2011
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 11-1018
       
       
       BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Massey, Acree, Joshi, McKinley,
       Riesberg, Sonnenberg, Soper, Wilson, Balmer, Barker,
       Baumgardner, Becker, Beezley, Brown, Casso, Conti, Coram, Court,
       DelGrosso, Duran, Ferrandino, Fields, Fischer, Gardner B., Gardner
       D., Gerou, Hamner, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Jones, Kagan, Kefalas,
       Kerr A., Kerr J., Labuda, Lee, Levy, Looper, McCann, Miklosi,
       Murray, Nikkel, Pabon, Pace, Peniston, Priola, Ramirez, Ryden,
       Schafer S., Scott, Solano, Stephens, Summers, Swalm, Swerdfeger,
       Szabo, Todd, Tyler, Vaad, Vigil, Waller, Williams A., McNulty;
       also SENATOR(S) Boyd, Nicholson, White, Aguilar, Bacon,
       Cadman, Carroll, Foster, Giron, Grantham, Guzman, Harvey,
       Heath, Hodge, Hudak, Jahn, Johnston, King K., King S., Kopp,
       Lambert, Lundberg, Mitchell, Morse, Newell, Renfroe, Roberts,
       Scheffel, Schwartz, Spence, Steadman, Tochtrop, Williams S..
       
       
          CONCERNING RECOGNITION OF RURAL HEALTH CARE
       PROVIDERS IN COLORADO, AND, IN CONNECTION
       THEREWITH, DECLARING APRIL 29, 2011, "RURAL HEALTH
       DAY". 
       
       
          WHEREAS, Approximately 74% of Colorado's counties are rural or
       frontier; and
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
          WHEREAS, Colorado faces a shortage of medical, oral, and mental
       and behavioral health care workers, with 54 of 64 Colorado counties fully
       or partially designated as primary care health professional shortage areas;
       and
       
          WHEREAS, Colorado's rural residents are older and more likely to be
       uninsured than urban residents, and supporting access to health care
       services for rural Coloradans is essential to ensuring a healthy and vibrant
       state; and
       
          WHEREAS, Health care plays a significant role in local economies,
       providing one in six jobs in rural Colorado; and
       
          WHEREAS, A broad network provides health care services to more
       than 666,000 Coloradans living in rural areas, including 9 rural hospitals,
       29 critical access hospitals, 52 rural health clinics, public health
       departments, community-funded safety net clinics, rural-located
       community health centers and school-based health centers, emergency
       medical services, and private practitioners; and
       
          WHEREAS, These providers, who often lack human and technical
       resources available in urban settings, are creating innovative solutions to
       delivering patient-centered, high-quality care in an efficient and effective
       manner, including telemedicine, community paramedicine, and health
       information technology; and
       
          WHEREAS, Serving as the state office of rural health, the Colorado
       Rural Health Center provides information, education, linkages, tools, and
       energy toward addressing rural health issues to ensure that all rural
       Coloradans have access to comprehensive, affordable, high-quality health
       care; now, therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-eighth
       General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:
       
          That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly:
       
          
       
       
       
          (1)  Recognize the vital services of rural practitioners in providing
       essential health care services to Colorado's rural and frontier counties;
       
          (2)  Express our appreciation and gratitude to all those practitioners
       who dedicate their time and energy to their rural communities; and
       
          (3)  Declare April 29, 2011, to be "Rural Health Day" in Colorado.
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       Lou Ann Wilroy, CEO of Colorado Rural Health Center.
       
       
       
       
       
       ________________________________________________________
       Frank McNulty                    Brandon C. Shaffer 
       SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE                    PRESIDENT OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Marilyn Eddins                        Cindi Markwell
       CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE                SECRETARY OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE
       
       
       
       
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