EVENTS
Key Legislative Actions Taken During The 2021 Legislative Session | Download Full Document
Establish Behavioral Health Administration HB21-1097
The bill addresses multiple recommendations from the Colorado Behavioral Health Task force (task force), created in 2019, related to the creation of a Behavioral Health administration (BHA). The BHA will be a single state agency to lead, promote, and administer the state’s behavioral health priorities.
Residential Tenancy Procedures HB21-1121
The bill increases eviction and tenancy protections for residential tenants by: extending the period for residential evictions after a landlord wins an eviction judgement from 48 hours to 10 days; prohibiting landlords from increasing rent more than one time in a 12 month period; and extending the written notice period for raising rent or terminating a residential tenancy when there is no written agreement between the landlord and tenant from 21 to 60 days.
LTSS Case Management Redesign HB21-1187
Current law provides for the establishment of a single entry point system with single entry point agencies throughout the state to enable persons 18 years of age or older in need of long-term care to access appropriate services. The bill requires the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) to adopt rules for the establishment of a redesigned case management system, no later than July 1, 2024, that consists of case management agencies throughout the state for the purpose of enabling individuals in need of long-term care to access appropriate long-term services and supports.
Workforce Development Funding HB21-1264
The bill creates the Stimulus Investments in Reskilling, Upskilling, and Next-Skilling Workers Program (program) as an initiative of the State Work Force Development Council (state council) to facilitate training for unemployed and underemployed workers in the state during times of substantial unemployment, defined as a statewide unemployment rate that exceeds 4%. The bill appropriates $25 million for the program and directs the state council to use the money to support individuals (including older Coloradans) in need of reskilling, upskilling, and next-skilling.
Innovative Affordable Housing Strategies HB21-1271
The bill creates 3 different programs in the department of local affairs (DOLA) for the purpose of offering grant money and other forms of state assistance to local governments to promote innovative solutions to the development of affordable housing across the state: Local Government Affordable Housing Development Incentives Grant Program, Local Government Planning Grant Program, The Affordable Housing Guided Toolkit and Local Officials Guide program.
American Rescue Plan Act Money to Invest in Affordable Housing HB21-1329
This bill allocates $98.5 million to the Division of Housing for expanded gap financing, $1.5 million for the Eviction Legal Defense Fund. Under ARPA, the state of Colorado receives over $500 million to address the housing needs of populations, households, or geographic areas disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency. The bill creates the affordable housing and home ownership cash fund (fund) in the state treasury and provides for the transfer of $550 million to the fund to respond to the public health emergency with respect to COVID-19 or its negative economic impacts, particularly for programs or services that benefit populations, households, or geographic areas disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency, focusing on programs or services that address housing insecurity, lack of affordable housing, or homelessness.
Alternative Response for At-Risk Adults SB21-118
Current law allows for only one type of response for a county department of human or social services to follow after a report of mistreatment or self-neglect of an at-risk adult, regardless of the level of risk reported. That type of response requires a full investigation, including unannounced initial in-person interviews, and a
finding by the county department. The bill creates, beginning January 1, 2022, an Alternative Response Pilot Program that a participating county department can
utilize when it receives a report, related to an at-risk adult, of mistreatment or self-neglect, and the report has identified the risk as lower risk, as defined by rules promulgated by the State Department of Human Services.
Behavioral Health Recovery Act SB21-137
The bill makes various changes to multiple behavioral health programs in state government. Funds these behavioral health programs. It creates the Behavioral and Mental Health Cash Fund to be used for mental health treatment, substance misuse treatment, and other behavioral health services allowable under ARPA. The bill transfers $550 million to the fund from the ARPA of 2021 Cash Fund. The Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force will make recommendations to the legislature on investing the ARPA funds.
Improve Prison Outcomes SB21-146
This bill modifies the eligibility criteria for special needs parole; requires the State Public Defender to provide a liaison to the Department of Corrections; requires the DOC to pay health insurance premiums for up to six months for certain released senior inmates; and requires studies on health care coverage for senior inmates upon release. The bill requires the Colorado Commission on Aging in the Department of Human Services to study and make recommendations related to health insurance enrollment for inmates who are 65 years of age or older upon release from prison. The commission is required to report its findings to the legislature by January 1, 2022.
Creation of Financial Empowerment Office SB21-148
The bill creates the Financial Empowerment Office in the Department of Law (DOL). The office is charged with growing the financial resilience of Coloradans by expanding access to safe and affordable banking and credit, and free individual financial counseling and coaching, as well as developing stronger consumer protections.
Increase Geriatric Medical Providers SB21-158
The bill modifies the Colorado Health Service Corps program in the Department of Public Health and Environment to include education loan repayment for geriatric advanced practice providers. It includes an appropriation of $400,000. It allows advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants with geriatric training or experience, to participate in the loan repayment program on the condition of committing to provide geriatric care to older adults in health professional shortage areas for three years. This was a Colorado Center for Aging initiated bill.
Rights in residential Lease Agreements SB21-173
This bill makes changes regarding late fees charged by landlords and court procedures for forcible entry and detainer cases, as follows: requires information about late fees in tenant leases; limits late fees on unpaid rent; gives renters more time to provide funds and avoid eviction; prohibits tenant evictions solely for owing late fees; bans lease clauses that provide financial incentives to landlords who evict; eliminates bond requirements so Colorado renters can offer legitimate defenses and are not priced out of court; and establishes a financial penalty for landlords who illegally lock out tenants.
Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board SB21-175
The bill creates the Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board, charged with reviewing prescription drug affordability data and creating caps on drug costs. Beginning January 1, 2022, it is unlawful to purchase a prescription drug at a cost that exceeds the cap established by the board except for personal or familial use.
Equity Strategic Plan to Address Health Disparities SB21-181
Under current law, the Office of Health Equity in the Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) administers the Health Disparities Grant Program. The grant program is funded from the Health Disparities Grant Program Fund, which receives a portion of annual cigarette and tobacco tax revenue. This bill renames the program as the Health Disparities and Community Grant Program and expands its functions. The program’s grantmaking scope is broadened to address social determinants of health for underrepresented populations.
Housing Development Grants Hotels Tenancy Support Program SB21-242
This bill expands the use of the Housing Development Grant Fund in the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to be used for tenancy support services, including those that target individuals experiencing homelessness, and for grants and loans to local governments and non-profits for the rental, acquisition, or renovation of underutilized hotels, motels, and properties to provide non-congregate sheltering or affordable housing. The bill transfers $15.0 million for this purpose.
Security for Colorado Seniors SB21-290
The bill creates the Area Agency on Agency Grant Program within the Department of Human Services (CDHS). The program is intended to support projects that help older Coloradoans including community services; infrastructure improvements; health promotion; transportation services; home modification; and fall prevention and chronic disease management programs. By October 31, 2021, CDHS must collaborate with the Area Agencies on Aging to implement the program. On January 1, 2022, CDHS must accept and review grant applications and determine grant amounts. Finally, in 2023 the DHS must report to the General Assembly on the grant program and its impact on older Coloradans.
We will host happy hour in person!! Networking & Fun!
Hosted by: Health Promotion Partners
2924 Beacon Ste B
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Details to come! Register Now
We will host happy hour in person!! Details to come.
Join Angels Against Alzheimers as they host the October Happy Hour at Paninos on the east side, 3015 New Center Point from 4:30-6p. There will be hors devours and all attendees will receive a complimentary alcoholic beverage.
Find out more about the organization and network with colleagues!
Angels Against Alzheimer’s was founded by Gina R. Kaiser (Miller) in 2016 after her father suffered from Alzheimer’s for 7 years.
They host an annual event in April called Masked till Midnight with a casino setup, other fun games and live music. All money raised from their annual event stays locally in El Paso and Teller counties. Monies in the past years have gone to the UCCS Aging Center and Daybreak, An Adult Day Care
Jarett Hughes, Senior Policy Advisor on Aging for the Governor, will explain the basics of the Lifelong Colorado State Plan, as it promotes quality of life for older Coloradans as vital members of our communities. Lifelong Colorado is our statewide initiative that captures local, regional, and state strategies supporting aging in the community. At the state-level, this involves coordinating agency planning and aligning implementation efforts in-line with Colorado’s Strategic Action Plan on Aging. At the local-level, one of the most critical components in response to our shifting demographics are livable community efforts through either the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities and the Denver Regional Council of Governments Boomer Bond initiative. Both AARP and DRCOG efforts focus on housing, transportation, built environment, workforce development, social engagement, health care, and community support services. Access, or lack of access, to these domains across the lifespan drive health disparities and impact health outcomes in later life. Our emerging demographic reality is a first and will become our new normal as generations of Coloradans continue to live long and productive lives. It also requires us to confront, and boldly address, the challenges that adequately supporting an aging population raises.
We will host happy hour in person!! Details to come.
Join the SRC for our annual presentation: Colorado and Regional Population Trends and Aging.
Colorado was the 2nd fastest aging state in the nation last decade. Cindy DeGroen, the Senior Demographer in the State Demography Office, will discuss Colorado’s changing demographics and present the trends in Colorado’s aging, looking back over the past 30 years and looking forward to the next 30 years. Always an informational and interesting presentation especially this year with the implications of Covid on our population.
Details to come soon. Register Now
AAA Medicaid Consulting and the Palisades will be co-hosting our March Council Connections. They will both share how their services can support the seniors our SRC Members serve. Food and drinks will be served, along with opportunities to win a prize!!!
We will also have time for networking!
Our April General Membership Meeting will focus on Affordable Housing options for Seniors in and around the Pikes Peak Region. We will hear from a panel of experts to include: Steve Posey, Nancy Henjum and Silver Key.
Join us to learn more about affordable and low income housing inventory in Colorado Springs, who is working to support these efforts and what we can do as SRC members to help educate and support the seniors we all serve.
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Steve Posey
Steve Posey is the Community Development Manager for the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Prior to joining the City of Colorado Springs in 2012, Steve worked as a HUD program consultant for multiple jurisdictions in Arizona, including the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County. His specialty is the financing and development of public facilities and affordable housing using Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Program funds, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and Private Activity Bonds. Steve is dedicated to leveraging public resources with private investment in projects that result in long-term community benefits.
Nancy Henjum
Nancy Henjum is a 30-year resident of City Council District 5. Her dad was Joe Henjum, an Air Force pilot who was an instructor at the Air Force Academy where Nancy spent several years of her childhood. She received her Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University in Chicago, where she worked as a clinical therapist before moving with her husband to start a family in Colorado Springs. She and her husband, Steve Kern, a retired schoolteacher, have raised two children, now grown.
Nancy’s professional life in Colorado has included being the Chief Operations Officer for a public-private partnership that managed behavioral health services for 43 of the 63 counties in the state. She was also a faculty member at the Center for Creative Leadership, engaging in leadership development and executive coaching. She runs her own leadership consultancy business, working with a wide variety of organizations, both large and small, including energy companies, arts groups, non-profits, and civic entities.
Nancy has also served as a local volunteer-leader in many capacities: as board president for CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates); as facilitator with the Illumination Project promoting dialogue between law enforcement and community members; and as moderator of the council of First Congregational Church in downtown Colorado Springs.
Lee Patke
Lee has thirty years in corporate and non-profit settings that combined business operations, execution of strategic plans, workforce readiness, housing and program development, and service to clients across a variety of settings. Lee has served as Executive Director for Greccio Housing in Colorado Springs since 2010. Immediately prior to Greccio, Lee was Chief Operating Officer for Griffith Centers for Children, having served as a wilderness-based Therapist, Program Director, and COO over 12 his years there. Lee is a long-time member of the Pikes Peak Kiwanis Club, spent 6 years on the Board of Housing Colorado, currently serves on the Board of Innovations in Aging Collaborative, and is a founding member of the Affordable Housing Collaborative in El Paso County. He earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Sam Houston State University, and a Master’s of Science in Social Work for the University of Texas in Arlington. Lee and his wife Laura live in northern El Paso County and have 4 daughters. The family enjoys a traditional outdoor Colorado lifestyle, and has lived, worked, and volunteered in the Pikes Peak region for 25 years.
Dayton Romero
Dayton is a Colorado Native, born in Trinidad Colorado, and has lived in Colorado Springs for over 12 years. He is an alumnus of UCCS where he earned a degree in Psychology with a minor in Gerontology, and is currently a Master of Public Health candidate, concentrating on leadership and public practice at CU Anschutz Medical. He is completing his capstone as a part of the Community Collaborative Response Task Force that is aimed toward reducing fragmentation in our state’s healthcare system through care coordination.
Dayton has served in several leadership positions at Silver Key over the past 6 ½ years, where he has had led the Health and Wellness teams including behavioral health and housing programs; designing of programs and systems flows; and developed Silver Key’s centralized phone system and data base.
Dayton currently serves as Director of Healthcare Strategy and Integration at Silver Key. He is responsible for guiding and influencing local, state, and national design of projects and efforts to ensure a pathway is made for Silver Key to maximize service delivery and resources. Additionally, he provides leadership through development of strategy, presentations, and implementation internally and externally for senior service expansion.
The Joe Henjum Senior Accolades is an event to honor those providing exemplary work that benefits seniors in our community.
The Henjum Awards celebrate our community’s heroes who go above and beyond in their service to our city’s seniors. Multiple nominees for the exceptional Volunteer, exceptional Business as well as exceptional Business Professional working in the Colorado Springs area are considered and weighed by a panel of local seniors, and the winner of each is announced at our annual awards event.
A proper celebration for proper local heroes.
The Joe Henjum Senior Accolades is an event to honor those providing exemplary work that benefits seniors in our community.
The Henjum Awards celebrate our community’s heroes who go above and beyond in their service to our city’s seniors. Multiple nominees for the exceptional Volunteer, exceptional Business as well as exceptional Business Professional working in the Colorado Springs area are considered and weighed by a panel of local seniors, and the winner of each is announced at our annual awards event.
A proper celebration for proper local heroes.
Save the Date!
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Open Networking & Pre-event Happy Hour 3:00-5:00
Accolades Dinner and Awards Presentation 5:00-7:00
Creekside Event Center
5515 Palmer Park Blvd
Colorado Springs, CO 80915
May’s Dine & Develop will be a virtual event. Come learn how the Direct Care Workforce Collaborative is working to standardize training and curriculum for Personal care workers. We will hear from Penny Whitney and Brooke Snyder!
Personal care workers provide most of the paid, hands-on home care received by millions of frail older adults living in their own homes, assisted living and other non-institutional settings. The Personal Care Assistant (PCA) workforce is projected to grow 45% and create 56,500 job openings by 2026 in Colorado. Standardizing training will prepare PCAs to care for complex clients and provide career mobility and workforce flexibility for PCA’s if they want to move from one place to another.
We hope to see you May 18th for this exciting and informational event by our friends at the Direct care workforce collaborative.
Don’t forget to RSVP to receive your meeting login.
MORE about DCWC
The DCWC is a stakeholder led Colorado initiative with a Mission to stabilize the direct care workforce by implementing strategies to support three identified priority areas (Compensation/Benefits; Training/Career Advancement; and Value/Awareness) and to raise awareness of the essential contributions of this workforce to healthcare.
The Vision for DCWC is to be recognized as the central hub for action, expertise, and advocacy on behalf the direct care workforce. This vision is beginning to become a reality this year as each of our three Action Groups begin implementation of the strategic action steps developed in 2021 and as the DCWC develops important partnerships across the State.
DCWC is positioned with a full agenda of goals for 2022; however, the success of all the goals is linked to an increased awareness and understanding of the important healthcare role of the direct care workforce. Colorado is identified as the second fastest aging state in the US. Research confirms that 70% of those over 65 will need the support of a direct care professional sometime in their life. The work DCWC does today to stabilize the direct care workforce and raise awareness of their essential value will provide benefit well beyond 2022.
Penny Whitney
Hello, I am Penny Whitney. It is my privilege to serve as the 2021-2022 Co-Chair for the Colorado Direct Care Workforce Collaborative. My path to the DCWC has been both professional and personal. During the last ten years the focus of my professional consulting practice has been strategic facilitation and interprofessional team leadership development in healthcare and most specifically long-term skilled healthcare. Although my consulting focuses on leadership teams, I know and value the importance of the direct care workforce for quality care outcomes. However, it was not until I had two family members diagnosed with terminal conditions ultimately requiring the support of direct care givers that I really understood the importance of the direct care workforce and the value they provide not only to clients but to families.