The Office of Health Equity’s visit to Pueblo!

In our latest update, the Office of Health Equity would like to acknowledge the commendable work of our Disability Community Partnerships and Engagement Specialist, Sheryl Emery. Sheryl recently attended the Southern Colorado Event for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind at the Rawlings Pueblo Public Library on October 14.

Sheryl and several CDPHE staff as well as staff from the Pueblo Local Public Health had a profound impact on the event, which was a huge success! People were happy to see the health department involved, highlighting the often-overlooked Deaf community in health-related community outreach, engagement, and partnerships. Sheryl's hope is to set a precedent for other CDPHE divisions to include outreach to the Deaf and disabled community. The department is eager to continue its to partnership with the community moving forward.

To share the day's success with you, Sheryl has shared the photos below!

📌ANNOUNCEMENT📌: Health Disparities and Community Grant Program Request for Proposals

On October 16, the Health Disparities and Community Grant Program released a request for proposals for Program Evaluation. The purpose of this request for proposals is to select a company or individual to evaluate the Health Disparities and Community Grant Program overall and conduct data analysis and evaluation of all grantees the program awards. The evaluation will help determine the effectiveness of the grant program in reducing health inequities using the Healthy People 2030 framework and addressing social determinants of health, which are the conditions — or stabilizing factors — in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work and play that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes and risks. 

Please note that the Colorado Vendor Self-Service website is the official site for all solicitation information. There is no cost to register on Colorado Vendor Self-Service. To become a registered supplier on the Vendor Self-Service or view open solicitations, please visit colorado.gov/vss. An offeror must have a current registration on the Vendor Self-Service to receive an award under this solicitation. However, vendors do not need to register to view the bid documents. Vendors may click on the “Public Access” button and use the search feature to locate specific solicitations.

Please send all correspondence to Allan Smith, CDPHE’s procurement supervisor, at [email protected]. 

This Request For Proposals will close on November 20 at 2:00 p.m.

Equity Spotlight

Every month, the Office of Health Equity shines a light on a community member or partner who is working to advance health equity. This month, we are highlighting the Health Equity Commissioner Kenny Maestas, who also serves as Legislative Coordinator at the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition.

Commissioner Maestas shared the quote below as a source of inspiration for his work. 

"I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it…We are in charge of our attitudes."

— Charles Swindoll

Lake County Early Care and Education Fund: Making a difference for families with Health Disparities and Community Grant Program funding

This month, we are featuring Lake County Build a Generation, a Health Disparities and Community Grant Program grantee that works to help children access the care they need. 

To address the challenges that Lake County families face in accessing quality and affordable care and education for young children, Lake County Build a Generation created the Child Care Coalition in 2020. Since then, local licensed childcare programs and other organizations have worked to identify the root of those challenges and create projects and programs to increase access to high-quality and affordable child care for children and their caregivers. 

Across the United States, local, sustainable funding helps communities address complex challenges in early care and education systems. The Childcare Coalition embarked on a mission to establish sustainable funding for Lake County and created the Lake County Early Care and Education Fund to bolster licensed high-quality early care and education programs and increase accessibility for all Lake County families.

Professionals with experience in early childhood from Lake County Build a Generation's Childcare Coalition, Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Council, and Full Circle of Lake County manage the fund The fund aims to support staff benefits, recruitment incentives, quality improvements, capital funding for program expansion, and tuition assistance for families, filling a crucial financial gap for licensed providers. Importantly, it assists families who don't qualify for state or federal programs but struggle with childcare costs.

The childcare professionals ensure equitable fund allocation based on financial need and allowable expenses while encouraging applicants to explore additional financial opportunities. This integrated approach promotes equitable, high-quality programming accessible to all children and families in Lake County.

The Childcare Coalition, armed with comprehensive data, has drafted a funding proposal for the Leadville City Council and the Lake County Board of County Commissioners. Over the last four months, Childcare Coalition Facilitator Brooke Carlsen and Executive Director Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Council Stacy Petty have presented the proposal to both entities. Their work has sparked enthusiastic interest and active participation from the local government.

We now eagerly await the decision on our proposals and financial requests, marking a potentially historic moment as we strive to establish the first official partnership between the local government and the childcare system in Lake County.

The 4-1-1 on upcoming community events, resources, and information happening in Colorado!

• Health Equity Commission Monthly Meeting: Monday, November 13, 2023, 10:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Visit the Health Equity Commission website to sign up to speak and find more information. 
• Data Advisory Work Group: Monday, November 6, 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Visit the Data Advisory Work Group website to sign up to speak and find more information. 
• Medicaid Listening Sessions: Justice-Impacted Communities: November 8, 2023, 09:00 a.m. Register for the meeting.
• Webinar: The Promise of Disability Research, American Association on Health and Disabilities: November 2 from 12 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Register for the meeting.