Connecting Students to Careers, Professionals to Communities, and Communities to Better Health
Welcome to the Central Colorado AHEC monthly newsletter for August 2018.
Read below for information on upcoming community events, service and volunteer opportunities, updates on our programs, and more.

Student Housing Hosts Needed

Want to make a difference? Health professions students travel to the region to experience what it is like to live and work here. We place them in host housing and our hosts act as ambassadors for the community. Our hope is that students will return to the area after their training is complete to provide quality health services in our region. Would you like to help provide a positive experience for students? We pay a daily stipend and all students have had background checks!
CCAHEC Provides Scholarships with the Kristina R. Wenzel Memorial Education Award
People who knew Kris Wenzel were immediately taken by her personality and charm. They never forgot who she was. She lived life large and exuded a joy that was contagious. As Executive Director of  Central Colorado Area Health Education Center (CCAHEC) , Kris’ passion was to make life easier and healthier for all in Colorado. Her ability to see the big picture in health care and connect professionals in the nonprofit world was remarkable. Outcomes were realized, people were inspired, and grants were funded. Students met her in medical school interviews, summer programs and in classrooms. Community members saw her at programs and on boards. Much too soon, Kris was taken from us. Those who worked with her and whose lives were touched by her want never to forget how she made life good just by being alive!

Click the link below to see this wonderful scholarship in action.

If you would like to contribute to our student scholarship program, please contact [email protected] or call 303.481.8686
Community Opioid Response Program Hosts End of Service Celebration

As year one of the  Colorado AmeriCorps Community Opioid Response Program (CORP)  ends, it is important to celebrate the dedication and accomplishment of this year’s AmeriCorps members. On July 16 th ,  CCAHEC  hosted the  AmeriCorps  members, Serve Colorado, the Regional Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), Rise Above Colorado, the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention (the Consortium), the Colorado Attorney General’s Substance Abuse Trend and Response Task Force, and Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne for an End of Service Celebration.

The celebration featured remarks from all parties, highlighting: the importance of service, the member’s impact on the partners, and their legacy.

Click below to continue reading and to see pictures of the event.


Community Opioid Response Program Participates in Denver's Inaugural Shatterproof 5k
On Saturday, July 21st, the  Community Opioid Response Program (CORP)  joined over 1000 other people for Denver’s inaugural Shatterproof 5k run/walk. Shatterproof is a national organization that hosts 5k’s across the country as a part of its “Rise Up Against Addiction” event series. Funds raised from these events support Shatterproof’s work to transform the nation’s broken addiction treatment system, fight the stigma of addiction, and ensure that every American with a substance use disorder has access to treatment that’s based on proven research. The Denver event alone raised over $100,000.
Mini Med II: The Clinical Years
In 2012, twenty years after the original Mini Med School launched, Drs. Dennis Boyle (rheumatology) and Stephen Wolf (emergency medicine) decided that Mini Med School II: The Clinical Years, was past due. An instant hit at its inaugural run in 2012, the program features some of the best teachers in the CU clinical faculty telling us about their specialties. Want to know what a day in the life of a pediatrician is like? Or what the latest is on hypertension? Having trouble getting enough sleep? Answers to all that and more are yours at Mini Med II-and the price (free) is right, there's no homework, and it's suitable for anyone from high school on. Plus, you can get a famous Mini Med "diploma!"

Now organized by the dynamic trio of Dr. Boyle, Dr. Kristin Furfari (family medicine) and Dr. Patrick Kneeland (medicine), the course includes some new award-winning teachers and subjects, so even if you've attended before you are welcome back.

Talks take place on Wednesday evenings in the fall, and it's necessary to register so we can make sure you get all the updates and information. The lectures take place on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, and if that's not convenient for you, there are sites all around Colorado where you can watch (and interact!) by live video broadcast.

We look forward to seeing you at the Mini Med.

Employment & Service Opportunities
SERVICE POSITION: AmeriCorps Community Opioid Response Member

SERVICE POSITION: AmeriCorps VISTA Community Opioid Response Member
Upcoming Community Events
Who can volunteer?

  • Licensed Providers (we need you!!)
  • Non-Clinical, lay community
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Health Professions students, such as, but not limited to:
Dental Students
Medical Students
Nursing Students
Pharmacy Students
Physical Therapy Students
Physician Assistant Students
Public Health Students

There are multiple daily shifts. Shifts last 4 hours. There is some overlap in time to allow for the shift change. Volunteers must register online. 

Training is required for all students.

Must be 16 years or older (under 18 will require a liability waiver)

Click Here for More Info or contact Cindy Armstrong at 303.724.8927, [email protected].

Registration Links


The Goals of this project are to provide:

  • A fun interprofessional, hands-on learning opportunity for health professions students.
  • Student exposure to rural and underserved populations
  • Rural and underserved population health screenings and health education information 
FREE YHC Castle Rock Medical Clinic

2nd Saturday of Each Month, 8:30 am - 10:30 am
St. Francis of Assisi Church
2746 5th Street, Castle Rock, Colorado

Northwest Regional Primary Care Association: Available Courses and Opportunities

Northwest Regional Primary Care Association is a member organization that strengthens community and migrant health centers by leveraging regional power and resources on their behalf. They are offering many great conferences and training opportunities.Follow the link below to learn more.
Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center: Training Opportunities

Check out free training opportunities provided by RMPHTC and it's partners. These online courses start this summer and go through the fall:







FREE Pharmaceutical Drug Diversion Training
September 12
8:30 am - 3:30 pm
5600 Flatiron Pkwy.
Boulder, CO 80301
FREE ONE-DAY summit on Drug Diversion and how it impacts law enforcement. This will be an interactive summit with attendees actively encouraged to contribute their experiences and strategies in drug diversion, sharing both investigative barriers as well as success stories. The Summit will address a range of drug diversion issues to include:

• Prescription Drug Identification
• Lawful Prescribing and Prevention of Diversion
• RxPATROL® (robbery and burglary database)
• Major Case Studies
• Local Investigation Review

Hosted by Sheriff Joseph Pelle and the Boulder County Sheriff's Office
For information and registration Click Here

CU Pre-Health Day has been developed and created to provide pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate-level students as well as pre-health advisors with information that can help ensure success in a health-related admissions process.
2018 CHAMPS/NWRPCA Fall Primary Care Conference
The 2018 CHAMPS/NWRPCA Fall Primary Care Conference, in partnership with WCN, to be held in Denver, CO, October 20- 23, 2018, provides education and training, information and resource sharing, coalition building, and program and policy development for like-minded community health professionals and their partners.

Get Back into Nursing!
Our refresher courses help LPNs and RNs renew their Colorado license if they have been expired for more than two years. These online "anytime, anywhere" programs are self-paced and approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing.

Click on one of the logos above for more information.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback,
please email us at: [email protected]