Representing Our Neighbors
At Grand County Rural Health Network, we believe in representing the rural voice because decisions and policy change often create unintended consequences for rural communities.
We do this by:
- Serving on regional and statewide boards such as:
– The Division of Insurance’s Colorado Option Advisory Board
– The Rural Alliance Addressing Substance Use Disorder-Colorado Consortium
– Peak Health Alliance Grand County Steering Committee
– The Office of Behavioral Health’s Care Coordination Policy Workgroup
– Governor Polis’ Behavioral Health Task Force - Advocating for Statewide policy change.
Behavioral Health Strategic Plan
We bring many partners and community members together through our Collective Impact line of service. We have been updating the community-wide behavioral health strategic plan. The plan is reviewed at least every 5 years. It is informed by the Community Health Needs Assessment by Grand County Public Health. Each strategy is assessed to determine if it is:
- achievable.
- impactful to outcomes.
- cost-effective or has strong funding potential.
- evidence-based / evidence-informed solutions.
- Has a strong champion – one or more community partners who are current or probable leaders to put the plan into action.
School-Based Health Center
Thank you to all who helped us by filling out our Youth & Adolescent Health Needs Assessment for the school-based health center (SBHC). We want to share highlights of the results, as well as give you an update of the project. We hope community partners can use this data to support the health needs of our youth. And at this time, the Grand County Rural Health Network will not be moving forward with School-Based Health Center Planning.
Of the 228 respondents:
- Parents with public insurance (such as Medicaid, CHP+, or a discount plan) or uninsured were more likely to state they would use mental health, dental, and medical care (respectively) at a SBHC than people who had private insurance.
- Spanish-speaking parents stated they don’t have enough medical, dental or mental health care (respectively) near them for their child.
- Lack of health insurance and cost were the biggest barriers to care for their child.
- Staff (mostly teachers) believed there is not adequate access to mental health and dental services near campus.
- Key suggestions for improvement include ensuring everyone has access to care regardless of language, ability to pay, insurance type, and hours.
We realize gaps still exist. We are aware many in the community still experience barriers to getting the care they need. We hear the parents, students, and staff that responded. We appreciate their concerns. Multiple factors, including partner buy-in, do not support an SBHC model at this time. We hope this data helps guide efforts to identify alternative methods of care delivery for our youth. As always, our focus is on the health of our community. We will continue to advocate for and support improvements to the system for everyone to live their healthiest lives.
Click below to read the full data report from Youth Healthcare Alliance.
Health & Human Resources Coalition (HHRC)
We collaborate with other local organizations as part of the Health & Human Resource Coalition (HHRC). We meet quarterly to discuss topics that matter to the health of our community and advocate for changes needed to make improvements.
Lifting Up Voices
We believe people who are impacted by decisions should be at the decision-making table. We do this by:
- Offer training and support in telling a meaningful personal story.
- Share opportunities to be heard at decision-making tables.
- Educate community on issues impacting those living at self-sufficiency or below.
