensed clinical support roles) at 22 primary care clinics in Kansas and Missouri. Eligible staff interacted with families before the clinician’s visit. The survey assessed the frequency, timing, and style of HPV vaccine discussions, responses to vaccine hesitancy, and perceived role in vaccine communication.

Results: Of 247 invited staff, 185 completed surveys (75% response rate) across all 22 clinics. Most (78%) reported using a presumptive communication style; however, only 24% described a fully presumptive initiation style. Only 7% reported using motivational interviewing techniques when parents express hesitancy, and 36% accepted initial refusal and deferred to the clinician. Registered nurses (RNs) were significantly less likely than MAs, LPNs, and CNAs to initiate vaccine discussions proactively (81% vs. 93%; p=0.01). Most respondents (87%) perceived clinicians as extremely or moderately receptive to their involvement, 75% viewed their own role as important, and 82% wanted additional vaccine communication training.

Conclusions: Non-clinician staff regularly discuss HPV vaccination with families but frequently use inconsistent and non-evidence-based approaches, with a substantial gap between self-reported technique use and described practice. These findings highlight the underrecognized role of this workforce in vaccine delivery and underscore the need for structured, role-specific training interventions.

Background:
Youth nicotine use remains a public health concern and is closely connected with mental health. Public health campaigns are often adult-led and rely on deficit-based, abstinence-focused messaging that may limit meaningful youth engagement and behavior change. In contrast, Skip the Hit, a youth-led, co-designed media campaign, applied the Social Justice Youth Development framework by partnering with young people as public health leaders. This approach centers youth voice and lived experience to shape messaging that more authentically reaches youth, supports incremental behavior change, and promotes mental health.

Methods:
Fourteen young people participated in a three-phase leadership and media development initiative over 30 weeks in partnership with Jefferson County Public Health. Phase One built knowledge of nicotine use, mental health, media literacy, and critical analysis of industry influences and systemic factors. Phase Two involved collaboration with a creative agency to co-design campaign branding and messaging. Phase Three centered on youth-led production of social media content and participatory decision-making about campaign budget and implementation. Throughout, youth were compensated, and adults engaged in ongoing coaching and reflective practice.

Results:
This project produced a media campaign made by and for young people, offering supportive, honest, and non-judgmental messaging to promote healthy decision-making. It also influenced shifts in adult attitudes and beliefs about youth, including the adoption of equitable, anti-adultist practices. Evaluations to date indicate increased levels of trust, balance of power, psychological empowerment, and mutual learning between youth and adults.

Implications:
Social justice–driven, youth co-designed approaches strengthen public health education while building leadership capacity.

One hour allows for presenting on planning/facilitation of meetings with youth, campaign co-creation/implementation, analytics, and lessons learned. Attendees will discuss/compare current youth engagement approaches to a Social Justice Youth Development model and will identify organizational constraints to power-sharing and actionable changes to support equitable youth engagement.

How local government engages with young people is crucial in shaping the future development of a community. Adult-centrism refers to the bias that our society places on the views of adults in comparison to that of young people. Beyond the physicality of educational spaces, youth are often viewed as only passive recipients of services within these spaces, rather than as active participants who can provide valuable contributions. As a result, this leaves few to no opportunities for youth to represent their own interests, while also distinguishing adult concerns from youth, creating a hierarchy between the two rather than a collective concern.

The Nicotine Awareness and Tobacco Prevention team at the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment centers youth as partners by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to raise awareness about the harms of nicotine and tobacco use. Through youth programming and broader community feedback, as well as a recognized gap in accessible educational platforms for community partners, staff developed an adaptable curriculum called Breathe Easy, a pilot initiative grounded in continuous improvement and community feedback. The curriculum includes interactive, age-specific modules for elementary, middle, and high school students, covering nicotine products, health and environmental impacts, industry marketing tactics, refusal skills, and cessation resources. It is designed as both a train-the-trainer model and a self-guided resource, allowing educators, community members, and youth to facilitate learning within their own communities. Youth Engagement Specialists (YESs), embedded as paid staff, lead youth coalitions and play a central role in co-developing, refining, and delivering the curriculum. In practice, youth coalition members have implemented Breathe Easy in their local communities, demonstrating increased civic leadership and advocacy for healthier environments. By integrating youth voice into program design and delivery, local public health efforts can foster more responsive, sustainable, and community-driven approaches to prevention.

Improving postpartum care utilization among Medicaid members remains a persistent public health challenge. While roughly 70% of Coloradans access care within a year of delivery, only 66% of Medicaid-covered individuals do, and rates have dropped in recent years. To address gaps in postpartum visit completion and connect members to supportive services, Colorado Access and Family Connects partnered in Arapahoe County and Denver County to leverage Colorado Access member incentives to encourage participation in nurse-led postpartum home visits and completion of 6-week postpartum care. This project examines whether incentives, combined with trusted community-based care, increase engagement in home visitation and timely postpartum care.

Beginning in March 2026, Colorado Access collaborated with Family Connects programs housed at Denver Health and Arapahoe County Public Health, both of which provide evidence-based nurse home visits 3–12 weeks after birth. Eligible members received gift card incentives for completing a home visit and for attending their 6-week postpartum visit. The evaluation will compare postpartum visit completion rates between participants and non-participants. Implementation processes, including workflows across varying electronic health record systems and incentive distribution models, will be assessed to identify operational strengths and challenges.

Preliminary findings indicate variability in implementation across sites due to differences in systems and workflows. Early data suggest increased interest in postpartum care engagement among participants receiving incentives. More outcome analysis will be available at the time of presentation.

This partnership highlights the importance of collaboration across healthcare and public health systems to improve maternal health outcomes. While multi-organizational partnerships introduce complexity, strong communication, adaptability, and shared goals are critical to success. This work demonstrates that we are stronger together when leveraging community partnerships to enhance care access and support for postpartum individuals.

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.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented job losses, placing millions of working-age Americans at risk of losing employer-sponsored insurance (ESI). Despite growing evidence of overall coverage disruptions, little is known about how losses and recovery varied simultaneously by gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, and income using a comprehensive intersectional framework extending through 2024. This study addresses that gap by examining how ten distinct insurance coverage types changed across demographic groups during and after the pandemic.

Methods: This study uses American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year samples from IPUMS covering 2020–2024, providing nationally representative data on adults aged 18–64 (n=9,407,269). Ten insurance outcomes are examined: any coverage (HCOVANY), private coverage (HCOVPRIV), employer-sponsored (HINSEMP), direct purchase (HINSPUR), TRICARE (HINSTRI), any public coverage (HCOVPUB), Medicaid (HINSCAID), Medicare (HINSCARE), VA (HINSVA), and Indian Health Service (HINSIHS). Analyses include survey-weighted descriptive statistics, logistic regression, interaction models testing whether sex effects differ by race/ethnicity, age group, and income, and difference-in-differences models comparing expansion versus non-expansion states. All analyses apply person-level survey weights for nationally representative estimates.

Results: Overall, uninsurance declined from 13.2% in 2020 to 11.3% in 2023 but rebounded to 11.6% in 2024, likely reflecting Medicaid unwinding. Women were consistently 35% less likely to be uninsured than men. Black and American Indian and Alaska Native women showed the highest Medicaid dependence and largest gender gaps in uninsurance. The female ESI advantage grew significantly with income while the Medicaid advantage weakened at higher income levels.

Implications: Coverage inequities by gender, race/ethnicity, and income persisted throughout the pandemic and recovery without closing. Public health professionals should advocate for policies that strengthen Medicaid, expand outreach to vulnerable populations, and decouple health insurance from employment to advance equitable access to care across Colorado and the nation.

Diabetes prevention and management are key public health priorities in Colorado. The National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) and Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) services are national, evidence-based programs for individuals living with diabetes or prediabetes. Approximately 44 DSMES programs and 23 National DPP programs exist throughout Colorado. However, programming is limited, particularly in rural areas of the state with dispersed populations, with the majority of National DPP and DSMES programs concentrated in urban areas in the middle of the state. In fact, 81% of rural and rural resort counties do not have a local National DPP, and 75% of rural and rural resort counties do not have local DSMES services. This reality makes telehealth and virtual program delivery options necessary for individuals living with diabetes or at risk for diabetes who have barriers to in-person programming. Research shows that program outcomes between in-person and virtual programming are similar. However, program providers and participants alike face barriers to telehealth programming. This presentation will clearly outline the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from diabetes prevention and management programs, gleaned from working directly with telehealth providers since 2021, as well as surveys conducted in early 2026. Creative solutions taking place in Colorado will be shared, and attendees will walk away with tangible examples of how to effectively deliver telehealth programming by increasing engagement, addressing digital literacy, investing in staff training, and adjusting workflows to best meet the needs of participants and program providers.

Background

Asthma affects 8-10% of school aged children in the United States and is a leading cause of both healthcare utilization and school absenteeism in this age group. Enhancing school-based asthma care is a key strategy to meet children and families where they are and improve asthma outcomes. To this end, Colorado Asthma Friendly Schools initiative was created to both recognize schools and school nurses providing appropriate asthma care in schools, as well as encourage ongoing improvements in holistic school-based asthma care.

Methods:

We adapted the American Lung Associations’ Asthma Friendly Schools Framework to address local contexts and created a self-assessment tool to evaluate schools’ performance in 4 key areas: maximizing delivery of school health services, building asthma education, providing a healthy school environment, and managing physical education and activity. Nurses indicated which strategies they were implementing in a few key areas. After a small first year pilot involving 13 schools, invitations to apply for recognition were distributed across a statewide listserv.

Results:

Nurses (n=137) providing care at 221 schools and 24 districts were recognized. Schools covered 126,043 students, which is approximately 14% of all students in Colorado. Two large school districts received special recognition due to their districtwide asthma-friendly efforts. Highly implemented strategies included protocols and training to manage asthma symptoms and emergencies, following care plans, and infrastructure such as integrated pest management plans, and HVAC improvements. Minimal implementation areas included targeted coordination for high-risk students, WSCC model integrations, EPA walkthroughs and idling policies, and integration with physical education (PE) teachers and activities

Implications:

There was high statewide interest in an initiative to recognize high quality asthma care in schools. While treatment of emergencies in schools was a priority, improving integration with physical education teachers and implementing more evidence based environmental mitigation strategies remain areas of opportunity.

Following a 2023 nationwide settlement the Colorado Attorney General’s Office secured against Juul Labs, Inc. on behalf of Coloradans because the company targeted young people in their marketing and misrepresented the health risks posed by their vaping products, $11.4 million in grant funds was awarded through the Vaping Prevention Education Grant (VPEG) to 28 school districts, charter schools, BOCES, and facility schools statewide. The Colorado Attorney General’s Office and the Colorado Department of Education partnered on the VPEG grant opportunity, a comprehensive, multifaceted approach combining education, prevention, and treatment – that now supports K–12 education providers across Colorado with funding and technical assistance in their efforts to combat youth vaping.

Aligning with Public Health in the Rockies focal areas related to prevention and health promotion, policy and systems change, health equity, and community-engaged public health practice, this presentation will provide an overview of the VPEG program structure, required grant components, equitable selection criteria, and implementation strategies from select grantees.

By highlighting current school-based initiatives supported by VPEG funding, we hope to demonstrate how education providers can act as valuable partners in supporting equitable, prevention-oriented, and community-engaged public health strategies