Colorado’s Essential Health Survey
The CHAS plays a central role in efforts to improve health for everyone in Colorado.
In the past decade, the survey has measured the effects of the Affordable Care Act and identified work left to do to improve access to health care. It has examined social factors such as housing, food access, and discrimination in health care and measured the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023 the CHAS reveals substantial changes in health, health access, and social stressors caused by COVID-19 and pandemic-related policies.
The survey’s large sample size allows for statistically significant samples in urban and rural areas and by age, race, and income.
Policymakers, state agencies and local governments use the CHAS to measure access to care in Medicaid and to identify needs in behavioral health. Health systems and providers use it to help understand access to care in the areas they serve. Community-based organizations rely on CHAS data to evaluate local needs and inform their strategic plans and programs. Researchers and journalists use it to track the impact of policy shifts and gain insight into the state’s evolving health needs.
The CHAS Is for You
Data from the CHAS are available to anyone who is interested. We invite researchers and other interested parties to use our research file or to reach out with requests for information and data. Contact chas@coloradohealthinstitute.org.
