NEIGHBORS WORKING TOGETHER FOR HEALTHY, VIBRANT COMMUNITIES APRIL/MAY 2017 Our Vision: We envision a partnership between the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the surrounding neighborhoods that is equitable, mutually respectful, sustainable, responsive and that results in vibrant, healthy, learning communities both on and off campus. Robert McGranaghan Director of the Community-Campus Partnership Dear Partners, Supporters, and Friends of the Community-Campus Partnership (CCP), Welcome to this issue of the CCP Newsletter. We have a lot of exciting news to report from the past two months. Our first Community Engagement Forum was attended by over seventy five faculty, staff, students and community part- ners and celebrated the range of activities in which the campus is partnering with the community. The CCP also played a lead role in coordinating volunteers for the campus’ 3 rd —and most successful—9Health Family Fair. We opened our Job Hub in late March and it is off to good start, with nearly twenty local residents in the Hub’s pipeline for jobs on the campus. More Hire Local news includes the graduation of the final cohort of the Healthcare Bridge Pilot Program. We also profile two CCP partner organizations (Boys and Girls Club and CU’s Health Sciences Library) and provide an up- date on our Resident Leadership Council’s capacity building to improve educational attainment. Please enjoy–and pass on to your networks. Wishing you all good health, www.Com-Cam.org Community-Campus Partnership Newsletter page one Class of 2017 We send our deepest congratulations to all 2017 graduates on the campus and in the community. Also, we would like to offer these words of wisdom from our CCP Intern, Nalleli Sanchez, who has just graduated from Aurora West College Preparatory Academy as the Valedictorian of her class: “It’s easy to panic at times, to stop believing, so I challenge you my fellow classmates, I challenge you to keep pushing forward despite the hate going on in today’s society and become a fiery advocate for justice. I challenge you to find careers that you love and come back and help our community to be better, whether that is becoming a nurse, doctor, counselor, or a teacher. We are the future of our community. I challenge you to fail and keep trying until you achieve success. My fellow classmates, don’t ever allow anyone to tell you what you are, or are not capable of. Find your inner lion and be successful.”
Transcript
NEIGHBORS WORKING TOGETHER FOR HEALTHY, VIBRANT COMMUNITIES APRIL/MAY 2017
Our Vision: We envision a partnership between the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the
surrounding neighborhoods that is equitable, mutually respectful, sustainable, responsive and that
results in vibrant, healthy, learning communities both on and off campus.
Robert McGranaghan
Director of the Community-Campus Partnership
Dear Partners, Supporters, and Friends of the Community-Campus Partnership (CCP),
Welcome to this issue of the CCP Newsletter. We have a lot of exciting news to report from the past two months.
Our first Community Engagement Forum was attended by over seventy five faculty, staff, students and community part-
ners and celebrated the range of activities in which the campus is partnering with the community. The CCP also played
a lead role in coordinating volunteers for the campus’ 3rd —and most successful—9Health Family Fair. We opened our
Job Hub in late March and it is off to good start, with nearly twenty local residents in the Hub’s pipeline for jobs on the
campus. More Hire Local news includes the graduation of the final cohort of the Healthcare Bridge Pilot Program. We
also profile two CCP partner organizations (Boys and Girls Club and CU’s Health Sciences Library) and provide an up-
date on our Resident Leadership Council’s capacity building to improve educational attainment. Please enjoy–and pass
on to your networks.
Wishing you all good health,
www.Com-Cam.org Community-Campus Partnership Newsletter page one
Class of 2017
We send our deepest congratulations to all 2017 graduates
on the campus and in the community. Also, we would like to
offer these words of wisdom from our CCP Intern, Nalleli
Sanchez, who has just graduated from Aurora West College
Preparatory Academy as the Valedictorian of her class:
“It’s easy to panic at times, to stop believing, so I challenge you my fellow classmates, I challenge you to keep pushing forward
despite the hate going on in today’s society and become a fiery advocate for justice. I challenge you to find careers that you love
and come back and help our community to be better, whether that is becoming a nurse, doctor, counselor, or a teacher. We are
the future of our community. I challenge you to fail and keep trying until you achieve success. My fellow classmates, don’t ever
allow anyone to tell you what you are, or are not capable of. Find your inner lion and be successful.”
On Wednesday, April 5th the Com-
munity-Campus Partnership (CCP)
hosted our first Community Engage-
ment Forum to celebrate the engage-
ment activities taking place between
representatives from the Anschutz
Medical Campus and the Aurora
community, and to increase aware-
ness about the CCP. We were hon-
ored to have opening remarks from
Vice President for Health Affairs, Lilly
Marks, and Chancellor Don Elliman
about their involvement in the history
and formation of the CCP. After-
wards, Robert McGranaghan followed up with an overview of the work the CCP is doing with Community Engagement, and the Hire Local and Learn Local programs.
The format for our event was quite unique. Initially, attendees heard from three main presenter groups
that discussed the engagement work they are currently involved in with the Aurora community: CCP’s Hire
Local Director, Lisa Jensen, with Ben Jutson from the Spring Institute; Scott Harpin from the College of
Nursing with Margaret McKercher from Aurora Public Schools; and Jacqueline To and Miles Viseur—two
CU medical students who work at the DAWN Clinic. Then the program shifted into a more interactive
process where the attendees engaged with representatives from various campus units and community organ-
izations who were seated at their table to learn about additional activities taking place between the Anschutz
Medical Campus and the community. After a ten minute roundtable discussion, the organization representa-
tives rotated to other tables a total of three times so that all attendees heard from twelve different organiza-
tions and campus units, including the main presenters.
All attendees received various CCP
materials including a booklet with in-
formation about each of the organiza-
tions participating in the Forum. Addi-
tionally, the booklet included a selec-
tion of current and past stories about
Campus engagement activities with the
Aurora community which were collect-
ed from a survey sent out to the entire
campus prior to the event. A post
event evaluation was sent out to the
Community Engagement Forum at-
tendees, and based on the feedback we
received it is likely that we will make
some tweaks and host a similar event
in the future. Thanks to all who joined
us!
www.Com-Cam.org Community-Campus Partnership Newsletter page two
Community Engagement Forum
In April the Community-Campus Partnership’s (CCP) Hire Local Program’s Job Hub officially started taking appointments
and things are off to a good start! The mission of the Hire Local Program is to provide Aurora residents with access to
information, services, and programs related to employment opportunities on Anschutz Medical Campus. Currently, there
are five job areas that the Hub is focused on: Patient Services, Food and Nutrition Services, Medical Housekeeping, Cer-
tified Nursing Assistant, and Medical Assistant. Information Sessions are held monthly in the community to educate resi-
dents about the details and requirements for each of the five jobs and to communicate about the services offered in the
Job Hub. Staff also discuss potential barriers to employment which can include criminal background checks, smoking, and
a pre-employment drug screening. Information
Session attendees who are interested in taking the
next steps complete a personal contact form and
are then individually phone screened by staff and
scheduled for an intake appointment at our office.
The feedback from participants and community
members has been very positive. The process
takes several weeks to become job ready and par-
ticipants find the level of personal attention valua-
ble. There are currently about seventeen people
in the “job pipeline” and the Job Hub staff are
happy with what they have been able to achieve
so far. The CCP team continues to look for ways
to improve the Job Hub making it a strong pro-
gram that benefits both the campus and local resi-
dents.
Hire Local Update
www.Com-Cam.org Community-Campus Partnership Newsletter page three
Healthcare Bridge Cohort Graduation
On Thursday, May 4th members of the Community-Campus Partner-
ship (CCP) team attended the graduation ceremony for the 7th co-
hort of the Healthcare Bridge Program at the Community College of
Aurora (CCA). This cohort consisted of nine students who were all
from different countries, and eight of them were recruited from the
immigrant and refugee communities. The next step for these gradu-
ates is to pass a test to receive their State License or Certificate in
health care. While they wait to receive this, they can work as care-
givers or home health aides, and once they receive their licenses
they are referred to the CCP Job Hub to start applying for jobs on
the Anschutz Medical Campus.
Participants attended classes four days a week for a total of ten weeks. The classes in this program included Adult Basic
Education (math, reading, and writing), Medical Terminology, Computers in Healthcare, Customer Service in Healthcare,
and Certified Nursing Assistant training. Additionally, several classes were led by CCP team members – Lisa Jensen
taught a Healthcare Culture class, and Jameel Mallory taught an Overcoming Barriers class, and an Application Assistance
Class. CCP team members also assisted CCA staff with mock interviews for program participants.
Since it started in April, 2015, a total of eighty one students have participated in the Healthcare Bridge Program. Of that
number, 62% of program graduates have found employment. There has been a 26% increase in graduate employment
between October, 2015 and April, 2016, and starting wages for graduates are between $13 and $18 per hour, with an
average wage of $15.24 per hour. Going forward, CCA will be stepping away from the cohort model in order to utilize
a more individualized approach for this program.
Community Partner Highlight: Boettcher Boys & Girls Club
CU Anschutz Medical Campus Partner Highlight:
Health Sciences Library
The CU Health Sciences Library (HSL) has a history of serving the Aurora community through offering accessible
hours to the library to community members, and by working with various community organizations. When the
Aurora LIGHTS program was starting in Aurora Public Schools, the HSL worked with the Advisory Committee
to provide sessions on critical evaluation of information to students at North Middle School, East Middle School,
and William Smith High School. Additionally, one of the librarian positions at the HSL is the Colorado Communi-
ty Engagement Coordinator, which is funded by a subcontract from the National Library of Medicine. This librari-
an provides outreach to community-based organizations across the state to educate them about free health re-
sources from the government and grant funding for health projects. One recent project provided iPads to an or-
ganization in Aurora that assists underserved populations and refugee elders with low health literacy skills to im-
prove healthcare system navigation.
Melissa De Santis, Director of the HSL, has been working at the library for over nine years and serves as a mem-
ber of the CCP Coalition. She is proud to lead a group of diverse faculty and staff who are passionate about con-
necting community members with the information they need to be successful.
www.Com-Cam.org Community-Campus Partnership Newsletter page four
The Boettcher Boys & Girls Club (BGC), part of Boys
& Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, has been working with
the Aurora community to address the growing need
for programs and services in the area. Travis Stealy,
the BGC Director, leads his team of dedicated staff
members to transform and inspire the lives of all of the
kids that walk through their doors, and to support the
families in the neighborhoods they serve.
The BGC serves children ages six to eighteen with a
low cost membership of only $2 per year. Each Club
is intentionally located in resource-constrained neigh-
borhoods, which allows staff to bridge the opportunity
gap that exists between lower-income and higher-
income communities. The BGC strives to provide the children and families with safe, affordable, and engaging programs to help children succeed. The Club is open
every day after school from 3:00pm to 9:00pm, and they are open from 9:00am to 5:00pm during the summer.
For the past year, the Resident Leadership Council (RLC) has been working to build the capacity of parents to
understand and become more knowledgeable about the state of Aurora Public Schools (APS) and how to work
with the District to improve education outcomes. After a series of learning sessions with several education pol-
icy experts from the school district, nonprofits, and the governor’s office, the RLC has started to engage the
elected local school board. A group of parents from the RLC attended both the April and May APS Board of
Education meetings and took advantage of the public comment portion of the meeting to inform the school
board about their extraordinary community engagement work.
Parent and RLC member Lourdes Lozano used her time to outline the history of the work parents have done
in the last year to uplift public dialogue about the state of Northwest Aurora schools. Lourdes informed the
Board that, "RLC members took a proactive approach and invited several public education experts to present
to and inform parents on possible avenues for improving the lowest performing schools in Northwest Aurora."
Alicia Guillen, also a parent and RLC member, discussed the State Board of Education Candidate Forum the
RLC hosted in September, 2016 at the Fletcher Community School Campus. She explained, "It was an event
that helped parents and community members be more informed about how education decisions made at a state
level can impact schools at a local level." The candidate forum was led entirely by parents and students with
over one hundred and fifty community members in attendance.
Sandra Vargas also shared what she learned about public education since becoming a member of the RLC. She
is a dedicated and engaged parent, but commented that she is missing out on key information about how her
children's’ schools are performing. Sandra claimed her interest has centered on understanding how districts can
improve low performing schools in communities of color by providing parents with school performance data
that is easy to read. "There are other districts already providing vast amounts of school performance data to
parents, why can't we create the same opportunity in Northwest Aurora?” Sandra asked.
Moving forward the RLC members will continue to attend APS
board meetings through the month of June, and parents will contin-
ue to provide public comment in order to build lines of communi-
cation between the school board and the Northwest Aurora com-
munity. They will also continue the dialogue about improving low
performing schools in Northwest Aurora during upcoming meet-
ings with APS Superintendent Rico Munn, and Colorado Education
Commissioner Katy Anthes.
Resident Leadership Council Update from Gabriela Jacobo:
Building Capacity to Address Education
www.Com-Cam.org Community-Campus Partnership Newsletter page five
For the 3rd time the Community-Campus Partnership (CCP) team participated in the 9Health Fair on the An-
schutz Medical Campus on Saturday, April 22nd. The CCP’s role included coordinating non-medical volunteers
before the event, helping with setup, and managing volunteers on the day of the event. There was a wonderful
response to our request for help with the fair that resulted in a total of one hundred and ninety eight volun-
teers, both non-medical and medical (the latter group was coordinated by our hospital partners). Additionally,
four hundred and forty nine adults and children participated in the event and were able to take advantage of a
multitude of free and low-cost health screenings. This is an increase in attendance from 2014 and 2015, and we
are pleased to have helped more people! Thank you to everyone who helped to make it a success!
2017 9Health Family Fair
www.Com-Cam.org Community-Campus Partnership Newsletter page six
Robert McGranaghan Receives Community Award
On Sunday, May 7th Community-Campus Partnership (CCP) Director Robert McGranaghan received the Auro-
ra Community Champion Award presented by the Denver Broncos and the El Pomar Foundation. Recipients of
this award are chosen based upon their significant effort to influence and improve the quality of their communi-
ty through parks, recreation, and community services. This was both a surprise and an honor for Robert, and
the entire CCP team is delighted to share this announcement!
Join us at the next Community Network Breakfast hosted by Cooperative Community Schools where
you can share your ideas, needs, concerns, and services you have to offer with your neighbors!
When: Thursday, June 15, 2017 9am - 10:30am
Where: Aurora Central High School, Media Center
11700 E. 11th Avenue, Aurora
Are you interested in learning about jobs on the Anschutz Medical Campus? If so, please attend an upcoming Hire Local Learning Session at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library (9898 E.
Colfax Avenue, Aurora) led by CCP’s Hire Local Manager, Jameel Mallory!
Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday, May 31st
Wednesday, June 21st
Time: Every 30 minutes between 9am and 3pm
Jobs Include:
Patient Services
Food and Nutrition Services
Medical Housekeeping/Patient Transport
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Medical Assistant (MA)
Check out our FEATURED volunteer opportunity! We need your help on Tuesday, June 27th for the first ever Auro-
ra Homeless Connect Event at the forthcoming Day Resource Center which will be located here on campus (13387
E. 19th Place, Aurora). The event will feature an array of resources and medical services that individuals experiencing
homelessness or who are at-risk of becoming homeless can take advantage of. There are various volunteer shifts
available between 8am and 6pm, and the event itself will take place from 10am to 2pm.
Go to this website to register: https://tinyurl.com/ConnectHomeless
