• Colorado.gov

Office of Health Disparities

Vision

All Coloradans will have an equal opportunity to be healthy, regardless of race and ethnicity.

Mission:

The Office of Health Disparities is a state program of multi-cultural professionals dedicated to eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities in Colorado, by fostering systems change and capacity building through multi-sectoral collaboration.

History

Turning Point Initiative History

The Colorado Turning Point initiative was funded through a six-year grant awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The funding began in 1999, when the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation offered states an opportunity to develop a public health improvement plan for their residents. This national project was named the Turning Point Initiative and Colorado was one of 21 funding recipients. The Colorado Turning Point Steering Committee and sub-committees conducted a statewide needs assessment, through a collaborative process, to determine the health of residents and the effectiveness of health systems. Results and recommendations were published in a public health improvement plan.

Office of Health Disparities History

The Office of Health Disparities was officially introduced in September of 2004. The ground work for the Office started in 1999 as the Colorado Turning Point Initiative, part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJF) national Turning Point Initiative. RWJF awarded Colorado with planning and implementation grants to build collaborative public health capacity to address health disparities. The idea for a Minority Health Advisory Commission was born as a health disparities leadership project of two Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership (RIHEL) Turning Point Scholars in 2002.

In response to disparity data and to sustain the momentum of Turning Point, the Executive Director of the CDPHE officially approved the two new structures in April 2004. Their conception has the support of community-based organizations and local health departments throughout the state.

Colorado's Public Health Improvement Plan

Colorado’s Public Health Improvement Plan was completed in August 2001. The Plan recognized the good health status shared by many of Colorado’s residents, but also documented areas within health systems that could be improved. The report covered health insurance issues, barriers to accessing health care, and needed capacity for local public and environmental health departments. The report also documented health disparities among population groups and recommended that the elimination of these disparities become a state priority.

Working to Eliminate Health Disparities

Colorado adopted the health disparities issue as a priority and received further support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2001. Colorado’s health improvement plan recognized that Colorado’s overall health status would not improve without significantly improving the health status of racial and ethnic communities that make up nearly 25 percent of the population. The state’s health disparities were originally documented in the Colorado 2001 Health Disparities Profile. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will continue to fund Colorado in working on health disparities through February 2006.

The Office of Health Disparities Website and databases are maintained by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Office of Health Disparities. Please send your questions and comments to: cdphe.edohd@state.co.us