Colorado Medical Home Community Forum: Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program

Save the Date: Colorado Medical Home Community Forum: Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program

Jan. 3, 2019 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment 4300 Cherry Creek Dr S Denver, Colorado 80246 Sabin Room, Building A RSVP Participants have the option to join in-person or via webinar. Call in: 1-877-820-7831 Passcode: 300218# Presenters: Sandra L Fritsch, M.D., MSEd, FAACAP Medical Director, Pediatric Mental Health Institute, Children's Hospital Colorado Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Doug Novins, M.D.  Vice Chair & Director, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Please note that the 2019 forum schedule has changed to the following: March 7, 2019 June 13, 2019 September 5, 2019 December 12, 2019 Medical Home Community Forum archived Webinars are now Available! Colorado Medical Home Community Forum: The forum is focused on integrated care and is a collaborative effort coordinated by the CO Department of public health and Environment and the CO Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to promote a medical home approach in Colorado. Stakeholders represent various agencies, families, medical facilities, Regional Care Collaborative Organizations, and policymakers from all over Colorado. Serves as a resource for people and organizations committed to a medical home model that strengthens the delivery of care in Colorado. Subscribe to receive email alerts for upcoming quarterly Medical Home Community Forum meetings.

Check out the article below from our partners at Colorado Children's Campaign about what it would mean if Colorado funded full-day kindergarten, an issue also prioritized by the Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System as an upstream strategy to reduce stress among parents and caregivers and improve family health.

What would funding full-day kindergarten mean for Colorado?

Written by: Bill Jaeger

Date Posted: December 7, 2018

There was a great deal of discussion during the election cycle, and a growing amount in the lead-up to the 2019 legislative session, about the potential to increase support for full-day kindergarten and preschool in Colorado. In a future KidsFlash, we will look at the substantial unmet need and potential return on investment of preschool, but focus our attention on funding full-day kindergarten (and how doing so frees up additional resources to eliminate the wait list for Colorado’s highly successful state PreK program (CPP)) in this week’s edition.

How’d we get here?

An abundance of research demonstrates that access to a full day of kindergarten is an effective approach to supporting the school readiness of young children. Parents and school districts also recognize this: despite the fact that the state only funds a little more than half a day of kindergarten for all kids, nearly all Colorado children attend kindergarten and 78 percent of all enrolled kindergarteners are in a full-day program this year. This is up from just 14 percent in 2001 and just 40 percent in 2007.  Currently, 140 of Colorado’s 178 school districts have all kindergarteners enrolled in a full-day program. All but 30 school districts have 95 percent or more of their kindergarteners in a full-day kindergarten program. All but five school districts offer a full-day program. In short, demand has increased dramatically for full-day kindergarten during the past 17 years and continues to increase, but without adequate funding support from the General Assembly.

How are so many kids in full-day kindergarten without state funding?

Despite the growth in demand, there are nearly 14,000 kindergarteners not enrolled in a full-day program. Another significant portion of full-day kindergarteners who only have access because their parents can afford the tuition, because their local communities can afford a mill levy to cover the costs, or because the district is cutting funds from somewhere else to offer access. This means full-day kindergarten often comes at the sacrifice of other opportunities for children.

How does our current system affect educational equity?

Schools and districts are working hard to respond to increased parent demand and recognize that a full-day experience helps lay the foundation for years to come. The shortfall in state support for a full day of kindergarten means, however, districts must cut resources from general operating revenue and/or charge parents tuition to respond to this demand.

Given that school districts do not commonly charge tuition to children eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, this has meant that districts with large concentrations of low-income children bear a disproportionate share of cuts from other priorities to offer full-day kindergarten (rather than relying on parent fees). By implementing full funding based on a child’s actual enrollment, those districts that have had to cut back on teacher salaries, raise classroom sizes, reduce counseling and eliminate other support services to offer full-day kindergarten will be able to invest in significant unmet need in these and other areas.

Why do we need to offer full-day kindergarten?

The failure of the state to invest in early education is puzzling given the strong and growing evidence base for how valuable a full-day kindergarten experience is for children. For example, recent evidence from random assignment to full- versus half-day kindergarten shows strong results in terms of early literacy. All students benefit from these early experiences, but Hispanic students, in particular, benefit in some of the strongest ways. This is also true of students who enter kindergarten with low literacy skills: they experience particularly large gains. As a result, there is a substantial return on this investment.

There is consistent evidence that achievement gaps by race and socio-economic status are already sizable at the end of the kindergarten year. In addition, these gaps persist and grow throughout the primary grades. Investing in prevention, rather than remediation, is one of the most cost-effective approaches to addressing our K-12 education challenges.

Can full funding kindergarten support preschool?

An added benefit of fully funding full-day kindergarten is the complementary freeing up of resources to invest in the Colorado Preschool Program. The General Assembly, beginning in 2013, approved additional early childhood education slots via the ECARE (Early Childhood At-Risk Enhancement) program. These slots are allocated to districts and can be used flexibly for a half-day of preschool, two slots for a full-day of preschool, or to fill out the latter half of a full-day kindergarten program.

Each ECARE slot is the equivalent of half of per pupil funding for school districts ($4,068 in 2018-19).

For the 2018-19 school year, ECARE slots were distributed as follows:

Type of Program	Total Slots	Total dollar equivalent
Colorado Preschool Program	20,160 slots (10,080 FTE)	$82,020,960
ECARE Total	9,200 (4,600 FTE)	$37,430,200
ECARE Half-day Preschool	2,853 (1,426.5 FTE)	$11,607,431
ECARE Full-day Preschool	967 slots (483.5 FTE)	$3,934,240
ECARE Full-day Kindergarten	5,380 slots (2,690 FTE)	$21,888,530
Total slots	CPP: 20,160; ECARE: 9,200 = 29,360	$119,451,160

It is worth noting (see the above row for “ECARE Full-day kindergarten”) that if we are to expand full funding for full-day kindergarten, then the use of the 5,380 slots (and associated $22 million expenditure) can be effectively redirected to support preschool access. Given that only 24 percent of 4-year-olds in Colorado access our state-funded pre-K program and that there are several thousand children on our state pre-K wait list, ensuring these slots remain available to preschool is an important added benefit of kindergarten expansion.

What’s next for ideas to fund full-day kindergarten and preschool?

Our next governor, Jared Polis, campaigned on providing full-day preschool and kindergarten state-wide. Polis is currently hiring his cabinet members and policy staff. We’ll have a better idea of how the governor-elect plans to achieve his goals in the coming months. We’ll be closely following all proposals to ensure children with the most barriers to education are a top priority in any solution. Stay tuned to KidsFlash!

About Bill Jaeger

Bill Jaeger, Vice President of Early Childhood Initiatives at the Children's Campaign, has spent the past decade teaching, studying, and working on issues in public education and public policy. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a master’s in education from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education before working as a public school teacher and administrator in the greater Hartford, Connecticut area for several years. Bill also holds master’s degrees in public policy and political science and worked in several positions in the non-profit sector prior to joining the Colorado Children’s Campaign as Vice President of Early Childhood Initiatives. Bill is a graduate of Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs and enjoys spending time in the mountains with his wife, son, daughter, and golden retriever.

OPPORTUNITY: Motor Vehicle Program Coordinator at CDPHE

 Now Hiring: Motor Vehicle Program Coordinator

 
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Violence and Injury Prevention - Mental Health Promotion team is expanding to hire a Motor Vehicle Program Coordinator! This position is responsible for leading training and technical assistance for community partners on the identification, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based motor vehicle safety programs and strategies at the state and local levels

. 
This position will work closely with the Colorado Department of Transportation and will actively participate in statewide coalitions related to teen driving, impaired driving and injury prevention. 

Qualified candidates should have experience engaging diverse partners to achieve program goals, conducting program evaluation, and providing training on injury and violence prevention or similar topics. 

Motor Vehicle Program Coordinator (#2201)

The job posting will close on January 22, 2019 or when 30 qualified applications have been received. 

RESOURCE Crisis Intervention Training FREE!

WEBINAR Systems Thinking for Injury and Violence Prevention Practice

The National Peer Learning Team for Systems Thinking

and

Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety

Present

Overview of Systems Thinking for Injury and Violence Prevention Practice

December 18 from 3:00-4:30 PM EST

In this presentation participants will learn from professionals in the injury prevention, highway safety, and human development fields about how a systems approach can enhance injury prevention practice. Panelists will discuss their views on systems allowing participants to look into the “fishbowl” to hear a conversation about how panelists understand the idea of systems and how it is being developed and applied. This interactive discussion serves as an introduction for those who are curious about systems, as well as an invitation for those who would like to participate in a deeper learning process. The discussion will revolve around these questions:

    • How can systems enhance current injury prevention work?

    • What are the tools and methods available to do systems thinking work?

    • What does it look like when we use a systems approach in our practice settings?

After the webinar, for those interested in taking a deeper dive, information about joining a learning community will be provided to registered participants. The presentation will be recorded and available to those who are unable to participate live.

Register here:https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7098499140619431937

FREE SafeTALK Suicide Alertness Training

The safeTALK Suicide Alertness Training is a 3 hour training that deals openly with the stigma around suicide and prepares participants to become more aware of suicide prevention opportunities in their community. As a safeTALK-informed session member, you will be better able to: understand how personal and community beliefs about suicide affect suicide stigma and safety; appreciate how the steps taught in safeTALK can be used to help prevent suicide;  choose among ways to help protect, preserve and promote life in a suicide-safer community.

Please feel free to share this informational flyer with anyone who might benefit from this training or be interested in attending. 

Seating is limited.  Please RSVP at:  https://safetalkjan2019.eventbrite.com

Motor Vehicle Safety Fact Sheet

Research shows that primary seat belt laws are the most effective way to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries on public roadways. Updating Colorado’s current seat belt law would provide protection for all citizens. That's why it is a legislative recommendation submitted annually to the Colorado General Assembly by the Child Fatality Prevention System and the Colorado Task Force on Drunk and Impaired Driving; and is supported by the Colorado Young Drivers Alliance and the Colorado Occupant Protection Task Force. Traffic safety advocates across the state are educating stakeholders on seat belt use and effective policies to prevent motor vehicle fatalities. To learn more about the communities at highest risk of being seriously injured or killed in an unrestrained motor vehicle crash, how Colorado currently addresses this issue, and to access additional traffic safety advocate resources, contact Ginna Jones, Motor Vehicle Safety Manager at ginna.jones@state.co.us. Click the fact sheet below to download for educating stakeholders on motor vehicle safety best practices.

OPPORTUNITY The Healthy People 2030 public comment period is now open!

The opportunity for public comment on the Healthy People 2030 objectives is now open .  You are a group with much to offer! 

Healthy People focuses on critical health promotion and disease prevention topics. Since its launch in 1979, the initiative has grown substantially—increasing from 226 objectives in 15 topic areas for Healthy People 1990 to more than 1,200 objectives in 42 topic areas for Healthy People 2020. Because stakeholders have indicated a desire for a more specific and targeted initiative in the next decade, Healthy People 2030 will be a streamlined set of national health objectives guiding the Nation in efforts to improve health. While this translates to a smaller set of objectives, Heathy People 2030 will continue to represent critical public health priorities by addressing the leading causes of morbidity and mortality and driving action at the national, state, and local levels.

The Healthy People 2030 public comment period is now open! The public comment period will be open from December 3, 2018 through January 17, 2019. Review the proposed objectives, submit comments, or propose your own objective at https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/About-Healthy-People/Development-Healthy-People-2030/Public-Comment

Previous public comments on the proposed Healthy People 2030 framework helped shape the vision, mission, foundational principles, plan of action, and overarching goals for Healthy People 2030. In this public comment period, HHS would like input on the proposed Core, Developmental, and Research objectives.

In response to stakeholder input, Healthy People 2030 will include a streamlined set of national health objectives to guide the Nation’s  efforts to improve health. Healthy People 2030 will continue to represent critical public health priorities by addressing the leading causes of morbidity and mortality and driving action at the national, state, and local levels. 

SURVEY Motor Vehicle Safety Survey from CDPHE

Click here to complete survey

Safe Sleep Photo Gallery

Colorado’s Infant Safe Sleep Partnership is a statewide coalition working to promote infant safe sleep.

We are recruiting families to develop a photo gallery of caregivers with their infants in safe sleep settings.

The photos will be used to promote safe sleep education throughout the state to ensure all infants sleep safely,

every sleep. Your home could be a valuable resource to show other families what safe sleep looks like and keep all

babies safe. Parents and caregivers can take simple steps to reduce the dangers of unsafe sleep environments.

What is safe sleep?

Here are the safe sleep guidelines that we’d like to see for photos:

Ask:

Currently there are very few images of families practicing safe sleep. The photos are outdated and not representative

of what families actually look like in Colorado.

We are looking for families with infants under four months of age who are willing to allow a photographer to visit your

home to photograph you, your infant, and your safe sleeping environment (see above). Keep in mind, we want your

home to look like you live there, so no pressure to clean!

These photos may be used in a number of places, such as in Infant Safe Sleep Partnership materials, Child Fatality

Prevention System materials, and with other partners such as CDPHE, CDHS and other national partners working on safe sleep.

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For more information or to participate, please contact:

Megan Stayton at megan.stayton@state.co.us or 303-692-6444.

WEBINAR The Intersection Between Housing and Health

Housing—how it is built, renovated, and maintained—plays a vital role in supporting, or hindering, individual and community health and well-being. Join The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Leadership for Better Health and Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL) programs for a webinar exploring the intersection between housing and health. You’ll hear the latest thinking from a variety of thought leaders who are looking at the issue of housing and health from different angles, and have an opportunity to ask questions. Thursday, December 13, 2018, 11 a.m. ET. This link will also allow you to add the webinar to your calendar. Adrianne Todman, CEO of the National Organization of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, will moderate a panel of program participants, including: Steve Barlow, JD, MA, who, along with his teammates in the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders program, is exploring how housing code enforcement interventions in Memphis, Tennessee, can prevent decay of urban areas, and keep communities safe and healthy. Omolara Uwemedimo, MD, MPH, who, along with her teammates in the Clinical Scholars program, is collaborating with a health system in New York City to incorporate questions about housing into patients’ regular health screenings. Evidence for Action researcher Bruce Tonn, PhD, who has evaluated how low-income housing units weatherized with “Extreme Energy Makeovers” in Knoxville, Tennessee, have saved energy, reduced environmental impact, and improved residents’ health. Systems for Action researcher Ricardo Basurto-Dávila, PhD, MSc., who is studying, with his research partner, how providing permanent supportive housing impacts the health of people who have been homeless. We hope you’ll join us on December 13, 2018, at 11 a.m. ET. Thank you! Interdisciplinary Research Leaders National Program Center University of Minnesota School of Public Health 1300 South 2nd Street, Suite 300 Minneapolis, MN 55454 Phone: 844-210-9072 ResearchLeaders@umn.edu interdisciplinaryresearch-leaders.org

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), within the U.S. Department of Transportation, with the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration remind you to celebrate safely this holiday season. We stand with all those who have known the tragic consequences of drugged or drunk driving, and we rededicate ourselves to preventing it this December and throughout the year.

President Obama has designated December 2012 as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month and invites families, educators, health care providers, and community leaders to promote responsible decision-making and encourage young people to live free of drugs and alcohol.

Impaired driving includes distracted driving, drugged driving, and drunk driving.

Why do we recognize National Impaired Driving Prevention Month?In an average year, 30 million Americans drive drunk, and 10 million Americans drive impaired by illicit drugs.

A 2010 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that 13.2 percent of all people aged 16 or older drove under the influence of alcohol and 4.3 percent drove under the influence of illicit drugs during the past year.1

Furthermore, rates of impaired driving differed dramatically by age.1

• While 11.8 percent of people aged 26 and older drove drunk, 19.5 percent of people aged 16 to 25 drove drunk.

• And, 2.8 percent of the older group drove drugged, while 11.4 percent of younger drivers did so.1

December seems particularly suited to this observation because traffic fatalities that involve impaired drivers increase significantly during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday periods.2

• On average, 25 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes per day during December 2010.

• Young adults are among those at greatest risk for driving impaired. During December 2010, drivers 21 to 34 years old were alcohol impaired and involved in fatal crashes at a higher percentage than any other age group.

All 50 States and the District of Columbia enforce the minimum legal drinking age of 21 years. NHTSA asks minors to avoid alcohol, and encourages parents and other caregivers to make a new or renewed commitment to never cater a party to underage drinking. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone's life, and inaction could cost a life. Families play an essential part in stopping impaired driving. By talking about the risks and setting clear expectations, parents and other caregivers can help their children stay safe, sober, and focused on the road.

Prevention Resources and Toolkits:

• Traffic Safety Marketing – a website with free campaign posters, TV/radio/web ads, and other resources, including more about NHTSA’s Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaigns.(link is external)and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaigns.
• Too Smart to Start – a website dedicated with evidence-based approaches to help youth, families, educators, and communities prevent underage alcohol use and its related problems.
• Stop Underage Drinking – a comprehensive portal of federal resources for information on underage drinking and ideas for combating this issue.
• Teen Drugged Driving: Parent, Coalition and Community Group Activity Guide (PDF) – This guide provides coalitions, prevention groups and parent organizations with: the facts on the dangers and extent of teen and young adult drugged driving; parent and community activities for effective prevention; resources to further assist in prevention activities.
• The National Criminal Justice Reference Service compilation of resources on impaired driving, including general information, enforcement, and prevention, in observation and recognition of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.