Colorado Community Health Alliance (CCHA) recently awarded $1.4 million to 21 innovative community entities through the CCHA Community Incentive Program.

Developed out of a commitment to community support and investment, the CCHA Community Incentive Program supports community entities that improve health, reduce costs and increase access to services for Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) members. The Community Incentive Program is funded using incentive payments earned by CCHA for achieving key performance indicators set by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF).

“To successfully coordinate care and services for approximately 400,300 Health First Colorado members, we must build upon and maintain a network of strong community support,” said Amy Yutzy, director, Medicaid Programs, CCHA. Each of this year’s recipients align closely with CCHA’s goals and address social determinants of health. We are honored to support these recipients as they care for vulnerable populations, such as those in need of behavioral health services, at-risk children, seniors and people who are experiencing homelessness.”

The 21 selected entities represent community projects in Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, El Paso, Gilpin Jefferson, Park and Teller counties. These projects will directly address barriers to care such as transportation, mental health and access to care.

$150,000 to A Precious Child to continue their work establishing and maintaining safe parking areas across Broomfield and Jefferson counties and expand the program to El Paso, Park and Teller counties. These safe parking areas offer secure, legal, sanitary and undisturbed locations for families and individuals living in their vehicles.

$150,000 to Benefits in Action to continue their work establishing and maintaining safe parking areas across Broomfield and Jefferson counties and expand the program to El Paso, Park and Teller counties. These safe parking areas offer secure, legal, sanitary and undisturbed locations for families and individuals living in their vehicles.

$25,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of High Rockies to provide mental health services and support to youth and their families. Funds will pay for a mental health provider to host small groups, provide individual work and be present at programming events such as hikes, disc golf, art, etc.

$74,968 To Centura’s Avista Adventis Hospital to expand workforce capacity and support teams that can provide enhanced behavioral health services. Enhanced behavioral health services will improve patient transitions from behavioral health clinical interventions back into their communities, ensuring sustainable and healthy community connections.

$65,148 to Centura’s Penrose St. Francis Health Services to implement a “curbside peer/patient connection” with a team of community peers. These peers are scheduled to be on call to offer warm handoffs to community partners, peer support services and other resources that support the healing journey. This program will increase access to a continuum of behavioral health services in El Paso County by improving care transitions for patients presenting with substance use and/or mental health concerns.

$75,000 for the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation to help build and strengthen the hospital’s holistic model of care, which integrates addressing social determinants of health in the clinical setting to enhance overall care coordination for Health First Colorado members.

$75,000 to Metro Denver Partnership for Health to better connect Health First Colorado members to the right services at the right time by building a regional social health information exchange (S-HIE). The S-HIE will be a coordinated infrastructure that will enable safe and secure information sharing among health care and social services.

$29,773 to Developmental Disabilities Resource Center to provide trauma-informed care training to behavioral health and supervisor staff so they can better serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Jefferson, Clear Creek, and Gilpin counties. These trainings can improve members’ outcomes and reduce costly crisis intervention.

$14,853 to Envida for an enhanced transportation program in rural Park and Teller counties. This transportation program will improve access and experience for members seeking behavioral health care services, expand transportation opportunities and help members access health care-related services that impact social determinants of health, such as pharmacy, food and socialization activities.

$145,055 to Evergreen Christian Outreach (ECHO) to continue their wraparound services program, including food assistance, rent/mortgage assistance, transportation, personal vehicle repair costs and vision/hearing service costs for families experiencing homelessness in Jefferson and Clear Creek counties. Additionally, ECHO will collaborate with the Center for the Arts Evergreen to implement an art program for children and adults.

$100,000 to Homeward Pikes Peak to provide services to more than 60 pregnant and parenting individuals with substance use disorder. Funding will provide continuity of housing, medical services, behavioral health support, recovery support, food, clothing, education and transportation to ensure lasting abstinence from substances and recovery for vulnerable members and their children.

$42,704 to Jefferson Center for Mental Health to expand their Navigation and Housing departments and grow their community-based efforts. These efforts will help provide mental health and other necessary services and supplies to those experiencing homelessness.

Julissa Soto in Collaboration with Casa Inmigrante
$37,850 to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and barriers to vaccine access within the Spanish-speaking community in El Paso County, ultimately increasing vaccination rates.

Lakewood Medical Center

$30,000 to help educate, prevent and manage diseases and behavioral health among Health First Colorado members in Jefferson County.

$12,000 to Marisol Health and Catholic Charities & Community Services of the Archdiocese of Denver to help alleviate financial and material concerns related to housing instability, food insecurity and other financial burdens among postpartum and newborn Health First Colorado members.

$41,180 to Pikes Peak Elder Justice Center to create a forensic center to help older adults, and people who support them, engage in trauma-informed, person-centered planning and evaluation. Forensic centers are a unique model of multidisciplinary collaboration on elder abuse cases that grew out of the need to have a responsive group of professionals to advise and assist in abuse and neglect cases.

$15,000 to Rocky Mountain Rural Health to create a procedure to assist Health First Colorado members aging out of Medicaid and transitioning to Medicare. The procedure will ensure members continue to receive needed health care services and address the need for secondary coverage during the transition.

$150,000 to Silver Key Senior Services to provide a wraparound care program that addresses physical and behavioral health needs for seniors who are dually insured through Medicaid and Medicare in El Paso County and assist them in accessing additional supports such as food pantries, transportation services, advance care planning and nutrition programs.

$25,969 to Special Kids Special Families to support a behavioral health program for at-risk families in El Paso and Teller counties. Funds will expand the program to help an additional 75 clients whose children are either engaged or at risk of engaging with the Department of Human Services.

$75,000 to Springs Recovery Connection to establish a Recovery Community Center that will provide an environment of ongoing support for those with substance abuse and mental health disorders.

$65,500 to Wee Cycle to increase mobile distribution of diapers, wipes, baby food and formula to Health First Colorado members in Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Jefferson counties. In addition, Wee Cycle will also provide the opportunity for up to 100 families to enroll in Amaze Health, a telehealth service that provides members with on-call medical professionals 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in 84 different languages.