It turns out they weren’t the only organization that understood the importance of celebration—CCMU believes just as strongly in celebrating progress, both large and small. As many of you know, this year we have a big reason to celebrate: we’re 15 years old! And Tuesday night, we threw a bash fifteen years in the making—CCMU’s Celebrating the Journey anniversary party.

Nearly 170 of our nearest and dearest friends came together at the Space Gallery to reminisce about old times, celebrate our shared accomplishments, and recognize 15 health champions who’ve gone above and beyond in their dedication to issues facing the medically underserved. Awardees included Governor Ritter and Governor Lamm, city and state officials and policymakers, health care leaders from around the state, and dedicated health care providers.

With so much to celebrate in fifteen years of hard but important work, we felt we needed a couple different ways to capture it all. In addition to the party, we put together a nifty retrospective that includes a timeline of big events in our history, as well as a video of the people who know us best telling our story.

In addition to honoring the people, passion, and product of CCMU’s past, this event gave us the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our goals, and capture the energy to continue the journey. The night was capped off by a festive Mariachi band and, of course, a group chant led by our president and founder, Dr. Gary VanderArk. Say it with me now…

We can! We must! We will!

Want to see photos from the event? You can find them in our new event photo gallery!

The medically underserved often face challenges in seeking affordable health care services, especially when it comes to paying hospital bills without health insurance. Just signed by the Governor on Monday, SB 134 requires hospitals to reduce their rates for low-income, uninsured patients to match the discounted rates insurance companies pay. It will also increase transparency of the billing and payment process for uninsured patients, so they know their options up front.

We at CCMU believe that some of the most innovative work being done in health care systems change is being done at the local level, and HB 1017, which was signed into law in April, is helping encourage that. CCMU supported this initiative when it first began several years ago, so we were pleased to see Health Access Pueblo able to continue providing access to basic health services with a fund collectively sponsored by community members.

We have also been supportive of the Accountable Care Collaborative, which establishes a new approach in providing care with more focus on primary care and coordination of care across needs for our low-income children and families on Medicaid. In order to continue facilitating that shift in the right direction, HB 1281 has passed, and is due to be signed into law in the coming weeks. This bill allows for pilot programs to test new ways for Medicaid providers to be paid.

Ensuring sufficient access to health care for those in need is another issue we wrangle with regularly, especially since we lack complete data about Colorado’s existing health care workforce. Fortunately, HB 1052 will create a publicly available database of health care providers and the settings in which they deliver care across the state.

Of additional interest this session were bills to improve oral health access. We believe overall physical health is inextricably linked to mental health and oral health, and so we were pleased that oral health entered into the conversation prominently this year with the hard work on HB 1326 and SB 108. Thanks to HB 1326, low-income seniors are now able to receive oral health services. Although SB 108 got caught up in the activity of the last 48 hours and wasn’t able to come to a vote, it did appear to have significant support and we hope it will pass next year. The bill would have provided dental benefits to pregnant women receiving Medicaid, in order to break the trend of untreated dental disease in the mother during pregnancy and its correlation with oral disease in children.

Despite the dark clouds hanging over us at the start of this year’s session, I am proud of and grateful for the important advances we’ve made this year in improving Colorado’s health care system. As long as we can focus on the big picture of a health care system that works for all Coloradans, we can continue to move forward, together.

A: The CCMU Board of Directors.

This month CCMU will celebrate 15 years of work toward our unwavering mission of improving care for the underserved. Our unyielding focus on our mission and much of the progress that we celebrate is because of the dedication and guidance of the CCMU Board of Directors, not just as Board Members, but as health care experts making an impact in Colorado through their own hard work.

The CCMU Board of Directors is a dynamic group of health care leaders who dedicate their time, energy, and passion to help CCMU reach our mission. It is a profound privilege to call these folks my bosses and to have such a knowledgeable and respected group of advisors for our work. These experts in the field keep us up to speed about the latest issues in improving value in health care, addressing oral health needs across the state, maintaining the health care safety net, providing mental health services to vulnerable populations, and of course, relevant legal and financial issues that could impact our work.

More important than their expertise, however, the CCMU Board of Directors provides a moral compass for the organization and grounds us in our mission. Whenever we get stuck on an issue or are unsure of which path to take, I look forward to talking with the Board and relishing their thoughtful dialogue and guidance. I greatly admire their ability to perfectly balance a deep and sincere compassion for the underserved and their health care providers with a strategic pragmatism that makes me a better leader and our organization a better agent of change.

So this month, I dedicate this column space to:

• Sharon Adams
• Barbara Brett
• Karen Cody Carlson
• Dr. Carl Clark
• Dave Dennis
• Dr. Mark Earnest
• Natalie Funk
• John Gardner
• Tracy Johnson
• Dr. Larry Kieft
• Brenda Morrison
• Gerry Niederman
• Edie Sonn
• Dr. Gary VanderArk

Our fabulous board of directors.

Here are my top three tips for aspiring photographers and health care innovators:

Alter your perspective: Just as photos can become more interesting when they are taken from an unexpected angle, looking at health care issues from a different perspective can be enlightening. Whether it is a doctor putting themselves in the shoes of a patient, a legislator looking at a bill from the opposing side, or a frustrated patient considering what it is like to be a provider, we could all benefit from taking a step back and looking at health care from a different point of view.

Be willing to break the rules: There are many rules when it comes to photograph composition and I follow them closely. I get my best photos, though, when I knowingly step outside of the lines and am willing to experiment. Sometimes rules need to be broken! In medicine, this can mean being willing to sign on to a new model of care—like the Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)—or being open to alternative therapies. One great example of health care innovation that broke all the rules is the Hot Spotters movement, started by Dr. Jeffrey Brenner in Camden, NJ.

Shoot candidly and get closer: It’s true that some (maybe even most) people aren’t comfortable in front of a camera. Posed shots often end up showing every bit of awkwardness the subject is feeling. Shooting candidly or extremely close up can lead to more natural shots and a better representation of your subject. I see the importance of this approach in health care change, too. CCMU’s on-the-ground, community approach lends strength and perspective to our work, and reminds us who it is that we are working on behalf of. Getting close and candidly conversing with these everyday Coloradans who live the good and the bad of the health care system is a great refresher course on why our work is important.

Keynote speaker Monte Roulier, Co-Founder of Community Initiatives in Columbia, MO, really delivered by reminding me of the importance of context.  My work, your work, our work—none of it happens in a vacuum—we are all part of greater movement of people working toward healthier communities.  Community Commons has even created a map of the work being done across the US. Like raindrops on a pond, the ripples of community initiatives spread out, intersect, overlap, and reach the far corners of our country, touching the lives of millions of people.

Once we see how our work in one small corner of the world has connected us to others, the larger context of our shared visions can spur us on to greater achievement. Inspired by Monte’s challenge to look beyond ourselves, the room full of conference attendees took on a new life for me as a room full of context for CCMU’s work—dozens of other community health improvement efforts building a greater movement in Colorado.

What else did I learn from Monte? The seven attributes of a high-functioning community health initiative:

1. Move forward with a spirit of inquiry while coalescing around a shared vision and agenda
2. Adapt to emerging opportunities
3. Think like social entrepreneurs by borrowing from others while building your own success story
4. Use data to guide, not drive your efforts
5. Artfully blend policy, program, and promotion
6. Lead with a spirit of stewardship by practicing the art of collaborative leadership
7. Establish formal structures and processes

I have the great privilege of working with many health coalitions across the state, and their commitment to their community—whether it be geographic, demographic, or otherwise—is deep and unyielding. I can say with pride that many of these groups already model these seven best practices.  Together, we are more than the sum of our parts, with each small success driving the greater movement forward and building momentum for larger systems transformation. As I continue to build relationships with groups across Colorado, I look forward to watching our pond grow more restless with the impacts of so many valuable community change efforts.