ARPA Newsletter 009  |   November 2023  |  Boco.org/ARPA

IN THIS EDITION

Did You Know?
The OmniSalud Program Helps Coloradans Find Health Insurance Plans According to Their Needs

Economic Challenges
Success Story of Family Connects Service for New Parents in Boulder County (Part 1)

Housing Affordability 
Longmont Public Media Highlights the Progress of the Affordable Housing Project, Willoughby Corner

Community Resource Fair and Survey at Columbine Home Park 

Mental Health and Social Resilience 
New Opportunity for Community Agencies to Provide Mental Health Awareness Trainings

Advancing to Provide Comprehensive Mental Health Programs in Boulder County

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For previously published newsletters, go to boco.org/ARPA or click on this Newsroom link.

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investments are making an impact in our Boulder County communities by providing resources to people who were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this newsletter, we share examples of the ARPA-supported work that is underway. We invite you to visit https://www.boco.org/ARPA
for additional information.

Boulder County’s ARPA newsletter is now published bimonthly. You will now receive the ARPA publication every two months, which will still include articles, news, and stories to keep you informed about the investment of federal ARPA funds in our communities. 

Did you know?

The OmniSalud Program Helps Coloradans Find Health Insurance Plans According to Their Needs

Finding the right health insurance plan can be difficult, especially for undocumented individuals. But with a program called OmniSalud, more Colorado residents have a safe way to compare health insurance plans and find options that may help save money.

OmniSalud allows undocumented Coloradans and young adults protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to safely apply through Colorado Connect, an online platform that is part of the state’s Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado. Colorado legislation passed in 2021 requires every company that provides health insurance in the state to offer plans with a defined set of reduced, fixed rates and make them available to everyone regardless of their documentation status. These plans, known as Colorado Option plans, make healthcare more affordable and accessible.

Protecting the privacy of undocumented residents is a top priority for OmniSalud. That's why this program does not ask for immigration status when applying for a health insurance plan through Colorado Connect. 

This information cannot be used for immigration enforcement and is stored securely with Colorado Connect only.

In addition to offering full-priced health insurance, OmniSalud included 11,000 very-low-cost enrollments for 2024. While these low-cost slots were filled in just two days after open enrollment began, OmniSalud also offers full-price plans, which are still available. Boulder County Housing and Human Services helped over 250 households apply for OmniSalud before the cap was hit, which is even more than were served last year.

BCHHS has transitioned to the traditional Open Enrollment for Affordable Care Act health insurance plans. Information is available at www.BoulderCountyHealthCoverage.org.

To help as many people enroll as possible, Boulder County Housing and Human Services has made a downloadable guide available to residents and community partners to assist with the application process. This and other informational materials can be downloaded from the “Resources” section at: www.BoulderCountyHealthCoverage.org.

Health Coverage Open Enrollment Period is from November 1 to January 15th.

November 1 to January 15 is the time when Colorado residents can buy private health insurance plans. Individuals who experience a qualifying life-change event outside of the open enrollment period have a 60-day window to buy or change plans. A qualifying event for insurance is a change in life situation like marriage, divorce, or parenthood. These are all common examples of major events that affect a person's health insurance needs.

If you want to learn more about your health coverage options, schedule a virtual appointment with a Boulder County Health Coverage Guide by filling out the following Boulder County Scheduling form. For an in-person appointment, call 303-441-4530 or email healthcoverage@bouldercounty.org

Success Story of Family Connects Service for New Parents in Boulder County (Part 1)

The Family Connects model started with a pilot program in Boulder County at the beginning of 2023. The postnatal nurse home visit provides support for new parents with multiple resources and community connections to promote positive parenting. The arrival of the Family Connects program in Boulder County brought expectations, and today the program has made a lot of progress. "We completed 275 home visits, and we've been very lucky to receive some wonderful testimonials from our clients on the value of this service to our community,” said Felicia Cain, Family Health Nurse Services Coordinator for Family Connects.

One of the most remarkable additions to the program is the implementation of the Family Connects self-scheduling platform, so families can directly book their appointments. “We've introduced this service with our community partners and hospitals and health clinic partners,” added Cain. “The self-scheduling tool has been great for Boulder County and for Family Connects Colorado since we are the first county to utilize this platform with the support of Illuminate Colorado. It's been a game changer!"

With Family Connects, every family that has a newborn child is eligible to receive free, bilingual, in-home nursing care. Approximately three weeks after the delivery of the baby, a highly experienced registered nurse will check in on the family to see how they are doing and help connect them with services according to their specific requests. “We added to the program an early childhood mental health consultant service. Introducing a new baby to the family is a big step, whether it's your first child or your fourth, and there's a lot of transition and emotion. Mental health has been a big need for our new moms and their families,” Cain said.

The mental health consultants are professionals who can work in English and Spanish in conjunction with the nurse according to the health practitioner's assessments and the needs of each family.

The program has created the capacity to bring together the community with a group of parents called Family Voice Ambassadors. “The group first started as research work with a focus group to find out how the program can have a meaningful impact in the community,” said Patricia Halleslevens, Family Connects Community Engagement Specialist.

“The group has such great support in the community that not only have other parents wanted to join the sessions, but parents are also committed with their time and living experience to actively participate in our monthly meetings.”

Aurora Ramirez, Family Connects Community Alignment Coordinator, added, “While we think of Family Connects as a home visiting service, it's also an opportunity to learn about family needs and an opportunity to identify how we can respond as a community.”

The Early Childhood Department of the State of Colorado is currently working on a long-term sustainable funding plan. The American Rescue Plan Act funds will bridge the funding gap between the seed stage and the sustainability stage. “We are working with Illuminate Colorado, the state intermediary for Family Connects. They are facilitating the implementation of the model to ensure effective scaling and sustainability of the program,” said Daphne McCabe, Family Health Division manager for Boulder County Public Health.

Finding different venues for funding requires a lot of effort to keep public programs moving forward. To lead change, sustainability is key. Family Connects strives to build on the initial model with the addition of services looking to eliminate financial, social, and cultural barriers and provide more access for families of diverse backgrounds. One of these efforts is the possibility of having Medicare and/or Medicaid cover home visits via the doula services billable codes. A doula is trained to support pregnant parents before, during, and after labor and delivery.

“We are advocating for the importance of investing in early childhood,” McCabe said. “This advocacy work starts with an equity framework around social transformations. Groups at the state level have recognized that there's a disproportional and inequitable health outcome for post-partum parents who identify as BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color). So, from an equity lens, the state is working with Family Connects as an important program that positively impacts of some of these inequities on maternal child health outcomes.”

Other ways to eliminate barriers are to find the right partnerships. For example, Family Resource Centers (FRCs) like OUR Center provide support for families with bilingual services in English and Spanish. The Family Connects home visiting program builds on the capacity for referrals to organizations such as the OUR Center and others that are culturally adapted for new parents. “While collaborating with the community, we identify various gaps, which may include a lack of adequate transportation options. To address these barriers, we have the option to partner with organizations like Boulder County Mobility for All or provide insights into cost-free programs that parents may be unaware of,” Aurora Ramirez said.

Family Connects is an evidence-based program that promotes integrated health for all families during a life-changing shift. Research shows that when Family Connects is implemented, family strengths are reinforced, family needs are addressed earlier, which in turn helps children’s lives improve, and communities save money. The studies published in different medical journals show that mothers were 30% less likely to experience possible postpartum depression or anxiety, community connections increased by 15%, and mothers reported significantly more positive parenting behaviors, among others. To learn more about the results of these studies, go to JAMA Network Open, Pediatrics, and the American Journal of Public Health.

Nurses from Family Connects are trained to carefully examine newborns and moms and to discuss opportunities and concerns, including seeking help with breastfeeding, and addressing immediate medical care when necessary. In Family Connects, there is no cost to recipients. To learn more about the program, go to https://boco.org/familyconnects.

This is a two-part Family Connects article. Don't miss the ARPA Newsletter January edition to learn how the Family Voice Ambassadors are helping to strengthen the program.

Longmont Public Media Highlights the Progress of the Affordable Housing Project, Willoughby Corner

On September 14, Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin and Tanya Jimenez, Housing Developer with the Boulder County Housing Authority, were invited to the Longmont Public Media studios for an interview to share updates on ARPA investments in affordable housing options for Boulder County communities.

The interview highlighted the progress of Willoughby Corner construction, supported by ARPA funds. Willoughby Corner is a planned neighborhood of permanently affordable homes. The construction is being developed by the Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) and will consist of 400 homes in a variety of building types, including duplexes, townhomes, and apartments. 

You can find full interview in English at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQatx5eWJO8 and Spanish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b42HOE0TGUc

Pictured left to right above: Rossana Longo Better, Colorado News Collaborative. Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin and Tanya Jimenez, Housing Developer with the Boulder County Housing Authority

Community Resource Fair and Survey at Columbine Home Park

Last summer, mobile home park residents in Boulder County participated in a series of community events and a survey as part of a process to understand mobile home park needs and how to maximize American Rescue Plan Act funds' investments for on-site improvements and home repairs of these properties.

One of those events was the resource fair at the Columbine Mobile Home Park located in unincorporated Boulder County. As part of the strategy of a community outreach process, the City of Boulder reached out to Boulder County staff to work together and connect with those neighborhoods located beyond the city limits that are not part of any incorporated municipality.

“This is the first time we are working to have these events for the unincorporated communities, and it was a success. From the 28 houses in the Columbine mobile park, we obtained 20 surveys. People attended with their kids. There were cultural activities, food, and a lot of useful information. In general, we feel very excited for the participation of the whole community in this event,” said Francisco Padilla, Mobile Home Park Manager for the Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services.

The Columbine resource fair happened in September at the home park premises. Boulder County staff and the City of Boulder shared information specific to the interests of this community, including housing opportunities (including home ownership), health coverage information with the OmniSalud platform, home repairs for manufactured homes, Sheriff’s Office engagement, and the participation of the Boulder County’s Office of Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resilience (OSCAR).

“After conversations with the City of Boulder and residents at Columbine Mobile Home Park, we worked together to bring information about the programs available for the community that they were interested in learning more about.” added Aisa Garita, Community Engagement Specialist for the American Rescue Plan Act in Boulder County. “This neighborhood has often been overlooked, and there is a lack of connection and opportunities that are being offered to be able to access some of the Boulder County programs that we offer. Learning about residents' feedback through in-person conversations and a community engagement survey is a good start to strengthening connections with the residents.”

As part of the Manufactured Housing Park Acquisition and Upgrades Program (MHP), Boulder County created a partnership with the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Geography’s Affordable Housing Research Initiative to survey residents with the support of El Centro AMISTAD, the City of Lafayette, Together Colorado, CU Boulder, the City of Longmont, and the Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services (HHS) to support projects to be implemented within these communities.

"We distributed the survey among assistants of the Columbine resource fair and had conversations about their homes and repairs needed. With this fair, we had a close look at the property and heard about their concerns regarding their living conditions." Garita said. "One of the concerns is the change of the season and the harsh winter conditions affecting their houses. It is evident that mobile home parks need support not just with repairs but connecting individuals to more programs and opportunities.” added Garita.

The goal of the county is to create a community plan based on the conversations with mobile home park residents to maximize funding investments with the insights collected from the survey, community conversations, and resource fairs. With the residents' feedback, the county is looking to create a plan to address communities' priorities, improve the living conditions of the properties, and provide home repair assistance for low-income residents.

“Part of the strategic plan is going to other parks and getting data specifically for unincorporated mobile home parks, including San Lazaro, Table Mesa, and Sans Souci, and gathering as much information as possible,” Padilla said.

The Manufactured Housing Park Acquisition and Upgrades project is made possible by ARPA funding as part of the county’s Housing Affordability priority. ARPA funds are intended to have transformational impacts in the community and engage community members in determining the best way to address the disparate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Opportunity for Community Agencies to Provide Mental Health Awareness Trainings

The Boulder County Community Services Department (CSD) is offering a grant opportunity for agencies and individuals who offer mental health trainings and programs. This grant program – supported with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds – is reserved for community agencies or individuals that are looking to provide innovative approaches to mental health trainings. The goal is to provide culturally responsive trainings to empower Boulder County communities by responding effectively to people of all cultures, languages, disabilities, races, and ethnic backgrounds, among other diversity factors. 

This grant is part of the greater ARPA mental health and social resilience project to support more equitable access to mental and behavioral health needs. The plan is to provide mental health trainings to the community with the ARPA funds.

After an extensive community engagement process that identified ways ARPA funding can be invested, planning participants and the community engagement process identified several recommendations regarding needed programs, services, and trainings that could support communities disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited to offer this funding opportunity to elicit interest from professionals or agencies working to make a difference in our community and interested in providing mental health awareness trainings to our community,” said Marnie Huffman-Green, ARPA Mental Health and Social Resilience Project Manager. “These grants will help agencies to expand their reach and impact, and to provide better services to the people they serve and provide a diverse range of mental health awareness trainings.” 
 

The program is looking for community agencies or providers that can offer the following services:  

• Suicide prevention training for service providers and/or community and family members who may be experiencing mental health needs.   

•   Outreach and marketing efforts to talk about mental health issues, recognize related risk and protective factors and identify community resources.
• Provide training to community/service providers about strength-based approaches to leverage the strengths in our communities around understanding and intervening in mental health needs.   
• Provide awareness training about mental health issues that are designed to reduce the fear and stigma associated with community or family members experiencing mental health struggles.   

Develop an information campaign designed to help individuals struggling with mental health issues to improve their timely access to mental health services.     

These are some of the many ways that the small grants program can be used to make a positive impact in Boulder County communities. If you are interested in submitting a proposal to provide trainings (that address one, some or all of the above), please reach out to the ARPA Mental Health and Social Resilience Program Manager at mhuffmangreen@bouldercounty.gov.

Or complete this funding opportunity form by Friday, Dec. 1, 2023: Funding Opportunity Form

Funding amounts can range from $10,000 – $100,000 for agencies or individuals interested in providing innovative mental health awareness trainings to community members.  

Mental Health and Social Resilience is one of the strategic priority areas identified as being among the most concerning topics for residents of Boulder County after the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a community engagement process where the responses of a county-wide survey revealed that Economic Challenges, Housing Affordability, and Mental Health and Social Resilience were the most challenging issues for Boulder County residents. 

Advancing to Provide Comprehensive Mental Health Programs in Boulder County