A new year is underway. I hope each of you had a restful and rejuvenating holiday season and a gentle start to 2024. As we at the Foundation have gotten back into the swing of things, we welcome the new year with a renewed commitment to health equity. Over the past few years, many organizations have pulled back from equity and racial justice work. Not The Colorado Health Foundation—it is onward for us.
A community-wide commitment to health equity is critical as Colorado faces several health-related challenges. From a housing crisis that touches every corner of the state to a rising cost of living and more, health and wellness are moving further from reach for too many Coloradans. While nobody is spared from the fallout of these crises, we know that folks who have traditionally had less power and privilege—including communities of color and rural areas—bear the brunt of the impact.
These crises have brought into sharp relief the connection between financial well-being and health. Moreover, our annual Pulse poll shows that it is a top concern of Coloradans. That’s why we will be launching a new priority later this year that centers on increasing economic opportunity in our state. Several of my colleagues at the Foundation are busy meeting internally and with community members throughout Colorado to inform how we approach this work. Thank you to the folks who have met with us thus far! Stay tuned for more information later this year.
Our work in economic opportunity will be in addition to the Foundation’s nine other priority areas. Over the next few months, we’ll be talking about these priorities a little differently. The field of philanthropy has a way of complicating information that should be simple and easy to digest. So, we will be updating our website to help communities across the state better understand the work we do and the work we support. Take a look at our new priorities page, and if you’d like to share your thoughts or feedback, please email [email protected].
In July, we will host the annual Colorado Health Symposium in Keystone, a three-day focus on civic engagement offering plenty of opportunities to recharge and network with other champions for health equity and racial justice. We’ll provide details once they’re available.
Lastly, 2024 is an election year. Keep an eye out for our ballot tracker, which will be released once the 2024 ballots are finalized. Our greatest opportunity to participate and make our voices heard is through exercising our right to vote. Please take advantage of every opportunity you have in primary or general elections. And remember, election years can be stressful; please take care of yourselves.
As I look ahead, I’m filled with optimism. I know the challenges we face will not be solved overnight and that our state has a lot of hard work ahead. But I also have confidence that the solutions to these problems already exist within our communities. That’s why we will continue to work alongside Coloradans who are doing the hard work, providing continued support for innovative solutions that break down barriers to health.
I wish you all a healthy 2024.