News Release
05/12/09
The Colorado Trust Grants $4.5 Million to Strengthen Safety-net Providers
Denver, CO – Rising unemployment and the accompanying loss of insurance have exacerbated the demands on safety-net health care providers statewide. Even before the recession, the health needs of the uninsured exceeded the capacity of Colorado’s safety-net clinics and the doctors and hospitals available to provide charity care. The Colorado Trust has committed $4.5 million to help strengthen the immediate ability of 14 safety-net providers to care for more children and to provide comprehensive care.
The 14 diverse grantees across the state include community clinics, federally-qualified health centers, school-based health centers and local public health departments. By the end of the three-year grant period, these organizations anticipate that 18,000 children who do not currently have available, affordable access to health care will be able to annually receive preventive, primary, oral and behavioral health care services.
"Achieving accessible, affordable, quality health care for all Coloradans requires a long-term commitment,” said Irene M. Ibarra, President and CEO of The Colorado Trust. “At the same time, we need to also provide immediate support to the growing number of Colorado families that are finding it increasingly difficult to get the care they need without over-burdening hospital emergency rooms.”
The Colorado Health Institute estimates that some 1,500 additional primary care physicians will be needed in Colorado by 2025 to meet demand. As such, some grantees will use this new support to hire additional health care providers to serve more patients. For example, Denver Health is adding a pediatrician to the medical team at its Montbello clinic. Families there who have been on waitlists – or have had to seek care at clinics farther from home – will now be able to see a doctor in their neighborhood in a more timely manner. This doctor will also provide care at nearby school-based health centers.
These safety-net providers will also be able to better connect children with additional health care services. For instance, the Colorado Asian Health Education and Promotion will work collaboratively with health providers to ensure that Asian-American and Pacific Islander children have access to culturally-appropriate health care. This includes connecting patients with a bicultural Community Case Manager, and an interpreter if necessary, to help overcome barriers to needed health care.
The safety-net health care provider grantees are:
- ACS Community LIFT
- Clínica Tepeyac
- Colorado Asian Health Education and Promotion
- Denver Health and Hospital Authority
- Doctors Care
- Inner City Health Center
- Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center
- Mountain Resource Center
- Northeast Colorado Health Department
- Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association
- Peak Vista Community Health Centers
- San Juan Basin Health Department
- SET Family Medical Clinics of Colorado Springs
- Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment
For more information about The Colorado Trust’s grants to expand children’s access to health care, visit www.coloradotrust.org or contact us.
The Colorado Trust is a grantmaking foundation dedicated to achieving access to health for all Coloradans.
