Policy & Advocacy

Influencing policies that affect Community Health Centers (CHCs) and their patients.

CCHN monitors, analyzes, and influences legislative and regulatory policies that impact CHCs and their patients. We advocate for policies that will increase access to health care for the medically underserved, including recipients of Health First Colorado and Child Health Plan Plus(CHP+), and those who are uninsured or underinsured. We also advocate for policies that will support CHCs in their role as the largest, proven primary health care system in the state.

CCHN’s policy and advocacy work includes:

  1. Policy/regulatory analysis and lobbying
  2. Media and public communications
  3. Grassroots advocacy
  4. Improving Colorado’s public health insurance programs through the Covering Kids and Families (CKF) project
  5. Policy resources
  6. Colorado CHCs: Critical to Colorado’s Behavioral Health Infrastructure

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State Policy
CCHN works closely with the Colorado General Assembly to educate legislators, track legislation, testify in front of committees, and lobby our positions on a variety of health policy issues. CCHN’s policy priorities are set by the CCHN Board of Directors and its legislative sub-committee. Areas of interest include:

  1. Health First Colorado
  2. CHP+
  3. CHC funding

In addition to these priorities, CCHN is also actively involved with state boards and agencies responsible for various programs affecting CHCs and their medically underserved patients. We work with the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing and the Department of Public Health and Environment on many health care programs, including:

  1. Grant programs for cancer, health disparities, primary care, and other areas;
  2. Medical professional loan repayment programs; and
  3. Health care shortage designations.

For more information on CCHN’s current policy priorities, visit CCHN’s Legislative Priorities.

Federal Policy
On the federal level, CCHN works closely with the National Association of Community Health Centers.

For more information on CCHN’s policy and advocacy work, please contact:

Stephanie Brooks, Policy Director
Maureen Maxwell, Senior Manager, Federal Policy & Communications
Alice Steiner, Senior Manager, Policy and Advocacy
Liz Tansey, CKF Senior Manager
Shoshana Preuss, Senior Policy Analyst
Grace Trautman, Communications Coordinator
Rosario Morales, Payment Reform Manager