Gold Star Story
AHA is collecting stories that highlight the many "healthcare stars" we are
 fortunate to have working here in Aurora. This month, AHA would like to share "Mary's" story.
In early May, 2016, Mary, a single mother, living in Aurora, walked into The Medical Center of Aurora (TMCA) emergency room. Her story is not only about the excellent care she received from each of the providers she saw, but also about the collaboration between providers that helped Mary have the best possible outcome. AHA would like to recognize the "stellar" service provided by The Medical Center of Aurora (TMCA), Aurora's Vision Care Specialists, DispatchHealth, and Metro Community Provider Network (MCPN) and award AHA Gold Stars to these partners. Thank you for what you do!
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AHA July Quarterly Community Meeting
Children's Hospital Colorado hosted our Summer Quarterly Community Meeting. Arthur McFarlane, Population Health Analyst for the Breathing Institute, welcomed the participants.
The "Did You Know" panel, which included representatives from the American Cancer Society, Providers' Resource Clearinghouse, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and Health First Colorado (formerly Medicaid), left everyone shaking their heads and saying, "I DID NOT know that!" Thank you to everyone who attended, and to Children's Hospital for providing such a warm and welcoming meeting space.
Our next Quarterly Community Meeting will be Wednesday, October 19, 2016, at the Aurora Welcome Center.
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Aurora GlobalFest
Come celebrate Aurora's culturally diverse communities at this one-of-a-kind festival featuring delightful flavors, cultural experiences, and artistic expressions from around the world. AHA will be there, and we've encouraged several of our "healthy" partners to be there as well: Metro Community Provider Network, Iora Primary Care, American Diabetes Association, Aurora Coverage Assistance Network, Aurora Community Connections, Aurora Mental Health Center, Aurora Substance Abuse Prevention, Tri-County Health Department, and Community Campus Partnership. This free, exciting experience will take place in the heart of the city at Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m. on August 20th. See you there!
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The Impact of Mold on Children's Health
Currently there are no requirements in Aurora's health and city code inspection for elimination of mold in motels where many low income and homeless families with children live. The AHA Pediatric Work Group is developing a project to investigate guidelines that would be feasible for mold exposure in motels. We're teaming with Aurora community members who are part of Aurora Action Coalition for Community Services (AACCS) including Tri-County Health Department and Aurora Neighborhood Services. We will also be reaching out to Anschutz Campus health science leaders and students who are interested in the impact of mold on children's health to join us. If this topic interests you contact AHA Board Member Rich McLean at 303-884-6751.
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Health First Colorado
Health First Colorado focuses on Coloradans' health first. What does that mean? It means that Colorado's Medicaid program isn't just getting a new name. It has gotten an entire makeover that includes a renewed commitment to providing customer-centric service to the nearly 25 percent of Coloradans who use the program.
No changes to eligibility, enrollment or coverage are associated with the name change, but the program, now called Health First Colorado, is changing the way it manages access to care. A more patient-driven model will focus on integrated health for improved physical, mental ,and social well-being.
Medicaid has long been a source of insurance for the most vulnerable. But today, the insurance covers a broad cross section of individuals and families and is relied on as a critical point of access for essential medical services including preventive care and chronic disease management.
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University of Colorado Hospital
Community Health Needs Assessment
University of Colorado Hospital has completed its Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and selected priorities to focus on over the next three years: access to specialty care, cardiovascular disease, and related risk factors; and mental/behavioral health, including a special focus on primary care integration. AHA is pleased to have a representative on the CHNA Community Advisory Group, and to have participated in the process that led to the selection of these priorities. That process included key stakeholder interviews, provider surveys, and regional data collection by the Colorado School of Public Health. In narrowing down health needs to select these priorities, multiple factors were taken into account such as the scope and severity of the issue; the potential for the hospital to have an impact; and alignment with other local, state, and national objectives. The members of the CHNA Community Advisory Group will now work with University of Colorado Hospital to develop an implementation strategy. You can see the plan by clicking here. If you are aware of initiatives or resources that we ought to learn more about in this process, please let me know at ddenton@aurorahealthaccess.org, and I'll share them with the Group.
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Help Our State Plan for Aging
The  Strategic Action Planning Group on Aging (SAPGA) is tackling the pressing issues facing our state and families as Colorado's population ages. The group is working to ensure all Coloradans have the support they need to enjoy a healthy, mobile, and vibrant lifestyle as they age. SAPGA needs your help and perspectives as it works to answer questions about affordable housing, supports for family caregivers, community design, transportation options, workforce needs, retirement security, the viability of federal programs, impact on the state budget, and access to quality health care.
Your input is essential to Colorado's future. Please visit colorado.gov/agingstrategy to weigh in, or share your thoughts on social media with #plan4aging.
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Comitis Community Awareness Day
Please join Comitis for their upcoming Community Awareness event at Comitis Crisis Center on August 11, 12:00-1:00 pm. This will include a tour of the shelter and their programs with a reception to follow. Please let Kara Page know if you would like to attend. (kpage@mhbhc.org or 720-975-0155 x 17.)
In 2015 the Comitis Crisis Center provided over 111,962 meals and 45,057 shelter nights to homeless
individuals, homeless families with children, and homeless veterans and their families. Join us for a tour and reception to learn more about Aurora's only 24/7 Homeless Shelter and our work in the community!
2178 Victor Street, Aurora, CO 80045
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Aurora Seeking Members for New Immigrant & Refugee Commission
Aurora is seeking members for the newly established Aurora Immigrant and Refugee Commission (AIRC). The Aurora City Council recognizes that Aurora has a strong diversity of immigrant and refugee communities representing over 140 countries of origin, and the establishment of this commission is just one indication of the Aurora's increased commitment to immigrant and refugee inclusion in civic and public life and has taken proactive steps to address the challenges facing immigrant and refugee communities with the establishment of the Office of International and Immigrant Affairs in 2015. The Aurora Immigrant and Refugee Commission was one of the key policy recommendations listed in the Comprehensive Strategic Plan approved by the Aurora City Council on September 2015.
Interested applicants should read the attached document and apply by August 15, 2016!
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New Resource Guides on AHA Website We have posted new resource guides on our website, and also made them available for download here. The Kenton Kares guides provide a list of medical, vaccination, and dental care providers for children in Aurora, as well as resources for insurance, food and clothing. The best thing about these guides is that in addition to the English version, they have been translated into Burmese, Karen, Nepali, Somali, and Spanish. In addition, the Tri-County Health Department has provided Health Equity information for Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas counties, three extremely data-rich guides for building equity and opportunity in our neighborhoods. They are located on our website under the " Data Sources and Reports" tab. Please note that AHA is just a repository of data that is supplied for us and we cannot vouch for the accuracy or completeness of any of these guides.
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The Center for Improving Value in Health Care (CIVHC)
The Center for Improving Value in Health Care (CIVHC) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization representing the perspectives of varied health care stakeholders. CIVHC's mission is to support initiatives working to advance the "Health Care Triple Aim": better health, better care, and lower costs. To this end, they bolster innovation in changing the way we pay for and deliver care through data and analytic insights, education, consensus building, and convening.
CIVHC administers the Colorado All Payer Claims Database (CO APCD) as appointed by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). The CO APCD is a secure database currently containing over 510 million health insurance claims from majorc ommercial health insurance companies, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program). These claims contain important information including cost, location, and services rendered. CIVHC makes sense of the millions of lines of claims data received every month and turns them into usable information about how Colorado is paying for and receiving health care.
Increasing access to transparent health care data for all stakeholders is foundational to CIVHC's work and to Colorado's ability to make informed decisions that will have lasting benefit to the state. Data, interactive maps and charts, and analyses available on www.comedprice.org are some of the tools CIVHC employs to bring transparency to the health care marketplace. The CO APCD website also enables Coloradans to shop for location-specific price and quality information for services like having a baby or getting a knee replacement.
CIVHC also provides custom data sets and reports to organizations and researchers seeking to advance the Triple Aim. CO APCD data is informing local and national efforts including Colorado's State Innovation Model supported by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, studies funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the creation of a national Center for Healthcare Transparency.
Health care dollars are at a premium, and all players in the industry need agility and ingenuity to make a meaningful impact. Data and information are becoming increasingly critical for adaptability and survival in a marketplace once shrouded in mystery. CIVHC and the CO APCD provide a neutral, unbiased guide to help navigate Colorado's health care landscape. Such a guide is necessary now more than ever as reform measures and the growing trend of transparency herald fundamental shifts in how health care is paid for and administered.
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Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
AHA's mission is to collectively improve access to care and create a healthier Aurora with a focus on the most vulnerable and underserved. To accomplish this, AHA:
- hosts speakers relevant to the mission of AHA,
- engages in social media as well as traditional media to distribute information and resources,
- uses local facilities for meetings and functions,
- includes professional and community resource materials in the AHA library, and
- provides links to relevant reports and websites.
These inclusions are not intended as endorsements, but as continued and focused efforts to build collaboration throughout Aurora's healthcare community. While AHA is a facilitator of conversation and distributor of information relevant to its mission, it does not verify or endorse all speakers or information associated with its events.
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