Congressman Jason Crow Announces Nearly $1.3M for Local Health Center Promoting Healthcare Worker Wellbeing

Funding for the Center for Health, Work, & Environment (CHWE) in Aurora, Colorado Was Awarded Following Crow's Letter of Support

AURORA -- Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06) today announces $1,282,563 in Center for Disease Control (CDC) funding for the Center for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) in Aurora Colorado, which helps advance the overall safety, health, and well-being of workers in the Rocky Mountain region. With Congressman Crow's support, CHWE received this grant to continue conducting research and designing practical solutions to occupational health and safety challenges.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has truly emphasized the importance of taking a holistic approach to addressing the needs of working Coloradans and their families. The concept of Total Worker Health holds great promise for improving both job safety and well-being of the workforce in Colorado and across the county," wrote Congressman Jason Crow in his letter on behalf of this funding.

"In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center quickly pivoted to partner with the Tri-County Health Department and other community public health entities to provide employers with much needed guidance on how to keep workers safe, employed, and productive. The emphasis on workers' mental health, in addition to practical ways of protecting workers from exposure to the virus, have been particularly valuable to our community," he continued.

"With this award, our Center, based at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, will continue to collaborate with business leaders and employees to protect workers who are at the greatest risk of job-related injuries and illness," said Dr. Lee Newman, Director of CHWE. "The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that we need healthy and safe workplaces, or else our well-being, productivity and prosperity suffer. In particular, we will continue to work with small businesses in the district and across the state, including an increased focus on partnering with minority-owned businesses, agribusinesses, and educational institutions."

"We are grateful to Congressman Crow and other members of the Colorado Congressional Delegation who have expressed their support and share our commitment to protect and promote the well-being of workers in the state of Colorado," continued Dr. Newman.

The award will fund three new research projects led by investigators from the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH), CU School of Medicine, and Colorado State University (CSU). Dr. Cathy Bradly, professor and associate dean for research at the ColoradoSPH and deputy director of the CU Cancer Center, will partner with Dr. Lee Newman and Dr. Lili Tenney to lead a five-year study that examines the employment experience of low-income, Latino men newly diagnosed with cancer. This flagship project will test a clinical-based Total Worker Health (TWH) intervention delivered by oncology care teams to improve patients' ability to continue working during cancer therapy.

Dr. Kathy James, associate professor at ColoradoSPH, and Dr. Gwen Fisher, associate professor at CSU, will launch a new project that addresses behavioral health for farm workers and owners in the San Luis Valley of southern rural Colorado. A growing body of evidence shows that anxiety, depression, suicide, and other behavioral health challenges occur at significantly higher rates among U.S. agricultural workers, magnified by physical isolation from medical providers. The project will further investigate the contributions to this crisis and form a network of community partners and providers to better support the community.

The third project will be a two-year study to adapt and test a workforce mental health intervention with emergency preparedness programs in Pre K-8 schools (led by ColoradoSPH assistant professors Dr. Courtney Welton-Mitchel and Dr. Natalie Schwatka). The project will review and co-create revisions to emergency preparedness plans and the mental health supports in participating schools.

The award will also support the center's TWH initiatives including Health Links™, a program providing businesses with TWH assessment, certification, and advising. The outreach core, led by Dr. Tenney, will focus on dissemination and implementation projects to reach underserved organizations and working communities including small businesses, Latinx, and Black workforces. The award will support the development of new TWH training in the areas of behavioral health, leadership, and emerging issues.

CHWE, which is located at the Colorado School of Public Health, is one of six recipients across the country to receive a total of $6 million in funding through the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH).

The full text of Congressman Crow's letter of support for this funding can be found here and below.

Lee Newman, MD, MA

Distinguished University Professor,

Colorado School of Public Health and School of Medicine

Director, Center for Health, Work & Environment

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

13001 E. 17th Place, Mailstop B119 Aurora, CO 80045

Dear Dr. Newman:

I write to urge your full and fair consideration of the request made by the Center for Health, Work & Environment for the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) to renew their cooperative agreement. The COVID-19 pandemic has truly emphasized the importance of taking a holistic approach to addressing the needs of working Coloradans and their families. The concept of Total Worker Health holds great promise for improving both job safety and well-being of the workforce in Colorado and across the county. I am proud that the district I represent is home to one of the six National Centers of Excellence in Total Worker Health.

Through the Health Links program, the Center for Health, Work & Environment works directly with mostly small businesses in Aurora, Colorado and the surrounding communities to implement and improve workplace health and safety programs. They work closely with over 370 businesses across the State of Colorado including 46 businesses in my district. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center quickly pivoted to partner with the Tri-County Health Department and other community public health entities to provide employers with much needed guidance on how to keep workers safe, employed, and productive. The emphasis on workers' mental health, in addition to practical ways of protecting workers from exposure to the virus, have been particularly valuable to our community.

I am pleased to see that the proposed NIOSH corporative agreement included language that ensured the continued focus on the needs of small enterprises and engagement with community stakeholders. Importantly, these projects specifically address the well-being of teachers and staff in Aurora Public Schools, early childhood educators, agricultural workers, and cancer survivors, who strive to continue working while receiving treatment. I applaud the Center's continued efforts of addressing workplace protection for some of the most diverse and vulnerable workers.

On behalf of my constituents, I urge you to complete your full and fair consideration as quickly as possible to ensure assistance can made available to those small businesses in need. If you have any other needs or would like to keep me apprised of the decision reached by NIOSH, please contact Veronica Shotts at Veronica.Shotts@mail.house.gov or 720-748-7514.

Sincerely,

###