Protecting Colorado’s Public Health & Economy: Gov. Polis, State Legislators, Health Care Workers Announce COVID Readiness Legislative Proposal

DENVER - Colorado is acting on the hard lessons learned and honoring the sacrifices that all Coloradans made to protect hospital capacity and healthcare readiness for the State of Colorado. In February, the Polis Administration released "Colorado’s Next Chapter: Our Roadmap to Moving Forward" to ensure we never ask all Coloradans to make such extreme sacrifices in the future by being better prepared and having certainty and reliability in the face of COVID-19 or any potential future emergency, and to keep Coloradans safe and protect our rapidly growing economy. Today, Governor Polis, Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera, Rep. Kyle Mullica, Senator Sonya Jacquez Lewis, Rep. Julie McCluskie and health care workers announced a legislative effort to implement the steps outlined in the Roadmap, ensuring that Colorado’s emergency and health systems are prepared to meet the needs of Coloradans.

“We’ve taken the hard lessons learned of this pandemic and turned them into a responsible, balanced framework to guide Colorado’s response moving forward. Today we are proud to announce a legislative plan of action to ensure our health care workforce is stronger, our hospitals and health systems are more prepared for future surges and we have a strong supply of protective tools like masks for health care workers,” said Gov. Polis. “Coloradans have endured many hardships throughout this pandemic and it’s imperative we take action to honor those sacrifices by increasing the resilience of our healthcare system to ensure readiness and stronger preparedness for whatever lies ahead.”

“Colorado’s nurses, doctors and hospital employees saved countless lives during the pandemic and faced unimaginable stress from staffing shortages and several near breaches of our hospital bed capacity,” said Rep. Kyle Mullica, D-Federal Heights. “Today, we unveiled legislation to support our frontline health care workers and ensure we are better prepared for the next COVID wave or other public health crisis. With these bills, Coloradans can go about our lives with the peace of mind that our hospitals and health care workers are prepared to handle whatever comes our way.”

“The last few years have been challenging, but we’ve learned a lot and we’re in a much better position than we were two years ago,” Senator Jaquez Lewis said. “It’s now time to apply those lessons as we begin to live alongside this disease and balance returning to normal with keeping ourselves, our families, and our communities safe. This Roadmap will draw more providers into the workforce, get Colorado’s heroic health care providers the critical tools and resources they need, and ensure they are better prepared to respond and keep us healthy and safe the next time a public health emergency strikes.”

“Colorado’s rural hospitals held strong throughout the pandemic, but they faced enormous challenges, pressures and costs,” said Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “Legislation I’m sponsoring will boost support for rural hospitals to increase access to care and save Coloradans money. This $10 million investment of economic relief funds will bolster our rural health care infrastructure, save people money, improve the sustainability of rural hospitals and clinics and increase access to badly needed services, including behavioral health.”

Hanna Warnecke, an ICU Nurse spoke at today’s event and shared her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and her support for the legislation.

“Coloradans have shown incredible resilience over the past two years, and I am proud that today, we are taking an important next step to ensure that we always remain prepared and ready to keep Coloradans safe, healthy, and thriving,” said Lt. Governor Primavera.

Dr. Allison Trop, President of the Colorado Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians spoke at today’s event. “This pandemic helped us to see how fragile our healthcare system can be and that we need the safeguards provided by this proposed legislation to improve healthcare provider wellness programs and clear the path for those called to work in healthcare to enter the field and begin practice. We support the idea of training our next generation of healthcare providers in Colorado and providing incentive for them to stay in our beautiful state. CO ACEP are excited to continue to collaborate with the Governor’s office in preparing the State of Colorado for whatever difficulties may arise in the future,” Dr. Trop added.

“As an emergency physician who has taught weapons of mass destruction, pandemics and preparedness for decades, I heartily endorse the current Colorado legislative activity to improve our preparedness,” said Stephen V. Cantrill, Emergency Physician, Denver Health Medical Center & Member, Colorado GEEERC.

“We are fortunate that Governor Polis and his staff have taken the key lessons learned from this pandemic and worked to bring forward a “roadmap” to assure that going forward, Colorado hospitals, long term care, primary care, and public health services are ready to respond and support access to care. Colorado is fortunate to have policy leaders bold enough to create public accountability for safe patient care by addressing safe staffing plans, public reporting of essential indicators of patient and staff safety, and requiring collaboration across all disciplines and providers in assuring a strong public health in Colorado. Colorado Nurses Association strongly supports Representative Mullica’s leadership in bringing legislation forward to support hospital readiness, workforce safety and development,” said Colleen Casper, DNP, RN, MS and Director of Practice & Government Affairs at the Colorado Nurses Association.

Colorado’s Next Chapter: Our Roadmap to Moving Forward is a guide for the future of responding to COVID-19. The Roadmap outlines a plan to ensure that Colorado’s public health and emergency systems are agile and prepared to scale up to respond to emergencies. The roadmap outlines important next steps to implement the State’s readiness and preparedness goals, including establishing hospital readiness standards; surge planning and normalizing COVID patient care in traditional medical settings; ensuring public health readiness and surge capacity; and investing in healthcare workforce stabilization and expansion.

This COVID readiness package of legislation includes the following bills to help Colorado implement preparedness goals and build a stronger Colorado for the future.

One bill sponsored by Rep. Mullica and Sen. Jacquez Lewis focuses on ensuring health systems have robust inventory of critical supplies. To achieve this, the legislation directs the Department of Public Safety to get and maintain a stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and gloves to bridge the gap if national supply does not meet demand. This legislation would also ensure hospitals, public health agencies, and trauma centers maintain a robust stockpile of PPE, and that staff know how to properly use the equipment.

The legislation also includes key investments in the healthcare workforce. A bill sponsored by Rep. Mullica and Sen. Jacquez Lewis supports Colorado’s healthcare workforce by developing provider wellness and support programs, creating financial aid opportunities for in-demand credential programs like Certified Nursing Assistant, and expanding nurse preceptor and clinical opportunities. The bill would also provide flexibility for health care licensure and care provisions, while continuing to build and sustain Colorado’s healthcare talent pool for the future.

“I want to thank Governor Polis and the Colorado Legislature for bringing forward this comprehensive legislative package. The Colorado Roadmap is clear on steps we need to take and this legislation is critical to get us there. We all look forward to a time when COVID-19 does not disrupt our daily lives and is something we prevent, protect against, and treat like any other infectious disease,” said Jason Vahling Director of the Broomfield Department of Public Health and Environment and Co-Chair of the Metro Denver Partnership for Health.

Hospital readiness is a critical part of Colorado’s ability to prepare for and respond to public health incidents, and a bill sponsored by Rep. Mullica aims to ensure hospitals are prepared to meet the demand of COVID-19 surges or other diseases in the future. This legislation would require hospitals to develop surge readiness plans and increase hospital transparency on safety, staffing, and preparedness. The bill also focuses the State on responding to long-COVID and post-viral illness.

“The public heath workforce has been fighting on the front line against COVID-19, assuming new and expanded responsibilities to ensure care is delivered in all corners of our state. CALPHO supports critical investments that build and sustain workforce talent across a continuum of partners addressing COVID-19 prevention and treatment, including public health departments,” said Cara Bradbury, CALPHO Executive Director

“We applaud Governor Polis and the General Assembly for taking action to revitalize our current healthcare workforce and expand access for aspiring healthcare professionals with free education and training,” said Joe Garcia, Chancellor of the Colorado Community College System. "This legislation will help hundreds of Coloradans launch their careers in a high-growth sector while filling critical workforce shortages across the state."

This workforce legislation will build on existing efforts, including the creation of the Colorado Healthcare Corps. This new Americorps program is recruiting 150 individuals to help address the critical healthcare workforce shortage. All members will receive training, career coaching, and support while they serve, creating a new pathway to fill in-demand careers in the industry.

“Colorado’s colleges are eager to support our healthcare workforce in preparing the talent pipeline through short term programs aimed at moving Colorado forward faster,” Dr. Angie Paccione, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Higher Education.

Additionally this week, Gov. Polis urged the White House to provide more urgency and action from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 years of age. Colorado is home to a quarter million children younger than the age of 5 and the Polis administration’s roadmap which is supported by local leaders also urged the FDA to approve the vaccine for all ages.