May is a busy month. School is almost out, vacation plans are in the works and we’re looking forward to weekends at the pool or in the mountains.
May is also Mental Health Month, and the Colorado Health Institute (CHI) and the Colorado Health Foundation on Tuesday released a new Colorado Health Report Card Data Spotlight that focuses on mental health.
The report finds stark disparities in our state. For example, lesbian, gay and bisexual Coloradans are two to three times more likely to experience poor mental health than their heterosexual peers. Blacks and Hispanics fall behind when it comes to receiving treatment. And Colorado’s suicide rate is climbing, with men and rural residents disproportionately impacted.
Meanwhile, we’re out and about talking about our research.
CEO Michele Lueck spoke at a meeting of the Pikes Peak Women Monday evening in Colorado Springs. Michele discussed the current health policy landscape and demonstrated how it impacts all of us. She was joined by Cari Davis, executive director of the Colorado Springs Health Foundation, and Vicki Cowart, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
Michele and Karen McNeil-Miller, CEO of the Colorado Health Foundation, will make a Friday morning presentation to the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce about findings in the 2016 Colorado Health Report Card, which this year focuses on a decade of data.
CHI Vice President Amy Downs is scheduled to address about 80 staffers at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) Wednesday. She’ll be giving them an overview of Colorado’s big bets on health policy efforts.
We hope you’re a regular reader of the weekly legislative blog by CHI’s Director of Legislative Services Allie Morgan. This week’s big news is the proposal to change the Hospital Provider Fee to an enterprise fund. It passed the House but faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
If you need a refresher on the Hospital Provider Fee, check out this two-minute video by Senior Communications Expert Joe Hanel.
CHI’s independent analysis of the proposed ColoradoCare ballot issue continues to help people begin to understand this important issue. Data from our report figured in a story last week by New York Times reporter Jack Healy. We are planning additional analyses in the coming months.
A report scheduled for release later this week examines the implications of Medicaid eligibility expansion in Colorado, which was larger and more costly than anticipated.
Finally, the Colorado Regional Health Connectors (RHCs) here at CHI are up and running on social media. Follow their work on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. RHCs are a new workforce dedicated to advancing health by improving the coordination of local services. Want to know more? The RHC page on CHI’s website is a great place to sign up for RHC program updates, learn when representatives will be visiting your community, register for a webinar or request a presentation.