ECHO COLORADO

Nov 20, 2018

Team Member Michelle Guthrie’s Reflections on APHA 2018

There were many firsts on this trip to APHA. This trip marked my first time as an APHA member, my first time at an APHA conference,

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There were many firsts on this trip to APHA.

This trip marked my first time as an APHA member, my first time at an APHA conference, my first time submitting an abstract, my first time getting it accepted, and my first time presenting at a conference. Being in San Diego was certainly a perk of the trip, but it was just one part of what made me feel all warm and fuzzy (seriously- from 30 degree to 80 degree November days- I almost didn’t come home). The focus of the APHA conference was “Creating the Healthiest Nation: Healthy Equity Now.”.

The messages we all heard were inspiring to our current work and where we need to focus for the future. It was such a great reminder to continue moving forward and be sure to focus and place the energy into helping those most marginalized in our communities by addressing social determinants of health and engaging them in our work. I’m proud to be a small piece of the puzzle as we work with partners who do just that and hope we all strive to find ways to do more where we are able. What a great opportunity this trip was!! I was proud to represent ECHO and the Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center, as well as copresent with one of our great partners, the Community Health Association of the Mountain Plains States. Thanks for letting me use my voice to ECHO our collaborative work!!

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Nov 14, 2018

Partner Highlights: WCAHEC and CALPHO Commit to Health Equity

Two of ECHO Colorado’s partners, the Western Colorado Area Health Education Center (WCAHEC) and the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) are engaging to improve

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Two of ECHO Colorado’s partners, the Western Colorado Area Health Education Center (WCAHEC) and the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) are engaging to improve health equity for all persons in Colorado.

WCAHEC recently joined with seven other Colorado regions in Ft. Morgan, Colo. under the oversight of the Colorado Trust to commit to making an impact by improving health equity for all Coloradans. WCAHEC is a grant recipient for this program, funded by the Colorado Trust with the help of Transformative Alliances, LLC of Denver. The in-depth, 18-month-long program educates participants about the historical development of health inequity in the United States while building a collaborative group of advocacy organizations across the state. 

Members of CALPHO participated in an ECHO Colorado learning series designed to provide rural and frontier Colorado Local Public Health Agency Directors with the knowledge and strategies to incorporate health equity into their programs and planning. Sessions covered public health practice and health equity in rural and frontier communities, tools for integrating health equity into LPHA initiatives, advancing health equity through partnerships, and communication skills and strategies for advancing health equity.

The efforts of WCAHEC and CALPHO will help address differences in health outcomes by race, ethnicity, geographic location and income among Colorado’s diverse populations. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, dire health inequities are experienced by communities of color, people with limited English proficiency, LGBTQ communities and others who may have experienced systematic discrimination or exclusion. By and large, these minority groups experience the lowest median household income, the highest infant mortality rates and the highest rates of diabetes in the state.

We are proud of the work WCAHEC and CALPHO are committing to in advancing health equity in Colorado!

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Nov 13, 2018

ECHO CO shares benefits of ECHO series to national and international researchers

ECHO Colorado staff presented their poster highlighting use of the ECHO model to enhance primary care providers abilities to manage common behavioral health conditions at the

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ECHO Colorado staff presented their poster highlighting use of the ECHO model to enhance primary care providers abilities to manage common behavioral health conditions at the North American Primary Care Research Group’s annual conference in Chicago, Ill. This poster presentation was one of only a few specific ECHO presentations highlighting the benefits of the ECHO model for enhancing medical provider’s capabilities to enhance patient care. We had national and international researchers express interest in this specific work on behavioral health, especially as Colorado has both large urban and rural provider populations.

Primary care providers (PCPs) in the US provide over half of the mental health treatment in the US. While they frequently assess and treat patients who present with mood and anxiety disorders, they may not have all the evidence-based tools available to them to provide the care needed to this patient population. ECHO Colorado is on the forefront of providing education on common behavioral health conditions for PCPs and has demonstrated increased self-efficacy and capacity for treating mood and anxiety disorders in the patients they serve.

Pictured here are Alex J. Reed, PsyD, MPH, Behavioral Health Liaison, ECHO Colorado and Erin Bishop, MPH, Evaluation Senior Professional, ECHO Colorado.

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Oct 29, 2018

ECHO Colorado Presents at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Executive Director, John F. “Fred” Thomas, represented ECHO Colorado last week at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 65th annual meeting.    Presence at

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Executive Director, John F. “Fred” Thomas, represented ECHO Colorado last week at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 65th annual meeting. 

 

Presence at the conference included the presentation of ECHO’s latest research poster, “Utility of the ECHO™ Model in Improving Primary Care Provider Self-Efficacy in Delivering Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services,” a collaborative project from the Pediatric Psychiatry learning series. 

Authors for the poster include: 

  • Suzuho Shimasaki, DrPH, MPH
    • ECHO Colorado
  • L. Charolette Lippolis, DO, MPH
    • LCL Wellness, LLC
  • Ellen Brilliant
    • American Academy of Pediatrics – Colorado Chapter
  • Erin Bishop, MPH
    • ECHO Colorado
  • John Fred Thomas, PhD
    • ECHO Colorado

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