The Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) and the Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center (RMPHTC) attended the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) Annual Conference in Washington D.C. on May 21, the only national meeting that supports and highlights the work of the nation’s public health institutes. NNPHI members lead conference programming that explores fresh concepts and strategies for supporting healthy communities at the local, state, and federal levels. Conference topics ranged from evidence-based public health, to strategies for bridging gaps between the public health system and the health care delivery system to inspiring new models, partnerships, and prospects in public health practice.

For ECHO Colorado Project Coordinator Michelle Guthrie and Shannon Kolman, Policy and Programs Director at CALPHO, it was an opportunity to share their experience with a national audience as they presented Distance Learning Approaches to Addressing Health Equity and Strategizing for Health Equity in Rural/Frontier Local Public Health Agencies Using a Distance Learning Approach, respectively. Michelle’s presentation addressed the question: Can distance training modalities effectively address complex public health issues such as health equity? Shannon discussed how equity is becoming the guiding public health framework.

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On May 8, Colorado Community Health Network brought together clinical, operations, and policy leaders from Colorado CHCs to share multi-perspective considerations around opioid use, prevention, stigma and treatment in Colorado. ECHO Colorado’s Marketing and Outreach Manager, Halley Hadfield, attended to provide opportunity around the upcoming learning series for Prenatal Substance Exposure and to be an active participant in the conversation around the need for more resources state-wide as well as identifying gaps in knowledge and services around opioid use disorder. 

Some memorable conference highlights and resources include:

• Panel participants sharing personal stories to break the stigma in support of the Lift the Label Campaign 
• CHI’s report out on the Colorado Landscape of Medication Assisted Treatment
• Lisa Raville’s inspiring and eye-opening presentation on the Harm Reduction Approach and Impact 
• Jennifer Miles, Frontline Public Affairs, and Representative Leslie Herod’s passionate Legislative and Policy Session that spoke to a new initiative in Denver, The Caring for Denver Foundation, which will distribute more than $35 million per year to fund mental health and addiction services for children and adults. 

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