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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Colorado

Healthy Clinic Assessments (HCAs)
Describes promising practices and the benefits of healthy clinic assessments (HCAs). Lists the goals of HCAs, and identifies emerging trends and needs based on the 98 HCAs completed at rural, frontier, and underserved urban clinics in Colorado since 2009. Covers a Critical Access Hospital case study example.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Rural Health Center
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Health Services Utilization in Asthma Exacerbations and PM10 Levels in Rural Colorado
Study examining the relationship between increased air levels of particulate matter with a diameter below 10 micrometers (PM10) and the number of asthma-related emergency/urgent visits and hospitalizations (EUH) in rural Colorado. Includes average EUHs and PM10 concentrations by day of week, month, and year from 2003-2012. Provides data from a biethnic population of White and Hispanic/Latino individuals, including breakdowns by age.
Author(s): Katherine James, Matthew Strand, Mika Hamer, Lisa Cicutto
Citation: Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 15(8), 947-954
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
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Medicaid Real-Time Eligibility Determinations and Automated Renewals: Lessons for Medi-Cal from Colorado and Washington
Explores strategies used in Colorado and Washington to increase administrative efficiencies and reduce barriers for consumers renewing enrollment in or applying for state Medicaid programs. Includes special considerations for rural populations enrolling in Medicaid. Designed to inform the thinking of California policymakers and stakeholders as they implement changes to the state's Medicaid program.
Author(s): Jane Wishner, Ian Hill, Jeremy Marks, Sarah Thornburgh
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Navigating Towards Health
Examines how health navigators can be incorporated into workplaces and healthcare teams. Health navigators are professionals who help people find care despite barriers, such as insurance, transportation, or finding a doctor. Discusses three critical points for integrating health navigators into the workforce and offers guidance for employers to determine the appropriate ratio of navigators to patients.
Author(s): Karam Ahmad, Alex Caldwell, Brian Clark, et al.
Date: 07/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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2017 Colorado Opioid Safety Pilot Results Report
Describes an opioid safety pilot study that implemented the ALTO, or alternative to opioid, approach for pain treatment in 7 urban and 3 rural hospital emergency departments in Colorado. Discusses ALTO's multifaceted treatment approach for pain management, data collection and analysis, and lessons learned.
Additional links: Pre-Launch Checklist: Using Alternatives to Opioids (ALTOs) in Hospital Emergency Departments
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Hospital Association
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Death by Drugs: Colorado Reaches a Record High for Overdose Fatalities. Again.
Describes county-level estimates for drug overdose death rates in Colorado from 2001 through 2016 using data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Includes discussion on small counties experiencing high overdose rates, the rise of opioid overdoses and deaths, and covers policy implications.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Jaclyn Zubrzycki
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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An Unmet Challenge: Colorado Struggles to Address Mental Health and Substance Use: A Colorado Health Access Survey Issue Brief
Provides a snapshot of Colorado residents who reported poor mental health status, including county-level data for the percent reporting poor mental health and not receiving needed mental healthcare in the past year. Discusses barriers that prevent Colorado residents from receiving needed mental healthcare and other factors influencing access to care.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Teresa Manocchio
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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Views from the Heartland: Prospects for Bipartisanship in Health Reform
Reports on the views and opinions of 27 state legislators serving on health, budget, or appropriations committees in Colorado and Kansas. Discusses Medicaid expansion in rural areas and highlights the importance of promoting quality healthcare and removing barriers to access in rural communities.
Author(s): David K. Jones
Date: 04/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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What's MAT Got to Do with It? Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural America
Provides an overview of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), an evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder, with information on the science behind the disorder and how three MAT medications work. Highlights rural health organizations providing MAT treatment.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Tooth Be Told...Colorado's Basic Screening Survey - Children's Oral Health Screening: 2016-17
Presents the results from a dental screening survey of kindergarten and third grade students in Colorado during the 2016-17 school year. Students selected were a sample representative of all kindergarten and third grade students in Colorado and included students of different races and/or ethnicity, from urban and rural schools, and students eligible for the free and reduced-price lunch programs. Data compares rural and urban dental caries experience and untreated decay, and previous survey results from 2003-04.
Author(s): Renee Calanan, Gabrielle Elzinga-Marshall, Dahsan Gary, et al.
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
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