At the Colorado Health Institute, November 9, 2016, was one of those days.
Hours earlier, Donald Trump had shocked the world and defied all predictions by being elected president of the United States. At CHI, we knew his election would mean profound changes for health policy. We also knew that our annual conference was coming up in less than a month, and it would have to be completely reimagined.
We got to work right away.
So how did we do? Here's a review from one attendee:
"This was by far the best conference in recent years. People were excited — they really enjoyed the timeliness of the topics and the presenters were all different."
In fact, 80 percent of attendees who took our survey rated the conference as excellent.
The performance encapsulated where CHI sought to be in 2016: an active participant in the most important health policy discussions of the moment, bringing timely, relevant, on-the-spot analysis to illuminate complicated choices.
Our 2016 Research Agenda
We undertook a 10-track research plan for 2016 in order to stay at the forefront of the myriad health issues that dominated the year. We delivered original research in each portfolio. A brief look:
Track #1: Coverage, Access and Tracking Reform | Portfolio Director: Jeff Bontrager
Work in this area is designed to objectively measure Colorado’s progress with Affordable Care Act implementation and the policy choices on the horizon.
Track #2: Breaking News and Market Trends | Portfolio Director: Deb Goeken
CHI saw 2016 as a make-or-break year for the state’s health benefits exchange, with new pressures on insurers and urgent questions about consumer affordability. Our charge is to take complex and complicated issues and explain them in ways that policymakers and legislators can not only understand but use.
Track #3: Aging and Long-Term Services and Supports | Portfolio Director: Natalie Triedman
Making sense of our aging population’s effects on health care, human services and community programs is a critical policy issue of the next decade.
Track #4: Care Delivery and Workforce | Portfolio Director: Amy Downs
This portfolio examines how new models of care delivery require new and different approaches to the workforce.
Track #5: New Methods and Approaches to Local Data | Portfolio Director: Amy Downs
CHI is exploring new methods of data analysis that can calculate or infer local level detail from existing data sources that lack the geographic precision that local leaders need.
Track #6: Community Health | Portfolio Director: Sara Schmitt
Our Community Health portfolio explores community-based services, public health programs and other policies that affect Coloradans’ health.
Track #7: Emerging Issues | Portfolio Director: Michele Lueck
Public health institutes across the nation are taking on new issues. CHI is exploring how new areas of research may affect the health of Coloradans.
Track #8: Legislative Services | Portfolio Director: Allie Morgan
Synopsis: CHI has a long-standing tradition of providing timely, relevant and credible information to legislators, their staffs and nonpartisan offices such as Legislative Council.
Track #9: Behavioral Health | Portfolio Director: Tamara Keeney
This track, new to CHI in 2016, considers Colorado’s state of mental health and its relationship to health outcomes.
Track #10: Communications and Data Visualization | Portfolio Director: Deb Goeken
Synopsis: We recognize the power of dissemination. No matter how sharp the analysis or keen the insight, effective communication is essential to informing our stakeholders.
Financial Statements
Click here to view CHI's audited financial statements for 2016.