Roughly 1 in 5 Americans or about 60 million people live in rural areas. About 13% of Colorado’s population lives in a rural area, and, worldwide, approximately 43% of the population lives in a rural area. While people in these areas represent an incredible array of cultures, beliefs, and values, they share many commonalities when it comes to their health and health care. These commonalities include less health insurance, less access to doctors, fewer specialists, higher maternal mortality, more substance use disorder, and higher prevalence of mental health challenges-most of which go untreated. Rather than accept these differences in health outcomes between our urban and rural populations, the Colorado School of Public Health is making investments that will improve rural health both locally and worldwide.
One of the best ways to counteract adverse health conditions is through public health education and prevention. We already provide a statewide function by administering public health programs at the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and the University of Northern Colorado. This year, we took the additional step of investing in outreach programs targeting Colorado’s rural and frontier counties. We reached out to expand our collaborations with Fort Lewis College and Adams State University. And soon, the school will announce the appointment of a faculty member who is tasked with building upon this work statewide. An educated public health workforce is the first of many steps that can improve rural health in Colorado.
Global health is often synonymous with rural health. The problems are very similar, as mentioned above– fewer resources, poorer access, higher mortality rates, and mental illness—
and the lessons learned in one area can often be applied broadly. Many of you may be unaware that ColoradoSPH has a truly remarkable clinic in the Trifinio region of Guatemala. Our campus leadership team visited this region in January to investigate ways in which we could build upon our successes in Guatemala, benefiting students in Colorado and people in both places.
The trip started off with me, Vice Chancellor for Advancement, Scott Arthur, Development Officer, Kesia Culbertson, and Chancellor Don Elliman in an SUV as it tactically moved its way through Guatemala City traffic. We were on our way to see the generous benefactors of the Trifinio Center for Human Development – a rural clinic that provides primary care, emergency care, a birthing room, community health programs that focus on public health needs (like nutrition), pharmacy, a state-of-the-art lab for research, and dorm-style living for CU Anschutz students who want a global public health experience. The clinic serves people throughout the rural community, many of whom are employed in agriculture, as well as their children and families.
From Trinidad, Colorado, to the Trifinio Region in Guatemala, the solutions for these communities are grounded in public health—worker safety, good nutrition, pre- and post-natal care, mental health, early detection, and so on. These responses are rooted in evidenced-based public health interventions. Having grown up in a rural community, I am familiar with poor health habits and the conditions that cause them. Some of these habits are as ingrained as the strong work ethic and desire for individual freedom. Nonetheless, we can change the conditions that lead to poor health in rural areas. We can do this through the education we provide, the connections we build, and how we empower people to live healthier, independent lives.
As we all know, health is a means toward living a rich, full life. Without question, the actions taken at the federal level to wipe out health agencies, terminate valuable research grants, eliminate indispensable data resources, and to cast doubt on proven science will hurt all of us, but without question, these actions will hurt rural communities the most. They have so few resources and these cuts will leave them with even less.
Despite the frustrations we may feel, ColoradoSPH chooses to take action. We will expand our rural and global health programs. Our impacts will be felt even more strongly. However, we cannot achieve these goals without partnerships. State and private partnerships will have to assume more responsibility for rural areas because currently, the federal government is not investing in these locations or the people who live there. ColoradoSPH is taking steps to fill these gaps and to make a positive difference.
While visiting the banana farm in Guatemala, our team was treated to a lunch of homemade tamales and other locally made snacks amongst the banana trees. I passed the salsa – the hotter of the two, according to our hosts – to the Chancellor. He looked at me, shrugged, and said “in for a penny…” as he dolloped a healthy serving on his tamale. That sums it up. We are all in for developing a network of public health programming and partnerships. It is our duty, and the reason public health was established in the first place.
