December 2014 | Aurora Health Access Newsletter

Aurora Health Access

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Colorado Gives Day is coming up on December 9. Just click here to go to the Colorado Community First Foundation website, where you can search for and donate to your favorite charity.


 

  


 

Aurora Time Bank is alive and well! Are you interested in "social capital"? Are you wondering what a "time bank" is? Have you wondered about "alternative economies"? A "time bank" is a community of people who support each other. When you spend an hour to do something for an individual or group, you earn a Time Dollar. Then you can use that Time Dollar to buy an hour of a neighbor's time or engage in a group activity offered by a neighbor. Watch this 9News Video to learn more or call Benita Muniz, Program Manager, Aurora Time Bank at

720.216.0075. 


 

 



The Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI) is a first-of-its-kind family civics program. Program graduates spend more than 120 hours to develop skills needed to become effective leaders in their communiities. Once recruited and accepted in to the program, participants attend a 20-week curriculum that integrates personal and child development, leadership training, civic literacy and civic participation skills. The curriculum includes four components: an initial retreat, two 10-week sessions that focus on knowledge about the change process, skill building, and tools of civic engagement; and a community project. Classes start in January. Hurry!
Click here to get your application in now!

Metro Community Provider Network (MCPN) has walk-in clinics providing immediate care at three of their locations.  For addresses and hours, please check out this flyer.   

 

Spanish Parenting Class: "Families First"Invites Moms & Dadsto Participate in a 5-Week Class.
Parenting children can be difficult. Many of the discipline methods that parents have used in the past are no longer working as effectively causing frustration and a breakdown in behavior and communication. This workshop will provide you with understanding, practical tools, hope & encouragement in your role as a parent. Click here for more information.

 

Change the World! Two Guitars and Aurora Strong can change the world! Join the festivities at the Aurora Strong Resilience Center, 1298 Peoria Street, on Saturday, December 13, 2014, from 1:00 to 4:00. Hear the amazing Skanson and Hansen (Heart Medicine). $30 donation. More info here 

 

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AHA ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

AHA's Quarterly Community Meeting

 
AHA's next Quarterly Community Meeting will be held Wednesday, January 21st from 2:00 to 4:30 pm at The Medical Center of Aurora at 1501 S. Potomac St., Aurora, CO.  

 

AHA Transitions 


 

Denise Denton and the Board of AHA offer a heartfelt "thank you" to Katie Odom for stepping in and creating AHA's last six newsletters and managing the member database and website.  Her efforts have greatly enhanced the look and reach of AHA.


Sharon E. Cairns has come on board as AHA's new Administration and Communications Coordinator, and will assume the duties that Katie performed, along with lots of other duties, as assigned. Sharon is an experienced communications professional. AHA and 2040 Partners for Health hired Sharon together, and she is located in 2040's offices at 9801 E. Colfax, Suite 250. 


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AHA UPDATES

AHA on FaceBook

AHA is working hard to communicate news of interest to the community.  Please don't forget to check out our FB comments. We would especially appreciate it if you would "like" the AHA page on FaceBook, and add your comments to our posts.

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Colorado Network of Health Care Alliances

Did you know that AHA is one of 27 community health alliances in Colorado?  Since mid-2012, the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved (CCMU) has been convening these alliances in a statewide learning network, called the Colorado Network of Health Alliances, that aims to increase the capacity, visibility, and efficiency of their collective work.  An assessment of the members found that we have three strategies in common for local health care change:

  • Developing Health Care Leadership for Change: Health alliances are on the front lines of identifying and developing champions for health care change in communities across Colorado.
  • Increasing Access to the Health Care System: Health alliances are working hard to catalyze new health care access points, maximize enrollment in new health insurance coverage options, improve health equity, and prepare to care for the needs of persons who will remain uninsured after the Affordable Care Act is implemented.
  • Improving and Strengthening the Health Care System: Through formal alliances, health and community leaders across the state are constantly searching for ways to coordinate services, limit duplication, and pool resources.

Participating in the Network of Alliances provides AHA with a wealth of resources and expertise, whether we're co-hosting an Oral Health Convening with South Metro Health Alliance, figuring out how to better engage consumers along with the Far Northeast Health Alliance, or sharing strategies with one of the newest alliances, Mile High Health Alliance, to address a common problem: access to specialty care services.


To find out more about the Network check out CCMU's website. You'll find an interactive map of all the alliances, back issues of all the Network newsletters and much more. Or click on the following report title for a great new 2014 report: "The Rise of Collaboration - A Case Study Analysis of Colorado's Health Alliances." 


 


 

Aurora Seniors' Health Needs and Resources

 

Two AHA members, Gabby Cardwell (Innovage) and Pat Cook (Colorado Gerentological Society), asked AHA to get more involved in seniors' health access issues.  And they offered to help!  We are pulling together a planning committee to create a Senior Health Community Educational Forum in April 2015.  If you'd like to be part of the planning, or just kept in the loop, please contact us. 

 

AHA Resource Report

 

If you haven't seen the new Data Sources and Reports section on AHA's website, check it out.  In the "Reports" section, you'll find studies prepared for AHA by the talented students in the Community Health Assessment class at the Colorado School of Public Health.  We wanted to give a special nod to the 6th report, which synthesizes the earlier  Northwest Aurora assessments and looks at the organizational capacity of AHA.  This report was the capstone project of AHA member Elizabeth (Lizzy) Sinatra.  It is interesting to see how much progress we've made toward the recommendations she offered in 2013 for improving AHA's capacity.  


 

 
AHA Shares "Small Business Majority" Report 

SBM Report: Small Businesses Experiencing Fewer Worries Over Healthcare as Open Enrollment Goes Live

"November 15 marked the beginning of open enrollment for purchasing healthcare coverage through the new insurance marketplaces created under the healthcare law, and the national launch of the online portion of the small business health insurance marketplaces. These online portals give small business owners, the self-employed and small business employees new options for buying quality, more affordable health insurance.

 

. . .  a recent AP story cites studies showing small business owners are less worried about healthcare costs than they were earlier this year. The law has increased competition among health insurers, and that has helped lower premiums and in turn, owners' anxiety. There used to be regular double-digit, sometimes triple-digit premium increases and now we're seeing increases of often under 5%. Read more here."    

 

 

  


AHA Member Spotlight:
Colorado Refugee Wellness Center    
 

 

Colorado Refugee Wellness Center (CoRWC) provides integrated healthcare to Aurora's diverse refugee community members. Aurora is home to 59% of Colorado's refugees, contributing to its vibrant cultural diversity. CoRWC provides comprehensive culturally responsive integrated health and wellness services to Aurora refugees from around the world. It is a community collaboration between Metro Community Provider Network (MCPN), Aurora Mental Health Center (AuMHC) and the University of Colorado, Department of Medicine.

 

Approximately 1,600 refugees annually become new Aurora community members. MCPN, the primary medical care provider at the CoRWC, conducts medical screenings for all newly arriving refugees in Aurora, in collaboration with AuMHC which provides initial refugee mental health screenings. The clinic is also a Health Home offering ongoing integrated primary medical and behavioral health care for Aurora refugees.

 

Our health navigators are central to the success of our clinic and speak six of the most prevalent languages spoken by our refugee communities. They help decrease barriers refugees face in accessing healthcare through offering a contact person for our clinic who speaks their language and understands their culture. They also provide live interpretation, health education, coordination with community resources, and navigation across the complex U.S. healthcare system.

 

In addition, CoRWC offers many other support services including: community outreach, insurance enrollment, a variety of groups in multiple languages, e.g., health and wellness, art therapy, healthy families, and adolescent sport and support. Short-term integrated behavioral health services are available. The full array of programs offered through AuMHC and MCPN can also be accessed by our patients.

 

CoRWC is also a training site for medical and mental health students, which contributes to expanding  the workforce of culturally competent professionals prepared to work with diverse populations.

 

 

1666 Elmira St., 

Aurora, CO 80110

303-340-0415

 

www.corwc.org


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Aurora Health Access (AHA) is a collaboration of engaged residents, health care providers, and community agencies committed to creating a health care system in Aurora that meets the needs of all residents.
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