Rural Provider Access and Affordability Stimulus Advisory Committee

The Rural Provider Access and Affordability Stimulus Advisory Committee makes recommendations to the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing on the rural grants awarded through Senate Bill 22-200. These recommendations will assist the Department in selecting qualified rural hospitals that will receive grant payments aimed at improving health care affordability and access to care in rural Colorado.

The advisory committee will advise and make formal recommendations to the Department on the rural grants including: procedures and timelines for a qualified rural provider to apply for a grant, criteria to determine grant eligibility and amounts, grantees' reporting requirements, and permissible uses of the grant funds.

More information can be found on the program page, Rural Provider Access and Affordability Stimulus Grant Program.

Our Members

The Advisory Committee was appointed by Department Executive Director, Kim Bimestefer, and consists of 9 voting members: one from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, one from the Department of Public Health and Environment, one from the Office of eHealth Innovation, one from Colorado Rural Health Center, four from rural providers (2 of which are from frontier areas), and one rural health care consumer who is a member of the disabled community.

• Angela Koch, Rural Health Care Consumer
• Beth Saxton, Chief Executive Officer, Yuma District Hospital
• Jeanine Gentry, Chief Executive Officer, Southwest Health System
• Kelea Nardini, Chief Nursing Officer, Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center
• Michelle Mills, Chief Executive Officer, Colorado Rural Health Center
• Nancy Dolson, Director of Special Financing, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
• Stephen Holloway, Health Equity and Access Branch Director, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
• Stephanie Pugliese, Director, Office of eHealth Innovation
• Zachary Weiderspon, Hospital Administrator, Conejos County/San Luis Valley Health

2022 Meeting Schedule and Handouts

All meetings will be held virtually via Zoom. Meetings will occur every other Friday at 1:00pm, unless otherwise noted.

November 18, 2022

This meeting is scheduled on November 18, 2022, at 1:00pm via Zoom.

• Agenda
• Meeting Minutes - pending approval
• Draft of Rules

November 4, 2022

The meeting is scheduled on November 4, 2022, at 1:00pm via Zoom.

• Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Presentation Slides

October 21, 2022

The meeting is scheduled on October 21, 2022, at 1:00pm via Zoom.

• Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Criteria Questions - draft
• Application Scorecard - draft

October 7, 2022

The meeting is scheduled on October 7, 2022, at 1:00pm via Zoom.

• Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Presentation Slides

September 23, 2022

This meeting is scheduled on September 23, 2022, at 1:00pm via Zoom.

• Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Snapshot of Rural Health in Colorado 2022
• Draft of Committee Bylaws
• Rural Hospital Payer Mix and Plant Age Handout
• Medicaid Utilization Map and Rural Hospital Services Presentation

September 7, 2022

This meeting is scheduled on September 7, 2022 at 3:00pm via Zoom.

• Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Meeting Presentation
• Senate Bill 22-200
• Colorado Open Meetings Law
• Rural Hospital Services
• Rural Hospital Financial Analysis
• Hospital Transformation Project Rural Support Fund Qualified Hospitals
• Rural Stimulus Grant Timeline
• Colorado Rural and Critical Access Hospitals with Frontier Designation

References

• Senate Bill 22-200 is the statute establishing the grant program, signed June 1, 2022.
• Open Meetings Law

Contact Us

Nancy Dolson
nancy.dolson@state.co.us
303-866-3698