Supporting Colorado’s Drug User Health Hub

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded a contract with the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) to build a Drug User Health Hub. This project, funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will help reduce transmission of viral hepatitis and promote the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the infectious disease consequences of drug use.

Addressing Substance Use in Colorado

In Colorado, intravenous drug use is the most common risk factor associated with acquiring hepatitis A and C. At the same time, overdose deaths in Colorado have risen sharply since 2019, in line with national trends. In 2020, the state suffered a historic high of 1,477 fatal overdoses; in 2022, that number rose to 1,799 (source: CDPHE).

Substance use disorder programs often focus on treating addiction and preventing overdoses, to the detriment of addressing the infectious diseases associated with injected drug use. People who inject drugs are at high risk for viral hepatitis, HIV, and bacterial or fungal infections, which require costly and prolonged medical care. Despite these acknowledged risks, there are many barriers to accessing longer-term medical and social care services.

Findhelp’s Network in Colorado

One of the reasons CDPHE chose Findhelp is because we have an engaged network that’s already in place. Our network spans the entire Centennial State and Coloradans across the state are using our platform to find and connect to needed services and support.

558,152 users statewide
1,740,226 searches conducted statewide
6,109 listed programs serving Colorado
1,645 claimed programs serving Colorado

Findhelp’s data and analytic tools can identify gaps in services and provide actionable insights to inform public policy. For example, over the past two years, monthly users and searches on Findhelp’s network in Colorado jumped 252% and 167% respectively, reflecting our important (and growing) role in connecting Coloradans to local social assistance.

Partnering for Success in Colorado

As of October 2022 we partner with more than 18 customers through the state to connect their patients, members, students, constituents, and clients to local resources. Here are some highlights of how these organizations successfully partner and innovate with us to lift up their communities.

Based in Colorado, Denver Health is known for emergency medicine and trauma care; as Colorado’s primary safety-net institution, Denver Health has provided billions of dollars in uncompensated care and serves as a model for other safety net institutions across the nation.

In 2021, Denver Health launched their Community Resources platform (powered by Findhelp); their staff conduct health-related social needs screening for medically-complex patients and care navigators follow up to address identified needs.
Denver Health staff have made nearly 3,000 referrals to social care programs and have integrated their Findhelp platform with Epic’s MyChart application to make it easy for their patients to self-navigate to needed social care services.

UCHealth strives to promote individual and community health and leaves no question unanswered along the way. Their network of nationally-recognized hospitals, clinic locations, and health care providers extends throughout Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska.

Since launching their UCHealth platform (powered by Findhelp) in 2019 to provide a standardized and centralized resource tool to address patients’ social needs, UCHealth has made over 14,000 connections to resources on behalf of their patients.
In partnership with Findhelp, Denver Health, Intermountain, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and others, UCHealth is collaborating locally in the Denver metro area to build a trusted network of community referral partners who are trained on the Findhelp platform.

Early Childhood Partnership of Adams County (ECPAC) is made up of over 80 Adams County, Colorado organizations and family partners building a system of early childhood education, health, mental health and family support so every child is ready for school and can read well by 3rd grade.

ECPAC launched their Adams County (CO) Resources platform (powered by Findhelp) to connect their community partners with families who need help, and to provide a safe and secure way for Adams County residents to self-navigate anonymously if they aren’t ready to reach out for assistance.
Since launching their platform in August 2022, ECPAC has made over 17,000 searches and 2,000 connections and trained more than 100 community referral partners.

Next Steps for the Drug User Health Hub Project

The health hub will focus on the surveillance of viral hepatitis, increased stakeholder engagement in viral hepatitis treatment planning and elimination, as well as improved access to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment among populations at risk. In addition, the project aims to deliver comprehensive, outcome-focused approaches to preventing infections associated with injection drug use, reducing overdose deaths, and linking people to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.

Phase 1 is focused on creating a resource directory in the Pueblo area later this year / early 2024.

Supporting Your Community

Schedule a demo with one of our team members to learn more about how our platform can meet the needs of the individuals you serve.