AHA has been fortunate to partner with students from the Community Assessment Class at the Colorado School of Public Health. Last month, a group of stellar students completed the report, "Understanding Population

Health in Aurora."  While previous students carried out assessments focusing on Northwest Aurora (NWA), this latest project widened the scope to focus on the City of Aurora. This study consisted of a modified community health assessment and a community engagement process.  The modified health assessment helped identify health concerns in Aurora, which the student group compared with previously identified NWA health concerns. The community engagement process included presenting a summary of the modified health assessment and comparison to a group of AHA leaders and community partners, brainstorming Aurora's strengths and assets with the group, and a prioritization of Aurora's health concerns.  Results from this process will assist AHA in setting future priorities and directions. This study will soon be posted along with the other student reports in the Data Resource Section of our website.  

At the urging of our members (in particular, Pat Cook of the Colorado Gerontological

Society and Gabrielle Cardwell of InnovAge), AHA pulled together a small group to explore the feasibility of 1) meeting regularly to discuss the needs of seniors in Aurora, and

We called it "Seniors' Circle" after the old "quilting circles."

strengthen collaboration between agencies and organizations working to better understand and meet those needs, and 2) hosting a Community Educational Forum this Spring highlighting the needs of and resources for Aurora seniors. Participating organizations included Aurora Mental Health Center, Metro Community Provider Network, Hunger Free Colorado, Central Colorado AHEC, Arapahoe County Commission on Aging, DRCOG Area Agency on Aging, Aurora Commission for Seniors, and Senior Hub. It was a lively, educational gathering. We agreed to meet again and to move forward with an Aurora Seniors' Forum in late April or early May.  For now, we're the Aurora Seniors' Circle. We are in the process of scheduling our next meeting in late January.  If you'd like to be part of the Aurora Seniors' Circle, please let us know by sending an email through the "contact us" link at the bottom of our website.  

AHA is revitalizing the Adult Access Workgroup.  Workgroups can take on a range of activities for AHA, including simply offering a forum for sharing information, producing a white paper outlining pros and cons of an issue, recommending studies for the Colorado School of Public Health, or developing collaborative projects to improve access to care.  The specific issues of interest will be determined by the workgroup members, and by challenges and opportunities that arise in Aurora's health care environment. Two items of focus have already been identified:  1) access to specialty care services and 2) the start-up of the new Interdisciplinary Student-Run Free Clinic.  Eliana Mastrangelo, AHA Board Member and Lead Organizer for Together Colorado, has agreed to chair the meetings, which will begin in early February. If you would like to participate in this workgroup, please go to AHA's website and send us an email via the "contact link" at the bottom of our home page.

Our Vision: "We envision a partnership between the Anschutz Medical Campus and the neighborhoods around Anschutz that is equitable, mutually respectful, sustainable, responsive to health-related problems as they arise, and that results in vibrant, healthy and learning communities both on and off campus."

The Anschutz Medical Campus is located in the heart of one of Colorado's most economically challenged and underserved regions. The neighborhoods surrounding the campus have some of the highest rates of health problems and needs in the state. The location of an anchor institution such as the Anschutz Medical Campus in the midst of these communities presents attractive opportunities, economic and otherwise, for collaborations between the University of Colorado | Anschutz Medical Campus and the local community. For these reasons, the Chancellor of CU | Anschutz Medical Campus approved a "Community-Campus Partnership" initiative, and provided seed money for startup infrastructure costs. The Denver Foundation is also a supporting partner. The Partnership has a governing body (called the "Partnership Authority") of more than 30 community and cross-campus leaders that guides its work.

The Community-Campus Partnership (CCP) fosters, promotes and supports mutually beneficial activities and programs between the Anschutz Medical Campus and the surrounding communities aimed at improving the health, quality of life, and economic well-being of families living in these neighborhoods. Our Partnership involves Aurora city government offices and officials, community-based organizations, educational institutions, neighborhood associations, community residents, and leaders from the Anschutz Medical Campus working together on education, research, service, service learning, workforce development, economic development and/or career pathways activities. 

The CCP's staff are based at offices located at the Anschutz Health & Wellness Center and the City of Aurora's "Aurora Strong Resilience Center" facility.  Plans are currently underway to initiate the CCP's signature program focusing on helping local residents access jobs on the campus through a "Jobs and Career Hub" that will be part of a "Hire Local" initiative.  The CCP's website (www.com-cam.org) serves as a tool to aid in connecting the Anschutz Medical Campus and surrounding communities by category, health topic, interest, or priority by searching for or posting upcoming opportunities. We anticipate the official launch of the website in early 2015.  

For more information about the Community-Campus Partnership, please contact:

Robert J. McGranaghan, MPH, Director Community-Campus Partnership

Senior Instructor, Department of Family Medicine, CU School of Medicine and Department of Community & Behavioral Health, Colorado School of Public Health.  robert.mcgranaghan@ucdenver.edu.

Photo Caption:  The CCP's Community Connector, Gabriela Jacobo, has recruited and established a "Resident Leader Council" (RLC) of local, grassroots residents living in and/or with connections to Original Aurora. There are now 13 RLC members, and this group will be invaluable in informing the CCP about what kinds of community-campus collaborative activities and programs should be fostered and supported.