Public Health in the Rockies 2026

Public health professionals are uniquely positioned to inform policy, yet many lack formal training in how to effectively translate information into actionable policy change. This skill-building session addresses that gap by equipping participants with practical tools to engage confidently and strategically in the policy-making process.

Grounded in an overview of the Colorado Public Health Association’s 2026 legislative priorities, this session provides both foundational knowledge and applied skill development for students, early-career professionals, and practitioners. Participants will gain clarity on the distinctions between advocacy and lobbying, including the ethical and legal considerations that guide public health engagement. Participants will also learn the basic steps of how a bill becomes law in Colorado, how ballot measures reach voters, and how to use public tools such as the Colorado General Assembly website and public lobbying information to follow policy activity and understand how policy ideas move from concept to implementation.

A central focus of the session is strategic communication, which is an essential competency for advancing public health priorities. Attendees will learn how to translate complex information into clear, compelling narratives and tailor messaging to resonate with diverse decision-makers. Emphasis will be placed on identifying policy windows, aligning messages with stakeholder priorities, and delivering concise, persuasive policy pitches in small groups.

To support skill development, participants will engage in interactive learning activities, including a policy message sorting exercise and role-playing scenarios. These hands-on components allow attendees to practice crafting and delivering policy arguments, responding to feedback, and adapting their communication approach in real time. This applied practice is designed to build both confidence and competence in policy engagement.

This session reflects public health best practices by centering evidence-informed decision-making, cross-sector collaboration, and effective communication as drivers of policy change. It aligns with the conference theme, Stronger Together: Public Health in the Heart of the Rockies, by emphasizing the collective role public health professionals play in shaping policies that improve population health outcomes.

By the end of the session, participants will be better prepared to engage in policy discussions, contribute to advocacy efforts within their organizations and communities, and translate evidence into actionable policy solutions. Ultimately, this session empowers attendees to move from data to decision-maker, strengthening their ability to “get a seat at the table” and advance impactful public health policies.

Policies founded in evidence-based public health research and practice have the potential to benefit people and sustainably improve community health. Many policymakers want the information that public health practitioners and researchers can provide. However, evidence and research with policy implications frequently fails to make it into the hands of decision makers or is not packaged in a way that is accessible or understandable by a wide variety of relevant and influential audiences, including organizational and governmental policymakers, advocates, and civically engaged groups. Public health practitioners and researchers need tools and strategies to translate their knowledge for decision makers to advance timely, evidence-based policy.




After a didactic presentation on theory and scholarship related to public narrative, participants will break out into small groups to collectively develop and improve a narrative to support policy change. Selection of characters, characters’ portrayal as heroes, victims, or villains, setting descriptions, and placement of the narrative at the individual, organizational, or structural level shift the understanding of audiences, directing attention in ways that can influence support.



Participants will receive effective tools and tailored feedback they can use in their own current, planned, or recent public health activities. Participants will develop skills that directly apply to Colorado’s core foundational public health capabilities of communications and policy development and support.



Content to be presented: Participants will learn how to develop persuasive, strategic stories that motivate change for specific audiences. The presenters will provide tools to help attendees develop narratives that can drive timely and actionable policy change within governments and organizations.



Proposed schedule:



Didactic presentation (approximately 40 minutes): discussion on persuasive messaging and public narrative rooted in academic research and scholarship.



Small group breakouts (approximately 30 minutes): participants will break into small groups to collectively develop and improve their narrative to support policy change.



Large group report-out and discussion (20 minutes): all participants will reconvene and share their experiences and reflections about the session.



Evaluation and measurement of skills developed: this will happen during the small group breakout sessions and large group report out of the activity, during which attendees’ communications strategies will be evaluated and workshopped in real time. Participants will also complete a post-workshop evaluation.

Healthcare emergency preparedness and response depend on strong collaboration between healthcare systems, public health agencies, emergency management organizations, and community partners. The Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS) in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Region VIII was established to strengthen medical surge capabilities, improve regional coordination, and build partnerships that enhance readiness for catastrophic events. One capability developed through this effort is the Patient and Family Reunification Virtual Call Center, a scalable, low-cost solution created through collaboration between the Mountain Plains Regional Disaster Health Response System (MPRDHRS), the Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer (CVM), and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

The reunification program was designed to address a recurring challenge during disasters and mass casualty incidents: healthcare systems are often overwhelmed by family inquiries while simultaneously managing patient care operations. Over five years, the capability was refined through planning, stakeholder engagement, operational design, drills, and full-scale exercises involving healthcare systems, public health agencies, volunteer organizations, emergency management, and community partners across Colorado and HHS Region 8. The model uses a cloud-based virtual call center staffed by trained volunteers and supported by a secure, shared database providing privacy-compliant patient location information.

Exercises and operational testing demonstrated that the virtual call center can rapidly scale to manage several hundred calls per hour, reducing the burden on hospitals and improving coordination among response partners. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of the RDHRS program, lessons learned from the first five years of implementation, opportunities for regional collaboration, and practical strategies for building or strengthening reunification capabilities within their own jurisdictions.

Background / Purpose: The tobacco retail environment is a critical touchpoint for reducing youth tobacco and nicotine use and eliminating disparities. In Colorado, tobacco retailer licensing and compliance monitoring are managed by multiple agencies and published independently. The Tobacco Retail Access Colorado (TRAC) Dashboard integrates these disparate datasets into an interactive geospatial mapping application. TRAC empowers communities, especially those disproportionately impacted by tobacco harms, to visualize their local tobacco retail landscape and drive evidence-based change.

Methods: TRAC was developed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Tobacco Program through a participatory process with end-users, including Local Public Health Agencies (LPHAs), policy experts, and compliance inspectors. The dashboard integrates state tobacco licensing data with compliance checks from multiple agencies (federal, state, and local). Data are overlaid on a map with school locations, youth-serving facilities, and area-level sociodemographic indicators. The information can be viewed item-by-item or summarized at multiple geographic scales (municipal, county, multi-county collaborative region) to support everything from individual retailer education to jurisdiction-wide policy planning.

Results: TRAC increases data accessibility and visibility statewide. It is actively used by LPHAs and community partners to monitor compliance, uncover trends, and communicate with stakeholders. To ensure equitable access for jurisdictions with limited geospatial capacity, the tool is deployed alongside training and ongoing technical assistance.

Implications: Consolidating disparate data at multiple scales enables a more complete understanding of retailer behavior and strengthens local capacity for targeted monitoring, enforcement, and advocacy. By increasing transparency, public health professionals can implement actionable, equity-focused tobacco control strategies to protect youth.

Audience Engagement: To offer attendees a chance to experience the dashboard in action, this session will feature a live demonstration of the dashboard followed by a hands-on data-gathering exercise. Attendees will navigate the dashboard to extract jurisdictional metrics and brainstorm evidence-informed policy recommendations.

Background/Purpose: Searching for data to support improving our public health planning has never been easier. Navigating through, summarizing, visualizing and making sense of the data remains difficult. To make your job easier and to promote community engagement with data, CDPHE’s team of mapping experts are promoting the use of our Open Data website. What is Open Data? A free and easily accessible website where you can search for, compare, download data and create your own maps and data visualizations using over 150 updated geographically-enabled datasets directly related to Colorado’s public health, environmental quality, emergency preparedness, socio-demographic, economic, and housing concerns.

Methods/Results: Examining data with a geographic lens allows us to understand variations and patterns among data, and to explore the contributing factors that may be influencing these shifting patterns. The CDPHE Open Data website was developed to support mapping and visualization, data management, analytics, decision support, sharing and collaboration. The website provides access to recently updated health outcome and risk behavior datasets including risk behaviors (e.g. mental distress, obesity, physical activity, smoking), key health equity indicators (e.g. diabetes, low birth weight, opioid poisoning, health professional shortage areas), and established socio-demographic and economic factors (e.g. employment, housing costs, income, educational attainment). In addition, address-level locational data on community level resource providers are also published including health facilities, community behavioral health centers, disability-resource providers, licensed childcare providers, schools, and substance-abuse treatment programs.

Implications: Attendees of this presentation will receive a thorough tour of the CDPHE Open Data website and its tools, enabling them to create their own data visualizations and provide feedback as to how it could be applied in their work. Instructors will also lead the audience through a case study in how the tools provided through the Open Data website can be applied to create community-level data visualizations.

Poor air quality poses risks to children and young adults, with student athletes being particularly vulnerable due to their elevated breathing rates during physical activity. To better characterize youth exposures, we deployed a network of low-cost sensors that measure outdoor PM2.5 and PM10 at 35 high school athletic fields across Utah, and that measure indoor PM2.5 and CO2 at 15 early childhood education centers. During approximately one year of measurements (April 2024–May 2025), fifteen high schools recorded a total of 28 days exceeding the PM2.5 24-hour AQI threshold for Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (35.5 µg/m³) and 2 days exceeding the Unhealthy threshold (55.5 µg/m³). Meanwhile, 21 schools recorded 46, 11, 4, and 6 exceedance days for PM10 at the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (155 µg/m³), Unhealthy (255 µg/m³), Very Unhealthy (355 µg/m³), and Hazardous (425 µg/m³) thresholds, respectively. Indoors, mean PM2.5 concentrations were low across early childhood education centers (1.32±1.18 µg/m3), yet eight childcare centers experienced a total of 50 days exceeding the WHO 24-hour PM2.5 concentration guideline (15 µg/m3). Additionally, our team has collaborated with the State Board of Education, the State Department of Public Health, athletic trainer/medical associations, and school nurses to develop uniform air quality guidelines for outdoor activities. These guidelines have led to state legislation that is currently under consideration. These results support the need for localized, actionable air quality information in school environments.

Colorado’s evolving cannabis landscape has created significant challenges for public health surveillance, clinical assessment, and research translation. Despite increasing product potency and diversification, including concentrates, edibles, and vaporized products, many healthcare systems continue to rely on binary or frequency-only cannabis screening approaches that provide limited insight into real-world exposure patterns. This session presents the Pueblo Cannabis Use Measurement Initiative (PCUMI), a developing public health and clinical research framework designed to improve cannabis exposure characterization by integrating quantity, potency, and route of administration into standardized exposure classifications. The project directly aligns with the 2026 PHiR theme, Stronger Together, by highlighting collaborative partnerships among healthcare systems, public health agencies, academic researchers, and community stakeholders working to strengthen Colorado’s public health infrastructure.

Methods include a systematic review and adaptation of existing cannabis-use instruments, the development of structured exposure categories aligned with Colorado product-labeling norms, and pilot planning for implementation in emergency and behavioral health settings in Pueblo County. Planned procedures include clinician feedback, workflow assessment, and evaluation of feasibility indicators such as completion rates, participant comprehension, item-level missingness, and integration into electronic health record systems.

Preliminary development findings suggest substantial gaps in current cannabis-use documentation practices, particularly regarding potency and mode of administration. Early framework development demonstrates the feasibility of a scalable, clinically interpretable measurement approach capable of supporting more consistent data collection across healthcare environments.

Participants will compare traditional cannabis-use screening approaches with dose-centered frameworks, assess how standardized exposure classifications may improve clinical documentation and public health surveillance, and evaluate the broader implications of increasing cannabis potency and product diversification in Colorado. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for improving cannabis-related public health data collection, strengthening translational research capacity, and supporting more informed public health decision-making across Colorado health systems.

Background: Syphilis remains a public health priority nationally and in Colorado. Test Yourself Colorado (TYC) is an online, at-home STI testing program administered by the Denver Sexual Health Clinic that provides free mailed HIV tests and/or gonorrhea (GC) and chlamydia (CT) testing statewide. In 2026, TYC launched a pilot at-home syphilis self-testing program as an additional service for clients reporting never having syphilis.

Methods: The TYC at-home syphilis pilot utilizes the First to Know® Syphilis Test, the first FDA authorized over-the-counter self-administered test. The test utilizes fingerstick blood and results in 15 minutes. Clients are provided with resources for seeking further clinical evaluation in the event of reactive results. Syphilis test kits were offered as part of TYC first from 2/15/2026 -2/28/26 and then again starting 4/10/2026. We report initial programmatic results from the syphilis at-home testing pilot program as of 5/8/2026. Future evaluations will assess client satisfaction and barriers to use.

Results: During the pilot, 417 total orders were placed with TYC. Of these, 154 (37%) included a syphilis test. Of syphilis orders, 45 (29%) were among cis-men; 106 (69%) were among cis-women; 2 (1%) were among trans clients. Eighty-seven (56%) syphilis orders were among White, Non-Hispanic individuals; 7 (5%) were among Black non-Hispanic clients; and 31 (20%) were among Hispanic clients. The remaining orders (29; 19%) were among individuals who preferred not to answer the race/ethnicity question or who identified as a different race/ethnicity. Fifteen (10%) syphilis orders were among men who have sex with men.

Implications: Initial utilization of TYC’s at-home syphilis testing service indicated modest interest in the syphilis test. Ongoing efforts to promote the program in addition to the importance of syphilis screening among priority populations are merited. As efforts continue to address the syphilis epidemic, at-home testing services should be considered.

Over the past decade in the United States, there have been considerable shifts in policy around requirements of sexual education. A significant factor in this is the lack of policy at the federal level, allowing states to choose whether sexual education is a requirement at all. Currently, only 36 states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring a form of sexual education to be taught in schools. A notable consequence of states making their own individual laws around sexual education is the use of stigmatizing language within the policy itself. This can include use of language around abstinence-only education, how STIs are described and framed, pregnancy management and options, and provision of parental consent.

This qualitative study aims to begin to examine state-level K-12 sexual education policies, starting with Colorado and Alabama as comparative case studies. Using inductive analysis, the state’s policy documents will be systematically coded to identify key themes, allowing for the creation of a comparative thematic matrix. Based on noted patterns in the matrix, implications for public health research, policy, health equity, and marginalized populations can be identified. By analyzing how language functions within these policies, questions around participation, inclusion, accessibility, and relevance of content can begin to be answered.

Inside Out Youth Services (IOYS) believes that young people have an integral role in informing, shaping, and delivering programming responsive to health and wellness. By providing agency for young people to develop and facilitate educational programs, we recenter youth voice within their own care. IOYS serves LGBTQIA2+ young people ages 13-24 in a variety of modalities to best meet youth where they are at. One of the ways we sought to achieve this was the development of the Peer Program Internship in 2025, including a Substance Use Prevention Intern. These interns have the opportunity to learn leadership qualities, actively participate in civic engagement, and facilitate youth-led programming. To measure the impact of programs, data is collected through Program Feedback Forms, and twice-annual Outcome Assessments measure the broader impact IOYS has had on young people in areas like healthy relationships, support systems, and substance use. Since then, IOYS has seen the highest growth scores in Outcome Assessment data among responses related to understanding substance misuse and increased awareness of where to find support. Higher rates of attendance and engagement are also observed when programs are facilitated by other young people. To us, we implement the theme of ‘Stronger Together’ every day in our work with young people. We encourage other practitioners to consider how including youth voice within public health processes sets a foundation for greater agency for young people navigating healthcare settings, especially for young people who face increased barriers to service.

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.

Skin cancer remains the most common cancer in the United States, yet prevention efforts continue to focus primarily on individual behavior change, with limited integration of environmental strategies that shape exposure. Public health agencies are increasingly recognizing the need to incorporate structural approaches into prevention programming. This session presents a collaboration between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and an academic partner to integrate built environment interventions, specifically shade infrastructure, into a broader skin cancer prevention framework.

CDPHE identified gaps in addressing environmental exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in public spaces. In response, a multi-phase, mixed-methods shade assessment was conducted across diverse site typologies including parks, schools, and community spaces. Methods combined field-based audits, spatial analysis, and stakeholder engagement to evaluate shade availability, distribution, and equity. Findings revealed consistent disparities in shade access, particularly in high-use areas, and identified priority sites for intervention.

Results from this collaboration informed the development of practical tools, including shade design guidelines and site prioritization strategies, which are now being integrated into CDPHE programming. The session will highlight how research findings were translated into actionable resources and discuss the opportunities and challenges of embedding built environment approaches within existing public health systems.

Presenters will also discuss emerging policy pathways to support implementation, including funding mechanisms, cross-sector partnerships, and regulatory considerations. A 1-hour session is requested to allow both presentation and interactive engagement: the first 30 minutes will present the program and findings, followed by a 15-minute small-group activity applying site prioritization strategies to a sample scenario, and a 10-minute facilitated discussion on implementation barriers and policy adoption.

By situating built environment strategies within a statewide prevention program, this session demonstrates how cross-sector collaboration can expand the scope of public health practice and support more equitable, sustainable approaches to cancer prevention.

Background:
Access to timely, culturally responsive lactation support remains a significant barrier in underresourced communities. In Colorado, data from the Colorado WIC Program (2024) indicate that breastfeeding prevalence declines from 53% during the first postpartum week to 32% at six months postpartum, while only 3.5% of individuals report receiving breastfeeding information via telephone, according to the Baby & You Survey (2024). These gaps highlight the need for accessible, community-based breastfeeding support strategies and continuity of care.

Objective:
To evaluate the development and early implementation of a training program preparing community members to provide telephone-based breastfeeding support.

Methods:
Surveys and interviews will assess the feasibility and early outcomes of the program. Feasibility measures include recruitment, retention, and training completion rates among lactation counselor participants. Participants are recruited through a community leadership initiative and complete an accredited online training program covering lactation fundamentals, counseling skills, common breastfeeding challenges, referral pathways, and culturally responsive peer support. Weekly study sessions facilitated by a lactation consultant reinforce learning and practical application.

Post-training surveys will assess changes in perceived competence, self-efficacy, and preparedness to provide breastfeeding support. Trained participants will deliver telephone-based support to postpartum individuals experiencing early breastfeeding challenges, caregiver confidence, and access to timely, evidence-based guidance. Breastfeeding participants will be recruited through maternal and child health referrals. Outcomes, including breastfeeding confidence and access to lactation information, will be evaluated through pre- and post-intervention surveys. Open-ended responses will explore program acceptability and opportunities for improvement.

Results:
LactiConnect is currently implementing a structured training program for community members to become breastfeeding support specialists.

Implications:
Training community members as breastfeeding support specialists may strengthen the lactation workforce and improve access to culturally responsive care. Telephone-based peer support offers a scalable model to reduce barriers and improve breastfeeding outcomes.

Background/Purpose: EMS readiness requires financial sustainability and predictability. Yet EMS organizations face a fundamental financing problem: they are reimbursed only for transports, creating perverse incentives misaligned with community health needs and emerging evidence on optimal care delivery. This financing structure threatens EMS readiness by limiting innovation and sustainable operations. Communities increasingly seek alternatives, such as treatment-in-place, integration with other health care facilities or community paramedicine, but financing barriers often prevent implementation. Understanding this landscape is essential for public health professionals partnering with EMS to find solutions for strengthening community readiness and access to care.

Methods: This session combines a landscape-setting presentation (15 minutes) with a facilitated panel discussion (40 minutes). The presentation will describe: how current EMS reimbursement undermine readiness; variation in community preferences for service types; and policy solutions emerging at local, state and federal levels. The panel then features EMS leaders implementing real-world alternatives that strengthen readiness and improve health care access while also requiring different payment approaches: treatment-in-place payment pilots, partnering with healthcare facilities, and community paramedicine programs. Audience Q&A and discussion follow.

Results/Key Findings: Participants will understand how financing structures directly affect EMS readiness; barriers to sustainable service delivery and health equity; concrete examples of alternative models that enhance readiness; and policy pathways forward.

Implications: "Stronger Together" requires public health professionals to understand EMS financing as central to readiness and policy solutions that align incentives with community health goals.

This structure requires 60 minutes to accomplish three goals: (1) establish a shared understanding of how financing impacts EMS readiness through a focused presentation; (2) showcase real-world solutions that strengthen readiness through panelist dialogue; and (3) enable meaningful audience engagement. This sequencing maximizes learning and interactive discussion. Dr. Buttorff will moderate the panel discussion and facilitate the audience Q&A.

Community Engagement is the most important, yet often the most under resourced work for Local Public Health Agencies. Eagle County Public Health and Environment (ECPHE) has been exploring how AI can build department wide infrastructure to support Community Engagement work. Two use cases have been implemented at ECPHE: qualitative coding of community gathered data in Gemini and the creation of an AI toolkit in NotebookLM.

In 2023 ECPHE involved hundreds of Eagle County residents in the creation of the Public Health Improvement Plan and performed a qualitative analysis to identify key codes present in the data. This process was done manually, involving 25 staff and taking hundreds of people hours to complete. In 2025 ECPHE replicated this coding process by using a Gemini Gem to categorize community statements. The AI results were substantially similar to the results from human coding and were provided in a fraction of the time. This process is being used in ECPHE’s planning processes such as the recent Aging Well Roadmap. In 2025 ECPHE created a community engagement toolkit in NotebookLM, incorporating a community engagement model, information from the ‘Community Toolbox’ and data on Eagle County, the toolbox is being used by staff as a planning aide for Community Engagement activities. These tools are not intended to replace human relationships or the relational nature of community engagement. Rather, they are designed to strengthen this work by adding a layer of support that allows staff to better understand, organize, and act on community voice.

Background / Purpose: Coverage gaps in Medicaid and CHP+ disproportionately harm children of color and low-income families. Continuous enrollment (CE) strengthens coverage stability by eliminating reapplication requirements until a designated age. During the COVID 19 Public Health Emergency, suspended eligibility redeterminations expanded stable coverage, followed by sharp enrollment declines after April 2023. These shifts highlight how coverage continuity influences health care utilization and costs, informing policy decisions on expanding CE for young children.

Methods: Researchers conducted a cross sectional analysis of Colorado All Payer Claims Database data (2018–2024). Children ages 0–6 with Medicaid or CHP+ coverage were stratified by enrollment status (CE: ≥11 months/year; non-CE:

Background/Purpose: As H.R. 1 threatens significant Medicaid and ACA cuts, low-income and immigrant communities in Colorado face compounding barriers to maintaining health coverage: language access gaps, institutional distrust, and rapidly shifting eligibility rules. Safety-net clinics serving these populations need outreach models that can meet communities where they are; in trusted settings, in their language, with accurate information, rather than waiting for community members to navigate complex systems alone.

Methods: Doctors Care, a free safety-net clinic in the Denver metro area, developed a structured Community Ambassador program delivered through subcontracted community-based organizations using a promotora model. Ambassadors are recruited from within the communities they serve and trained using bilingual curriculum materials covering Colorado's health coverage landscape, referral consent workflows, and plain-language responses to emerging community concerns, including federal data-sharing proposals affecting Medicaid and Cover All Coloradans enrollees. Education sessions are conducted in trusted settings including the Mexican Consulate's Ventanilla de Salud program.

Results: Program implementation is ongoing. Qualitative outcomes include increased community awareness of coverage options, strengthened referral pathways between community settings and clinic-based coverage specialists, and ambassador capacity to provide accurate, non-alarmist information on data privacy questions that are actively deterring enrollment.

Implications: Safety-net organizations can build resilient, equity-centered outreach infrastructure by investing in trusted community members as health coverage navigators. This session will equip attendees to describe a replicable ambassador referral model, identify curriculum components for training trusted messengers, and explain how to address data privacy concerns with plain-language health coverage information. In a volatile policy environment, community relationships are both the strategy and the buffer.