Project Launch

North Colorado Health Alliance

Funded Years : 2010

Project Director :
Noelle Hause
970-330-3842
nhause@bannerhealth.com

Address :
Greeley,CO

Project Status : Active

Project Summary : North Colorado LAUNCH, an initiative of Weld County, Colorado, promotes maternal mental health and early social-emotional health in underserved children (from birth to age 8) who are experiencing or at risk for significant social stressors.

Weld County is the second fastest growing county in the country. The race/ethnicity of the county's population is approximately 72 percent Caucasian non-Hispanic and 28 percent Latino. Recently, there has been an influx of Burmese and Somali refugees.

This county-wide effort, managed by the North Colorado Health Alliance, builds on strong interagency county collaboration to expand several current evidence-based practices—including Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, Parents as Teachers, Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning , and the Incredible Years—and to offer new services and supports for children and their families—including the use of system navigators, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The project will also expand the use of evidence-based screening tools, such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire.

Goals and Strategies

• Create a shared community vision across service systems by developing an environmental scan, strategic plan, and coordinated social marketing plan.
• Expand the system-wide screening, referral, and intervention system by using common screening tools for child development and maternal depression and by expanding and/or implementing additional evidence-based practices.
• Improve system coordination through the use of advocates called system navigators, who ensure that children and families have access to appropriate services and supports, help families prioritize their needs, and work with families to navigate systems and address barriers as they arise.

Expected Outcomes

By developing a well-coordinated system that identifies and responds to children and families at risk, North Colorado LAUNCH expects to serve close to 20,000 children and their families over the course of the project.

• After piloting and refining the sytem-wide screening component, children and their families will be identified for services earlier and more efficiently.
• A strong interagency Early Childhood Council, comprising representatives from child-serving agencies who are committed to reducing current barriers and increasing accessibility through a “no wrong door” vision, will ensure more efficient cross-agency coordination and referrals.
• New and expanded evidence-based practices will ensure that children and their families receive high-quality services and supports.
• Screening rates will improve, both for children with social-emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns and for mothers experiencing depression.
• More than 100 staff participating in workforce development activities will increase their expertise regarding evidence-based practices and programs, such as the Pyramid model, Young Parent Program, Parents as Teachers, and the Incredible Years.