In dozens of communities across Colorado, formal health alliances are using collective impact approaches to tackle the major social issues of healthcare. Some of the alliances have been around for decades and others are just now exploring formalization, but all of them are working on a common agenda, using collaborative leadership strategies, to improve the local healthcare system and ensure access to care for all community members.
Since 2012, the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved (CCMU) has convened these alliances in a statewide learning network called the Colorado Network of Health Alliances. Last week, CCMU published a year-in-review document, Progress & Possibilities, detailing the first year of the network, including current membership (21 alliances) and highlights of the work being done by these groups. They also identified three strategies for local healthcare change that are common across the members of the Colorado Network of Health Alliances:
- Developing Healthcare Leadership for Change – Health alliances are on the front lines of identifying and developing champions for healthcare change in communities across Colorado. These organizations have the unique ability to bring diverse and high-powered leaders and stakeholders together to work toward common goals.
- Increasing Access to the Healthcare System – Health alliances are working hard to catalyze new healthcare access points, to maximize enrollment in new health insurance coverage options, and planning to care for the needs of Coloradans who will remain uninsured after the Affordable Care Act is implemented.
- Improving and Strengthening the Healthcare System – Through formal alliances, health and community leaders across the state are constantly searching for ways to coordinate services, limit duplication, and pool resources.
Read the full report here.
