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For Immediate Release
March 5, 2020
Nearly one in five children and youth in Colorado has special health care needs, such as autism, behavioral disorders, or chronic conditions.
For their families, navigating a complex system of care is often a full-time job. They must arrange visits to multiple types of providers such as pediatricians, specialists, behavioral health professionals, therapists, and social workers. The services and support that families receive are often fragmented, and there is significant opportunity to improve coordination among these systems to better meet the needs of children and their families.
The state now has a policy agenda to improve the system for these children and their caregivers.
The Colorado Health Institute (CHI), in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Parent to Parent of Colorado, wrote the agenda after extensive outreach to families, advocates, and experts across Colorado. CHI conducted focus groups and facilitated discussions of experts to develop the agenda. A survey of rural families and a community forum for families of children with developmental and intellectual disabilities also informed the agenda.
The result is a new policy strategy: The ABCs of Health Equity for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs.
The report puts Colorado’s challenges in three categories:
- A: Access to medical and non-medical services
- B: Behavioral health care
- C: Coordinating services across systems
“We heard so many stories from across Colorado of the courage and tenacity families need to navigate this system for their children. We think this policy agenda points out practical steps we can take here in Colorado to clear the way for children and their families to get the services they need and thrive,” said Jeff Bontrager, CHI’s director of research on coverage and access, who led the project.
The new policy agenda expands on CHI’s role as a partner and convener for the organizations and decision-makers advancing health in Colorado. As interest has grown in the social factors that affect health, CHI has expanded its work beyond health care topics. For example, CHI recently worked with the Office of Early Childhood to conduct a statewide needs assessment for Colorado Shines Brighter Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five.
Download the report at this link.
About the Colorado Health Institute
Founded in 2002, CHI is an independent, non-profit research organization that provides decision support and policy research on health topics to state and local officials, foundations, advocates, and health care providers. CHI is known for bringing insights form quantitative and qualitative analysis to bear on the most pressing issues affecting the health of Coloradans.
For more information
Contact Joe Hanel, director of communications
720.382.7093 | hanelj@coloradohealthinstitute.org
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