Expanding the Connections Between Primary Care and Community The Regional Health Connectors in Action

Objectives  Describe the role of a Regional Health Connector (RHC) and how the role of the RHC relates to primary care practices.  Discuss the difference between Community Engagement and Patient Engagement and how the RHCs can work with primary care practices within each.  Translate what the RHCs have heard through listening sessions across the state to applicable work within primary care practices.  Differentiate the work of RHCs in urban and rural settings.  Present and communicate about the challenges and successes practices face in working in the health system and connecting to community.  Describe the role of a Regional Health Connector (RHC) and how the role of the RHC relates to primary care practices.  Discuss the difference between Community Engagement and Patient Engagement and how the RHCs can work with primary care practices within each.  Translate what the RHCs have heard through listening sessions across the state to applicable work within primary care practices.  Differentiate the work of RHCs in urban and rural settings.  Present and communicate about the challenges and successes practices face in working in the health system and connecting to community.

Regional Health Connectors (RHCs)  Regional Health Connectors help to build trust and connections among primary care practices, local public health agencies, community organizations, the healthcare delivery system, practice transformation organizations and EvidenceNow Southwest (ENSW) researchers.

RHC Host Organizations  RHCs will be housed locally in the region they cover, in a variety of organizations:  Denver Metro – Colorado Foundation for Public Health and the Environment (non-profit)  South East – Otero County Health Department (local public health)  North East – Centennial Area Health Education Center (local AHEC)  Western Slope – Rocky Mountain Health Plans (PTO/RCCO/Payer)  Greater Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak Area – Community Health Partnership (PTO/RCCO/Alliance)  RHCs will be housed locally in the region they cover, in a variety of organizations:  Denver Metro – Colorado Foundation for Public Health and the Environment (non-profit)  South East – Otero County Health Department (local public health)  North East – Centennial Area Health Education Center (local AHEC)  Western Slope – Rocky Mountain Health Plans (PTO/RCCO/Payer)  Greater Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak Area – Community Health Partnership (PTO/RCCO/Alliance)

RCH Roles  Engager  Evaluator  Educator  Ambassador  Matchmaker  Engager  Evaluator  Educator  Ambassador  Matchmaker

Community Engagement  Community Engagement is the practice of building partnerships to improve the well being of a community from the community perspective.  RHCs practice community engagement to help connect practices and community health systems within their communities/service areas.  Community Engagement is the practice of building partnerships to improve the well being of a community from the community perspective.  RHCs practice community engagement to help connect practices and community health systems within their communities/service areas.

Patient Engagement  Patients who actively participate in their own health care can have improved health outcomes.  Practices provide appropriate opportunities for this participation – on multiple levels.  Patient Engagement encompasses activities and interventions to support these two premises.  RCHs can support practices and communities to work together to address the social determinants of health and improve health outcomes.  Patients who actively participate in their own health care can have improved health outcomes.  Practices provide appropriate opportunities for this participation – on multiple levels.  Patient Engagement encompasses activities and interventions to support these two premises.  RCHs can support practices and communities to work together to address the social determinants of health and improve health outcomes.

RHC Listening Sessions

RHC Listening Sessions – Some Things We Are Hearing  The RHC role is new, and people are excited about the possibilities.  Community-located participants identified different issues (housing, transportation) related to their ability to access health services.  The RHC work is intended to compliment existing work being done by the RCCOs, the Health Alliances, Community Health Worker and Promotoras de Salud networks, patient navigators, the AHECs, public health improvement projects, and others.  Providers have a lot to do and want to know more about the value of changing their systems.  Understanding what community resources exist is a challenge; staying current is an even bigger challenge.  There is a need for coordination across systems, yet individuals and organizations have varying opinions about how to accomplish this.  The RHC role is new, and people are excited about the possibilities.  Community-located participants identified different issues (housing, transportation) related to their ability to access health services.  The RHC work is intended to compliment existing work being done by the RCCOs, the Health Alliances, Community Health Worker and Promotoras de Salud networks, patient navigators, the AHECs, public health improvement projects, and others.  Providers have a lot to do and want to know more about the value of changing their systems.  Understanding what community resources exist is a challenge; staying current is an even bigger challenge.  There is a need for coordination across systems, yet individuals and organizations have varying opinions about how to accomplish this.

RHC Listening Sessions – Some Ideas From Participants  Help connect Care Managers with the Patient Navigators and Community Health Workers in their communities  Help people connect to the multiple resource collection and dissemination activities happening throughout the state  Provide primary care clinics with ideas or models for community engagement, such as work with local community members to develop an immersion activity for clinic personnel to go out into their community and learn about the local culture and resources  Advocate that all clinics have a care manager or patient navigator in order to have someone dedicated to connecting to resources within the community  Help connect Care Managers with the Patient Navigators and Community Health Workers in their communities  Help people connect to the multiple resource collection and dissemination activities happening throughout the state  Provide primary care clinics with ideas or models for community engagement, such as work with local community members to develop an immersion activity for clinic personnel to go out into their community and learn about the local culture and resources  Advocate that all clinics have a care manager or patient navigator in order to have someone dedicated to connecting to resources within the community

Urban RHCs  Population-dense areas typically put practices and community resources closer together  Issues are highly diverse and vary by neighborhood  There are large number of organizations and resources which is wonderful and challenging all at the same time  The highest priorities of patients (safety, housing, food security) don’t always match the priorities of health care  Population-dense areas typically put practices and community resources closer together  Issues are highly diverse and vary by neighborhood  There are large number of organizations and resources which is wonderful and challenging all at the same time  The highest priorities of patients (safety, housing, food security) don’t always match the priorities of health care

Rural RHCs  Population sparse areas take time and additional resources to travel between  Issues are complex and persistent  Resources are limited and inconsistent but often flexible  The highest priorities of patients (distance to care, financial stability, educational opportunities) don’t match the priorities of health care  Population sparse areas take time and additional resources to travel between  Issues are complex and persistent  Resources are limited and inconsistent but often flexible  The highest priorities of patients (distance to care, financial stability, educational opportunities) don’t match the priorities of health care

Meet our RHCs  Denver Metro Region:  Paige Backlund-Jarquín and Nicole Storm (Stormy)  Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Adams, Gilpin, Jefferson, Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Douglas  South East Region:  Rebekah Hilton  Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Crowley, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo  North East Region:  Kindra Mulch  Kit Carson, Larimer, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma Counties  Denver Metro Region:  Paige Backlund-Jarquín and Nicole Storm (Stormy)  Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Adams, Gilpin, Jefferson, Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Douglas  South East Region:  Rebekah Hilton  Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Crowley, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo  North East Region:  Kindra Mulch  Kit Carson, Larimer, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma Counties

Paige – Denver Metro Region  Paige Backlund Jarquín uses her skills in authentic community engagement to build linkages among the various components of the healthcare delivery system – primary care practices, practice transformation organizations, public health systems, community organizations, state, county and city agencies and the academic health system. Prior to joining CFPHE, Paige was a Community Engagement and Research Project Director with the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Over the last 15 years, Paige has had the opportunity to work with communities in various locations throughout the United States and Central America. Paige splits her time between her work, her partner and their amazing 2 and 7-year old children, and finishing up her degree at the Colorado School of Public Health. Paige can be reached at or  Paige Backlund Jarquín uses her skills in authentic community engagement to build linkages among the various components of the healthcare delivery system – primary care practices, practice transformation organizations, public health systems, community organizations, state, county and city agencies and the academic health system. Prior to joining CFPHE, Paige was a Community Engagement and Research Project Director with the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Over the last 15 years, Paige has had the opportunity to work with communities in various locations throughout the United States and Central America. Paige splits her time between her work, her partner and their amazing 2 and 7-year old children, and finishing up her degree at the Colorado School of Public Health. Paige can be reached at or

Stormy – Denver Metro Region Nicole Storm (Stormy) joins the RHC program from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) where she worked for several years, first as the department’s Legislative Analyst and most recently as the Project Manager for Colorado’s Money Follow the Person program. Prior to her work with the state of Colorado, she worked in Washington D.C. for a consulting firm specializing in government-sponsored health programs. Past experience includes work for the International Crisis Group, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, in both Belgium and South Africa, as well as having interned with the United Nations and the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Geneva, Switzerland. A proud Boulder, Colorado native, Stormy holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington D.C. Her passions include travel, the Denver Broncos, hiking, yoga and her beloved dog, Mumford. Stormy can be reached at or Nicole Storm (Stormy) joins the RHC program from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) where she worked for several years, first as the department’s Legislative Analyst and most recently as the Project Manager for Colorado’s Money Follow the Person program. Prior to her work with the state of Colorado, she worked in Washington D.C. for a consulting firm specializing in government-sponsored health programs. Past experience includes work for the International Crisis Group, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, in both Belgium and South Africa, as well as having interned with the United Nations and the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Geneva, Switzerland. A proud Boulder, Colorado native, Stormy holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington D.C. Her passions include travel, the Denver Broncos, hiking, yoga and her beloved dog, Mumford. Stormy can be reached at or

Rebekah – South East Region  Rebekah Hilton has her BA in Sociology with and emphasis in social welfare from Adams State and is in the process of obtaining her Masters as a Counselor of Education, also at Adams State. She has worked in south east Colorado since 2008 in a variety of school, social services and clinic based settings. Her spare time consists of enjoying time with her husband and two sons, gardening, hiking, and photography. Rebekah can be reached at or  Rebekah Hilton has her BA in Sociology with and emphasis in social welfare from Adams State and is in the process of obtaining her Masters as a Counselor of Education, also at Adams State. She has worked in south east Colorado since 2008 in a variety of school, social services and clinic based settings. Her spare time consists of enjoying time with her husband and two sons, gardening, hiking, and photography. Rebekah can be reached at or

Kindra Mulch – Northeast Region  Kindra Mulch has served Colorado as a Public Health Nurse for over 35 years. She joined Kit Carson County in 1980, became the director for Public Health in 1988 and the Director of Health and Human Services in Her vast experience will a wonderful addition to the RHC program. Kindra starts her work as an RHC in late January 2016.

RCH Program Manager  Sarah Lampe has her Master's in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health with an emphasis in Community and Behavioral Health and her undergraduate degrees in psychology and biology from Saint Louis University. Sarah’s professional career has been extended throughout several areas of public health from community development to infectious disease and global health. Prior to joining CFPHE, Sarah served as the Project Manager with the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO). In Sarah’s position at CALPHO she managed research projects related to Public Health Services and Systems Research. Additionally, she also did evaluation and other project management for the Public Health Alliance of Colorado.

Thank You! Ilima Kane Community Engagement Director, CFPHE