FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE		Media Contact:  Chris Power Bain
October 17, 2007		Phone: (303) 953-3618
		Mobile: (303) 810-9007

Results of 2007 Colorado Health Report Card: State Lags Behind in Some Key Health Indicators

Lack of Access to Care a Significant Cause of Average and Below Average Grades

DENVER- The results of the 2007 Colorado Health Report Card, released today by The Colorado Health Foundation, show that while older Coloradans score relatively well, the state ranks only average or below average on most health measures related to children and has fallen behind Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi on critical children’s health indicators such as insurance coverage and prenatal care. The Report Card details how Colorado ranks on 40 health indicators, ranging from infant mortality to the percentage of older adults receiving flu shots.   

Developed by the Foundation and the Colorado Health Institute, the indicators are organized into five life stages: Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Children, Health Adolescents and Health Aging to show the biggest health threats for each age group. A grade is assigned to each stage to show how Coloradans fare at every age. While the Healthy Aging stage received an “A-,” Healthy Beginnings and Healthy Children both earned only a “C-”.  The 40 indicators were selected based on a review of indicators used in other national and state health surveys and based on consultation and input from technical experts at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and an advisory committee convened by the Foundation.

The Colorado Health Institute, a nonprofit organization that is a comprehensive source of health information and analysis, compiled the data using nine different sources from state health departments, including CDPHE, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources are maintained by other federal agencies.

Included are indicators for health insurance coverage because access to health care is a critical determinant of an individual’s overall health. Colorado ranks extremely low compared to other states on these indicators, affecting the overall grade in three of the life stages.

“If we want to ensure that our children become as healthy as today’s adults, we’re already behind the curve,” said Anne Warhover, President and CEO of The Colorado Health Foundation. “If we continue down this path, we not only will compromise the state’s reputation as a healthy place to live and raise families, but are threatening the health of our future workforce,” added Warhover. The Report Card is the second released by the Foundation, which is dedicated to making Colorado the healthiest state in the nation.

The Colorado Health Report Card provides a benchmark for measuring progress on the state’s most pressing health issues. The findings in this year’s report card are consistent with other recent national surveys including “America’s Health Rankings,” issued by the United Health Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund’s report, “Aiming Higher: Results from a State Scorecard on Health Systems Performance.”

Findings from the 2007 Colorado Health Report Card include:
Colorado ranks as one of the healthiest states on a narrow group of indicators that examine only adult obesity rates and associated health risks such as diabetes, heart disease and cardiovascular disease. However, Colorado rates only average or below average on a number of other critical health indicators used to measure overall health. Other findings include:

• Colorado does poorly compared to other states in providing every child a healthy start in life. We rank of 39th in the percent of women receiving prenatal care later than the first trimester (21.2 percent) and 39th in the percent of babies born with a low birth rate (9.0 percent.)
• Forty-three states rank higher than Colorado in providing health insurance for children; 14.1 percent of children in Colorado are not covered by private or public health insurance.
• Too few Colorado children get enough exercise ranking Colorado 37th. Nearly 10 percent are overweight.
• Colorado adolescents score relatively well on nutrition, exercise, weight and mental health. Too many binge drink (a rank of 41st) and the number of teenage pregnancies is higher than in most states (a rank of 36th.)
• Working age adults in Colorado are healthier than in other states with the second-lowest incidence of diabetes and hypertension. We have the lowest adult obesity rate in the nation (18.4 percent) but it has doubled in less than 20 years.
• Colorado ranks poorly in adults with health insurance (32nd.) One in four adults has no regular source of care, also ranking the state 32nd.
• Like adolescents, too many Colorado adults binge drink, earning a ranking of 30th.
• Colorado’s older adults do well on most measures, scoring in the top 10 on six of seven Healthy Aging indicators; 62.2 percent of older adults have had a flu shot during the past 12 months and have had a pneumonia vaccination. Colorado also ranks best in the country for this indicator.

New Resources Available
To help better understand and explain the indicators and rankings used in the Report Card, the Foundation has provided a new Web site and technical document, Understanding the Numbers: Indicator Details and Promising Initiatives, to provide in depth information on each of the indicators and the supporting data. The Web site can be accessed at www.ColoradoHealth.org.

The Colorado Health Report Card is designed to help policymakers, advocacy organizations, businesses, the medical community and others focus on how best to improve health and health care in the state. Individuals may also use information from the Report Card to focus on ways to improve their own health and the health of their families. The Colorado Health Foundation is committed to working with others to support programs and policies that address key concerns about Colorado’s health. The Foundation has identified a number of initiatives and programs in Colorado and elsewhere that hold promise for improving health. This information is also available on the Web site. In addition, this year the Foundation will provide $28 million in grants to organizations working to improve one or more of the health indicators

About The Colorado Health Foundation

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