Releasing the findings from the 2015 Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS) is our prime focus right now, so much that the team has begun dreaming about it. The CHAS team sent the report to the printer on Friday in anticipation of the launch on September 1 followed by presentations to targeted groups throughout the week.
The survey, funded by The Colorado Trust, reveals fresh findings on health insurance, access to care, and utilization of health care in Colorado.
If you haven’t already RSVP’d, there is space left in the final two events on Wednesday and Thursday. Don’t miss out! You can RSVP here. And don’t forget to enter to win an Apple Watch by guessing the new uninsured rate to the nearest tenth of a percentage point.
Research Analyst Hannah Wear published a new paper last week titled “Without a Net: Understanding the Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Colorado’s Oral Health Safety Net.” The report examines survey data from oral health safety net leaders to understand the impact of Colorado’s policy changes and what they mean for the future. Findings suggest that the oral health safety net is struggling to meet higher patient demand with its current funding sources.
Policy Analyst Jessica Fern and a team of CHI’ers are gearing up to release Reaching Our Peak: Scorecard for a Healthier Colorado. The annual publication, which analyzes the impact of policies, programs and politics on the goal of better health for all Coloradans, will be out in September.
Meanwhile, CHI continues to prepare for upcoming events. We are prepping for Public Health in the Rockies, a conference designed to build a more competent public health workforce and to strengthen our public health systems. Several CHI’ers will make presentations at the conference taking place mid-September in Vail.
Finally, CHI’s popular Hot Issues in Health Care conference is becoming an annual event this December. Our state-focused health policy conference highlights the most pressing issues and provides an opportunity for Colorado leaders to network and have important conversations. It will be Monday, December 14, at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in south Denver.