HopeWest has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Colorado Health Foundation to develop a comprehensive advanced care planning initiative with the goal of increasing the number of Coloradoans who are actively engaged in their health by 4,000 people over the course of two years.
The comprehensive advance care planning initiative will involve:
- Developing standardized advance care planning forms and reference guides to be used in various health care settings
- Creating sample physician office policies and procedures in partnership with the Mesa County Physicians Independent Practice Association
- Designing and distributing recognizable folders to hold advance care planning documentation
- Developing and executing a strategy for placement and accessibility of advance directives in the health information exchange common medical record in partnership with Quality Health Network
- Hosting continuing education sessions for area physicians, attorneys and accountants
- Hosting community education events in partnership with the Mesa County Advance Care Planning Task Force
“At the heart of this initiative is our desire to encourage community members to have thoughtful conversations about their health care decisions with local health professionals and make their wishes known,” said Christy Whitney, President and CEO of HopeWest. “Too often, people do not have these conversations and do not document their wishes. When a health crisis arises, family members are distraught and don’t know which health care options their loved one would have wanted.”
HopeWest is collaborating with other health care organizations, emergency medical responders, attorneys and other professionals in Mesa County to achieve the goals of this project.
“We appreciate HopeWest’s active commitment to engaging Coloradans in their health and health care through advance care planning,” said Dara Hessee, senior program officer at the Colorado Health Foundation. “We are excited to partner with them on this important initiative.”
About the Colorado Health Foundation
The Colorado Health Foundation works to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation by ensuring that all Colorado kids are fit and healthy and that all Coloradans achieve stable, affordable and adequate health coverage to improve their health with support from a network of primary health care and community services. To advance our mission, the Foundation engages the community through grant making, public policy and advocacy, private sector engagement, strategic communications, uation for learning and assessment and by operating primary care residency training programs. For more information, please visit ColoradoHealth.org.