Public Health Alliance of CO Media Resources

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To find media resources, browse the items below or sort by category using the links to the right.  Have something you think we should post?  Send it to Amanda@calpho.org. 

Herding Colorado Health Indicators

Wouldn’t it be great if you could find data from the American Community Survey, Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, CDPHE, and more all in one place? And search it by county? And download that data into Excel? Well, now you can.

CDPHE recently launched the Colorado Health Indicators website. This website provides county, regional and state-level data on a variety of health, environmental and social topics. The dataset was created as part of the Colorado Health Assessment and Planning System (CHAPS,) which is a standard process established to help local public health agencies meet assessment and planning requirements. The data are specifically designed to be useful for anyone who needs Colorado health data for a community health assessment or for other research purposes.

Read the full article here.

Recession Takes Bite Out of Nation's Public Health Nursing Infrastructure

Budget cuts are latest challenge to public health nurses at a time when the sick, the poor, the elderly and the underserved are relying on their services.

Earlier this year, a homeless woman in the seventh month of her pregnancy walked into a prenatal clinic in Washington state with a toddler in tow. She walked out with a prenatal care appointment and a few brochures—but not the wider range of health services she really needed.

Why the brush-off? The nurses on staff could not treat her greater needs themselves and they could not connect her with a public health nurse who could help her. State and local legislators struggling to balance ever tighter budgets had cut funding for public health nursing, leaving those who rely on their services without full access to them.

Read the full article here.

Investments in Public Health and Prevention Save Lives and Money

Even though America spends more than $2 trillion annually on health care—more than any other nation in the world—tens of millions of Americans suffer every day from preventable diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer, which rob them of their health and quality of life. A series of research reports funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) provides valuable new information for policy-makers and other public officials who are looking for ways to help Americans stay healthy and get the economy back on track.

Read the full article here.

FREE Webinar on Helping Pregnant Women Quit Smoking Available

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Tobacco Prevention and Cessation

A recording of last month's webinar on helping pregnant women quit smoking is now available by clicking HERE and selecting the "Training" tab.

The Webinar, "Tools to Help Pregnant Women Quit Smoking: Motivational, Pharmacological, and Behavioral Strategies," was originally presented Oct. 19 by Dr. Heather LaChance for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

 

This webinar provides essentials of smoking cessation for prenatal and postpartum women. This seminar discusses how smoking impacts mothers' and infants' health, and details the dangers of secondhand smoke. It reviews the treatment options for smoking cessation, including pharmacotherapy, best practices and brief motivational counseling options. You will learn specific counseling strategies to motivate smokers and the tools to work with smokers who are ready to quit. Finally, you will learn about the prenatal tobacco cessation campaign and see materials designed to inspire smokers to engage in smoking cessation.

 

We hope those of you who could not attend the original Webinar find the archived recording and resources useful.

 

Emma Goforth

Tobacco Cessation Coordinator

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Emma.Goforth@state.co.us

Gov. Hickenlooper delivers FY 2012-13 proposed budget to JBC

DENVER ­— Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011 — Gov. John Hickenlooper today delivered the FY 2012-13 proposed budget to the Joint Budget Committee.

“As you will see, the budget reflects the ongoing work of closing the State’s structural budget gap and funding the demands of numerous federal and State Constitutional requirements,” Hickenlooper wrote in a letter to the JBC. “The proposal also contains several proposals to protect the most vulnerable Coloradans, promote economic growth, continue needed reforms in education and modernize State government.”

The FY 2012-13 proposed budget is $20.09 billion, of which $7.39 billion is from the General Fund. These amounts represent growth rates over the last fiscal year of 1.7% ($342.6 million) in total funds and 3.2% ($227.1 million) in the General Fund.

“The General Fund budget (financed by income and sales taxes) is the area of the budget that is most reflective of the overall economic condition of the state,” the governor’s letter said. “Though there has been a partial recovery from the recent recession, the revenue picture remains unsettled and we expect only modest General Fund revenue growth in FY 2012-13.”

 Demands for State services and benefits over the past five years have increased substantially and reflect the pressures of a growing population and a weak economy. Specifically:

• · Medicaid enrollment has increased by 281,000 (72%),
• · Children’s Health Plan+ caseload has increased by 11,000 (19%),
• · K-12 student enrollment has increased by 52,000 (6.8%),
• · Higher Education enrollment has increased 33,600 (20.5%), and
• · Annual State Park visits have increased by 766,000 (6.5%).

The largest areas of increase in spending in FY 2012-13 are in mandatory areas of the budget. The new General Fund resources for the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) accounts for more than 81.7 percent of the statewide General Fund increase. This is even after HCPF made $31.9 million of Medicaid budget reductions.

“As the economy has weakened, more people are eligible for the program and we are obligated to finance those costs,” Hickenlooper wrote to the JBC. “Please note that while new federal health care rules prevent our ability to restrict eligibility to save money, many of the expanded health coverage populations from recent years are not paid with General Fund dollars. Rather, those expansions are covered by the hospital provider fee established by House Bill 09-1293.”

Meanwhile, though the state is experiencing a modest decline in the incarcerated population at the Department of Corrections (DOC), the expected caseload is higher than previously estimated and thus new funds are needed. The combined increases to HCPF and the DOC, account for 91.9 percent of the net General Fund increase in FY 2012-13.

With respect to the total funds budget, absent the increase to HCPF, the overall FY 2012-13 State budget would decline from initial FY 2011-12 levels.

Though the overall budget is increasing, it reflects reductions both large and small across most State departments, including significant reductions to K-12 and higher education. In total, the state’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting identified $679 million that could not be financed under currently available resources.

“Though this budget request reflects some difficult choices, we believe there are important policy changes and initiatives that merit your consideration and approval,” Hickenlooper’s letter said.

The proposed budget includes five key priorities:

• · Protect the Vulnerable. The Department of Human Services is requesting $4.9 million total funds ($2.4 million net General Fund) to provide services to 173 additional people with developmental disabilities. The proposed budget also suspends the Senior Homestead Exemption yet expands the existing Colorado Property Tax/Rent/Heat Rebate in 39-31-101, C.R.S, to help the state’s neediest seniors.
• · Economic Development. The proposed budget seeks to add to the state’s available tools with three initiatives: allocating $6 million to the Economic Development Council; allocating $3.1 million to fund the Governor’s Energy Office with Limited Gaming funds; and allocating $3 million from Limited Gaming funds to start an innovative loan program to promote film production and location within Colorado.
• · Education Reform. The proposed budget includes $7.7 million to begin implementation of Senate Bill 10-191; specifically, the request will fund three critical features of the educator effectiveness evaluation system called for in the legislation.
• · Modernizing Government. The proposed budget includes a request to modernize two specific areas: the Colorado Financial Reporting System (the State’s accounting system) and a consolidation of more than 30 data servers to two secure centers.
• · Long-term Budget Planning. For many years, the State has relied on year-to-year budgeting and spending decisions that are disconnected from the economy and available revenue. Before multi-year budgets can work, future spending and delayed obligations must be kept to a minimum and they must reflect the realities of revenue availability. To that end, it is time to take a fresh look at statutory schedules for new or increased spending.

The entire letter from the governor to the Joint Budget Committee about the FY 2012-13 proposed budget can be found online here.

Children’s Campaign Signs Letter in Support of Preserving Federal Funding for Evidence-Based Home Visiting Programs

This week, the Children’s Campaign signed on to a letter in support of preserving federal funding for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. Passed in 2010 with bipartisan support as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the MIECHV program provides funding to states to implement evidence-based home visiting programs aimed at helping the nation’s most vulnerable families. The letter, which was sent to the Committees on Appropriations and the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, otherwise known as the “Super Committee,” urges lawmakers to spare the MIECHV program in their deficit-reduction efforts.

Evidence-based home visiting programs such as the Nurse-Family Partnership, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, and Parents as Teachers, the three programs funded by the MIECHV program in Colorado, improve child health and well-being and save taxpayers money in a variety of ways. Research shows that the Nurse-Family Partnership, for example, yields a societal benefit of $5.70 per dollar invested into the program. We hope federal lawmakers will recognize the importance of investing in children from low-income families by continuing to maintain funding for these programs.

For more on the Colorado Children's Campaign, click here.

Immunize for Good campaign features mobile web application to help parents track their child’s vaccinations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 11, 2011

DENVER--A new, free mobile web application called “Good to Go” helps parents track their children’s immunizations. The application is at immunizeforgood.com and is accessible from mobile phones with Internet access and computers. From the website on your mobile phone, click on the website’s vaccine schedule and the mobile website version is located at the bottom right of the screen. From any computer, click on the website’s “Good to Go Vaccine Schedule” icon and register to create a personalized immunization schedule.

The mobile web application is the latest addition to the Immunize for Good campaign launched in January by the Vaccine Advisory Committee of Colorado in partnership with the Colorado Immunization Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition.

The application delivers a condensed version of the CDC-recommended 0- to 6-year vaccine schedule and allows parents to create a personalized record tailored to each child's birth date. With the mobile web application, parents can review their child's vaccine schedule and track the vaccines their child has received.

The mobile web application also includes detailed information about each vaccine and the disease(s) it prevents, customized email reminders for each vaccine, and a progress bar that shows parents how they’re doing in their effort to keep their child protected from vaccine- preventable diseases. Parents also can print a list of their child’s current and recommended vaccines. The list includes a space for a physician’s signature so it can be used as proof of vaccination by school and child care officials.

Joni Reynolds, director of Public Health Programs for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said, “I am very appreciative of parents who take the time to make sure their children are fully protected against vaccine-preventable diseases, because I know how busy they are. When designing the mobile web application, we focused on how we could help these busy parents by making this tool as simple and intuitive as possible.”

Erin Suelmann, executive director of the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition, said, “The coalition is proud to be a partner in the Good to Go mobile web application campaign. Colorado is fortunate to have this tool to help parents more easily manage their children’s vaccinations.”

In addition to featuring the new Good to Go mobile web application, immunizeforgood.com offers accurate, up-to-date information about childhood vaccines and the diseases they prevent, recommended immunization schedules, and an animated video using simple, easy-to understand language to explain how vaccines work. The campaign also encourages parents to add their own video and written testimonials about why they choose to vaccinate.

CONTACT:
Lori Maldonado
Deputy Director, Communications
303-692-2028
lori.maldonado@dphe.state.co.us

Cultivating Healthy Habits in Colorado Kids: Farm to School

From LiveWell Colorado

Nearly 850,000 students attend public schools in Colorado. On average, 111,061 of these students are served breakfast and 384,504 are served lunch at school on a daily basis.

Many of these students will find their only source of balanced nutrition in school-provided meals. This presents an enormous opportunity for Colorado schools not only to make a positive impact on the nutritional quality of these students’ diets, but also to help these children form healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.

Local growers and producers can help Colorado schools realize this opportunity. By growing or sourcing local foods and introducing them into cafeterias and classrooms, Farm to School programs can help schools increase children’s access to fresh, healthy foods. Simply put, Farm to School programs create environments that will cultivate healthy kids.

As we observe National Farm to School Month this October, I am proud to introduce LiveWell Colorado’s new Colorado Farm to School Primer, a broad overview of Farm to School strategies designed to educate and inspire readers to learn more about how they can become a part of the movement to bring healthier foods to Colorado school children while enhancing Colorado's local and farm economies.

Please see this newsletter for the complete text.

Rocky Ford cantaloupe linked to Listeria outbreak

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept 12, 2011

DENVER – Today, Dr. Chris Urbina, chief medical officer and executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said, “People at high risk for Listeria infection should not eat cantaloupe from the Rocky Ford growing region. The department expects additional test results later this week that may help identify the specific source of the cantaloupe linked to the multistate outbreak.”

People who are at high risk for listeriosis are people age 60 and older; those with weakened immune systems from transplants or certain chronic diseases, immunosuppressive therapies or medications; and pregnant women. Healthy adults under age 60 rarely develop this illness.

 Eleven of Colorado’s 13 listeriosis cases now are linked to the multistate outbreak.

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is coordinating the multi-state investigation with affected states, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment also is working with local public health partners on the investigation.

 In general, CDC guidance about Listeria advises that people can decrease their risk of Listeria infection by avoiding deli meats unless reheated to an internal temperature of 165 F, refrigerated pâté or meat spreads, refrigerated smoked seafood, and soft cheeses such as queso fresco and brie unless they are made with pasteurized milk.

 Consumers and food preparers should wash their hands before and after handling any melon. The surface of melons such as cantaloupes should be washed and dried with a clean cloth or paper towel before cutting. Cut melon should be promptly refrigerated at less than 41 F / 5 C (32-34 F is optimal for cut melon storage.) Cut melons left at room temperature for more than four hours should be discarded.

Eating food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal infection. Symptoms of listeriosis can include fever and muscle aches, and also can include diarrhea, headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions. Listeriosis also can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.

Antibiotics given promptly can cure the illness and prevent infection of a fetus. Even with prompt treatment, some Listeria infections result in death. This is particularly likely in older adults and in people with other serious medical problems.

For more information click here for the CDC's listeria page.

At the Heart of the Matter: 2011 Report on Heart Disease and Stroke in Colorado

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Fewer dying of heart disease, more at risk

So far in the 21st Century, fewer Coloradans are dying of cardiovascular disease. But the future is uncertain as more of us develop the risk factors that lead to heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure is pervasive, obesity rates have doubled and too few Coloradans get the nutritious food and daily activity needed to keep their hearts healthy.

 

Heart disease is the second and stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in Colorado. Coloradans with cardiovascular disease have more days of depression, illness and physical inactivity and fewer years of life than those without heart problems. Heart disease alone in Colorado accounted for more than 75,000 years of potential life lost in 2008, with the average sufferer dying 13 years before his or her life expectancy.

 

Despite these gloomy statistics, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment can continue to make real progress in reducing heart disease by working with statewide partners to focus on education, screening and interventions aimed at changing those risk-inducing behaviors and environmental factors that lead to cardiovascular disease.

 

Research shows that daily consumption of fruits or vegetables and moderate or strenuous physical exercise are protective against the development of cardiovascular disease. Continuing collaborative efforts to reduce obesity, increase physical activity and improve diet can ensure fewer Coloradans suffer and die from heart disease and stroke.

 

At the Heart of the Matter: 2011 Report on Heart Disease and Stroke in Colorado provides a wealth of information on cardiovascular disease in Colorado. Please review this report, share its with your colleagues and continue to work with us to keep Colorado heart healthy.