In Good Health

In early June, the Foundation’s Board of Directors hit the road on three separate tours of Colorado. Afterward, President and CEO Karen McNeil-Miller interviewed the Foundation’s Board Chair Jerome Davis, regional vice president of Xcel Energy, on his perspectives and those of the full Board.

Karen: So, Jerome: you and the rest of the Board were divided up into three groups, put on buses and sent out across our beautiful state. Why? We wanted to give you a sampler of the places we’re working in, to give you a sense of the urban/rural divide and show you some grassroots organizations and bigger systems outside of Denver. Talk to me about the “so what?” of what you and the others

As a Senior Program Officer at the Colorado Health Foundation, I am continuously learning how social, environmental and economic circumstances contribute to our overall health. This understanding is vital to the success of the work we do across the state.

Last month, I attended Poverty’s Impact on Colorado’s Health, a Symposium Unplugged event the Foundation hosted in Cañon City, Colorado. Nearly 200 people gathered on the grounds of a former monastery to discuss issues related to the intersection of poverty and health.

What we heard, over the course of the day, was that poverty and health are inextricably connected. That well-being is near impossible without economic opportunity and in the face of systemic obstacles. And that the resiliency of

“We heard you love bacon!” This is a refrain that Hillary Fulton, senior program officer at the Foundation, is starting to hear often. As she travels throughout northeastern Colorado – meeting with everyone from community leaders to local farmers to residents – she’s been focused on listening, building relationships and really digging in to understand the nuanced dynamics at play when it comes to health in this beautiful part of the state. And it turns out, that listening has been a two-way street. Because everyone seems to know her favorite breakfast order.

Since early 2017, our program staff has been part of a transformative shift in how we do our work at the Foundation. We implemented a new Community Engagement

About two years ago, I was brand new in my role as President and CEO of the Colorado Health Foundation. I was also in the midst of a whirlwind listening tour of Colorado. We went to every corner of the state to learn about what being healthy means to Coloradans. What we heard changed us. And we want to share the impact, scope and scale of that change with you.

Then, and now, in every community – and in every conversation I have – we hear one thing over and over: that having health in reach means something different for every Coloradan.

Why is this? It’s a pretty simple answer with a not-so-simple solution: Not all of us have the