Children’s Colorado is leading the way in integrating holistic social services within a medical care setting. Five years ago, we instituted psychosocial screenings at our well-child visits. Of the patient families who completed the survey, about 20% reported struggles related to finances, public benefits assistance, food insecurity and other issues. In 2017, we took our proactive approach a step further by launching a new role: the Community Health Navigator. Our team of navigators meets one-one-one with patients and families, helping them to address immediate needs and access clinical, financial or social supports. Last year, Community Health Navigators served more than 5,000 patient families, and surveys showed that they helped to resolve around 75% of their resource needs.

Our aspirations go beyond our walls, though. Children’s Colorado is now designing a five-year pilot program to place Community Health Navigators in primary care practices around the state, which will exponentially increase the number of families we can serve. Supporting families with add-on social services means that we can have a stronger and more consistent impact on overall child health and well-being.

Food insecurity has become a growing challenge, with around 30% of Coloradans struggling with hunger. Five years ago, Children’s Colorado convened a Food Security Council with a bold goal to give the state’s vulnerable children access to timely, quality and affordable food. Since then, we have partnered with other organizations to establish a hospital-based food clinic, Healthy Roots, which now serves about 50 families per week.

Children’s Colorado also established its very own community garden on the Anschutz Medical Campus, which produces around 1,500 pounds of produce annually for the food clinic. And when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools in 2020, Children’s Colorado quickly launched a mobile grocery distribution service in partnership with Aurora Public Schools, distributing food to more than 14,000 families. Moving forward, we plan to partner with Aurora Public Schools to pilot food clinics in targeted school-based health centers. Funded by philanthropy, these important initiatives give families critical access to the nutrition they need to be healthy.

Many kids who are treated for asthma also face significant health barriers, including housing, food and financial challenges. Recognizing that asthma cannot be treated solely in a clinical setting, Children’s Colorado launched new programs and partnerships to reach families in their communities. For example, our asthma team offers home visits to teach families how to administer asthma medication and to identify potential asthma triggers, like mold or dirty air vents. The program then connects families to resources and products to create a healthier home. Another program provides asthma outreach and education in local schools to empower kids to better manage their condition. Data show that kids who participate in these programs had fewer asthma-related trips to the emergency room. In fact, the program has been so successful that the Environmental Protection Agency recently recognized Children’s Colorado with a National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management.