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Summit County organizations receive $50k for children’s health care

ROBERT ALLEN
summit daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado

A consortium of Summit County social-service organizations on Friday were awarded $50,000 in grants from the El Pomar and Summit foundations to improve preventative health care for needy children.

“It seems like it’s easier for parents just to take their kids to the emergency room,” said Brianne Snow, grants manager for Family Intercultural Resource Center, which received the grants along with the Summit Community Care Clinic and Summit County departments of health and social services.

The $25,000 from the El Pomar Foundation is intended to ease access to the Children’s Health Plan Plus program.



The health plan offers low-cost health insurance to Colorado’s children and pregnant women who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford private health insurance.

Often, CHP-Plus providers are burdened with extensive paperwork and trouble receiving reimbursements, Snow said. Part of the money will go toward questionnaires for health-care providers to find the barriers to local children’s access to the benefits.



Money also will go toward getting the word out to parents about the benefits associated with CHP Plus, she said.

The community-care clinic also is receiving a $25,000 matching grant from the Summit Foundation to provide services for kids who aren’t covered by CHP Plus.

“It’s been a struggle this year for everybody, and we have breathed a sigh of relief” following announcement of the grant awards, said Sarah Vaine, the clinic’s executive director.

For children who are eligible for CHP Plus, the clinic will “help them in the interim, and also get them connected,” she said.

Summit Foundation executive director Lee Zimmerman said the number of people impacted by the grants is “the real key.”

“We were happy to be able to partner in matching with El Pomar to make sure this all comes together,” he said.

Bill Wallace, Summit County treasurer and El Pomar High Country regional council member said children’s health care was selected because it’s “something that has a lasting effect.”

“And just the fact there are uninsured children ” regionally we thought it was an appropriate choice,” he said.

The council has also awarded $36,000 to regional food banks, with $9,000 going to four Summit County locations.

And Lake Dillon Preschool received $1,500 through an “Outstanding Service” grant.

The grants were awarded Friday at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville. The High Country Regional Council includes leaders from Eagle, Lake, Pitkin and Summit counties.

Some $190,000 was awarded to organizations across the region, according to a press release.

Based in Colorado Springs, the El Pomar Foundation contributes more than $25 million per year in grants and programs to support Colorado nonprofits.


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