Health Projects
For more information about health policy projects at CSI, please contact Information@csi-policy.org and ask for Denise McHugh, Executive Director.
Health Projects
School Health Services Leadership Task Force. The Colorado Trust brought together the Colorado Children’s Campaign and the Center for Systems Integration to convene, facilitate, and provide technical assistance and research to the School Health Services Leadership Task Force. The planning process resulted in a state plan with policy strategies to address infrastructure development, sustainable financing, integrated programs and services, and other policy developments. It also is expected that a constituency of associations, school health providers and education administrators will be strengthened to build and sustain the newly-developed governance system and infrastructure.
All Kids Covered (AKC). In 2007, the 2010 All Kids Covered Initiative was awarded a $50,000 grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to work on narrative communications for covering kids. In 2008, the Initiative was awarded a $750,000 3-year grant by both the Packard Foundation and the Colorado Health Foundation to work towards the goal of covering all kids in Colorado with health care by the year 2010. The Center for Systems Integration wrote the original grants and continues to provide project coordination, grant writing, and grant reporting assistance to the project.
Farm to School: New Markets for Colorado Specialty Crops. This three year project, launching in February 2010, will bring fresh, nutritious local produce to Colorado K-12 schools, create new school-based markets for Colorado specialty crop producers and processors, and establish enduring multi-generational local food system connections between towns/cities and rural agricultural communities.
Trust Advocacy Program Evaluation (TAPE). The Colorado Trust has assembled a team of evaluators to work on their new Health Advocacy Program. CSI is participating, specifically assigned to evaluate the Colorado Rural Health Center’s new Rural Outreach and Advocacy Program. The purpose of this evaluation is to gauge the impact of advocacy investments on health policy changes that lead to increased access. This evaluation is also designed to provide a real-time feedback loop to the grantees and The Trust so that they can shift strategies as needed in response to a rapidly changing environment. The evaluation will help The Trust examine the collective impact of their funding on the state’s momentum toward health policy results and increased access.
Connecting Colorado (Health Disparities). The Colorado Institute of Public Policy and the Center for Systems Integration began exploring the problem of health disparities by holding a series of meetings with over 50 community leaders. The first related policy brief was released in March 2007. The brief examines the breakdowns in communication, understanding, and information among stakeholders. These breakdowns result in decisions and actions that appear appropriate and helpful to one group of stakeholders, but inappropriate or even problematic for other stakeholders.
Interagency Health Disparities Leadership Council. The Center for Systems Integration did the research and convening to begin the Colorado Office of Health Disparities’ interagency council. The council brings together community partners with representatives from many different state agencies to develop a coordinated and effective approach to decreasing health disparities. CSI has also helped to develop marketing materials for the council, including a policy brief with recommendations to the executive branch and legislature. A success guide to health disparities efforts in the Denver Metro area is available as a product of the original convening effort.
Colorado School Health Summit. The Center for Systems Integration served as the conference planners of a school health summit on November 13, 2006 for The Colorado Trust and The Colorado Health Foundation to identify best practices and to build on the existing efforts underway to provide quality school health care in Colorado.
Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved. CSI has written multiple successful grants to fund the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved.
