Press Release - Fall Health Care Outreach Meetings
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 18, 2008
CONTACT:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER ANNOUNCES FALL HEALTH CARE OUTREACH MEETINGS
Gov. Bill Ritter today announced a series of community outreach meetings on health care reform to be conducted this fall, with the first meeting scheduled for Friday in Salida and next week in Grand Junction and Durango.
These meetings follow the "Governor's Dialogue on Health Care Vision and Values" sessions held statewide last November and December. Those sessions helped inform Gov. Ritter's "Building Blocks to Health Care Reform" legislative package, which won 100 percent approval from the General Assembly during the 2008 session.
The package expands children's health care, improves efficiencies in private health insurance and public programs, increases transparency and accountability across the system, and identifies further strategies to expand access to cost-effective, quality care.
Community leaders from the health, business, and civic sectors have been invited to attend these roundtable-style meetings to discuss our state's progress toward comprehensive health care reform and provide input on policies and priorities in the coming years.
"The best public policy is developed when all stakeholders are invited to the table to share their perspectives," Gov. Ritter said. "I look forward to learning even more about Coloradans' priorities for health care reform in our state."
The Governor's Office of Policy and Initiatives will host meetings in 10 communities across Colorado:
Friday, Sept. 19: Salida, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, 1000 Rush Drive, Shavano Conference Room.
Monday, Sept. 22: Grand Junction, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Community Hospital, 2021 N. 12th St., Grand Junction, Lower Level Conference Room.
Tuesday, Sept. 23: 3:30 to 5 p.m., Mercy Medical Center, 1010 Three Springs Blvd., Durango, Conference Rooms A & B.
Dates and cities for the remaining meetings follow, with times and exact locations pending:
Oct. 20: Steamboat Springs
Oct. 21: Greeley
Oct. 23: Limon (morning)
Oct. 23: La Junta (afternoon)
Oct. 24: Alamosa
Nov. 6: Colorado Springs
November: Metro Denver
The Colorado Trust has provided support for these community meetings to convene, inform and engage Coloradans on health care reform.