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EADD681BC411223187258773005651EF Hearing Summary

PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For COVID SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND FUTURE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH IN COLORADO

INTERIM COMMITTEE STATEWIDE HEALTH CARE REVIEW COMMITTEE
Date Oct 19, 2021
Location HCR 0112

COVID Situational Awareness and Future Implications for Public Health in Colorado - Committee Discussion Only


	09:44:45 AM	Dr. Rachel Herlihy, Communicable Disease Branch Chief and State Epidemiologist, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), presented about the current number of COVID-19 cases in Colorado. She referred to a slide deck during her presentation. The slides may be found on the committee's webpage at: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/1_cdphe_covid-19_statewide_health_care_review_committee_-_briefing_0.pdf. She discussed the number of COVID-19 cases in the past seven days for the entire state and by age and county.
	09:53:25 AM	Dr. Herlihy continued her presentation. She discussed COVID-19 vaccination rates, hospitalizations, and mortality rates for those who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine. She stated that the Delta variant is currently the dominate variant in Colorado and discussed the case rate and death rate in various counties.
	09:55:50 AM	Scott Bookman, Director, Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response, CDPHE, continued with the CDPHE presentation (http://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/1_cdphe_covid-19_statewide_health_care_review_committee_-_briefing_0.pdf). He discussed the current number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 infections and stated that hospitalizations are at the highest rate since December 2020. He discussed the availability of intensive care unit (ICU) beds and the impact COVID-19 infections have on the overall health care system.
	09:59:16 AM	Mr. Bookman discussed vaccination rates and the efforts of the department to distribute vaccine across the state. He spoke about the deployment of the vaccine through partnerships with CDPHE, health providers, and community organizations in communities with high rates of COVID-19.
	10:02:01 AM	Mr. Bookman discussed the department's plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccination boosters and inoculating children between ages 5 to 11 year olds.
	10:04:12 AM	Tom Gonzales, Larimer County Public Health Director, Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO), presented on COVID-19 related issues facing local health agencies. His presentation can be found on the committee's webpage: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/1.2_calpho_covid-19_pandemic_situational_awareness_and_implications_for_public_health_in_colorado.pptx_.pdf. He stated that the average length of time that COVID-19 patients stay in the hospital is 15 days. He discussed the local cooperation to manage the spread of COVID-19 and strategies related to providing access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
	10:10:33 AM	Mr. Gonzales discussed the work public health agencies do to prevent disease and categorical funding for public health activities. He spoke about the stress the pandemic has place on the public health workforce and the struggles public health agencies face retaining staff. He stated that public health professionals are leaving the workforce due to stress, harassment, and burnout.
	10:19:30 AM	Mr. Gonzales discussed the difficulty that public health agencies and health care systems have sharing health data, which significantly hampers the ability to identify and address public health threats in a timely and effective manner. He spoke about disparities in health outcomes among different populations.
	10:22:06 AM	Mr. Bookman and Mr. Gonzales responded to questions related to: sharing information between public health systems and health care systems; health disparities identified by zip code; public health agencies' responsibility to look at social determinants of health when making public health recommendations; and ways to invest in community infrastructure to improve health outcomes. Mr. Bookman told the committee that CDPHE can provide specific data about the areas of the state that have the highest health disparities. The committee discussed the COVID -19 vaccine booster and data from Israel associated with the booster vaccine dose.
	10:34:35 AM	Committee discussion continued. Dr. Herlihy responded to questions about the high rate of hospitalizations due to COVID-19. She stated that unvaccinated individuals over 65 years old are nine times more likely to be hospitalized than those who are vaccinated. The committee continued to discuss hospitalization rates, the number of Medicaid clients who have been vaccinated, and the efforts of CDPHE and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to bring the COVID-19 vaccine to Medicaid clients.