Sean Dressel

The session provided an overview of Denver Health's history, its components, and its commitment to serving the community regardless of the ability to pay. Key discussion points included Denver Health's net community benefit investment of $81.7 million in 2020, broken down into investments for treating Medicaid patients ($33.8 million), charity care ($13.2 million), treating uninsured patients ($10.5 million), health professions education ($13.1 million), and community health improvement ($11.1 million). The presentation also detailed progress on three priorities established from a prior Community Health Needs Assessment: enhancing behavioral health and substance use services (including training, expanding services like the STAR pilot, and partnering with facilities like Sobriety House), improving child health and well-being (through multi-benefit enrollment piloting SNAP and WIC partnerships, enhanced social needs screening, and Medicaid beneficiary engagement strategies), and enhancing economic opportunity via the Anchor Institution Initiative, which includes establishing a Center for Equity, Diversity, and Opportunity and a new Chief Impact Officer role. Furthermore, the presentation covered extensive community vaccination efforts in 2021, administering over 97,000 COVID vaccines. Finally, the Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) requirements were outlined, focusing on improving patient care for Medicaid fee-for-service patients, quality improvement planning, community engagement requirements (annual meetings and twice-yearly engagement meetings), and meeting ten performance benchmarks starting in October 2023.

This document outlines the Denver Health 2024-2026 Implementation Plan, developed in response to the 2023 Community Health Needs Assessment. The plan focuses on three key priorities: enhancing community access to care, expanding behavioral health services (including mental health and substance misuse), and partnering to improve access to housing resources. It aims to fulfill Denver Health's vision of being the most trusted healthcare provider in Colorado by addressing these critical community needs.

This document outlines Denver Health's application and strategic approach for its participation in the Hospital Transformation Program (HTP). The plan prioritizes improving patient outcomes and experiences, reducing healthcare costs, preparing for value-based payments, and strengthening community collaborations. Key focus areas include enhancing access to patient-centered medical, behavioral, and social care resources, improving specialty care access through e-consults, integrating social care into inpatient delivery, reducing readmissions, and ensuring the provision of alternatives to opioids in emergency departments. The overarching vision is to continuously improve quality through data analytics, care redesign, and robust community partnerships.

The Denver Health and Hospital Authority's Community Benefit Implementation Plan outlines strategic initiatives derived from its 2020 Community Health Needs Assessment. The plan focuses on three key priorities: enhancing behavioral health and substance use services, improving child health and well-being, and fostering economic opportunity in Denver through its anchor institution initiative. These efforts are designed to address upstream determinants of health, promote social equity, and ultimately transform community health.

This Community Health Needs Assessment identifies and prioritizes the most pressing health concerns within the Denver community. It focuses on three key areas: Access to Care, Behavioral Health (Mental Health and Substance Misuse), and Housing and Homelessness. The assessment, informed by primary and secondary data as well as community and organizational input, will guide Denver Health's community benefit efforts to enhance the overall well-being of the community by addressing health disparities and leveraging evidence-based strategies.