The Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) is unlike any other State Office of Rural Health, with its unique formation as not only a nonprofit, but also as a member-based association. The earliest association on record in the Unites States was the New York Chamber of Commerce, formed in 1768 by a group of merchants.  At the heart of associations is the sense of working together on a common cause.  Associations can form for any number of reasons; serving a variety of purposes and providing a range of services or products for members.

The CRHC, originally called the Colorado Rural Health Resource Center (the Center), was created by members of the Colorado Rural Health Consortium.  The Consortium was a group of major health agencies, state legislators, and concerned individuals who began meeting in August 1990 to develop a plan for addressing Colorado’s rural health issues.

The Consortium members determined that Colorado needed a focal point for addressing rural health concerns.  With funding from the federal Office of Rural Health Policy, The Consortium was awarded $43,000 in the fall of 1991. One year later the Colorado Rural Health Resource Center opened for business.  Approximately six months later, the Consortium members became the “membership” of the Center.