Strengthening health through community collaboration: Mid-year insights

In 2024 the BCH Foundation launched its first ever competitive funding cycle. While the Foundation has been investing in direct programmatic partnerships since 2018, the open funding cycle was an opportunity to form new partnerships with community-based organizations presenting innovative ideas. By the end of the year, six organizations were awarded funding, while three existing partners continued to fulfill their multi-year commitments. The 2025 investments totaled almost $300,000, with grant awards ranging from $10,000 to $75,000. Since January 2025, BCH and our community partners have worked hard to establish and maintain meaningful and impactful programs to support BCH patients in the community.

In reviewing mid-year reports to learn how these partnerships have supported BCH patients, we have identified three key impact areas across all partners:

1. Supporting the individual patient’s needs beyond just medical care, and in highly complementary areas like access to nutritious food.
2. Directly impacting patients with housing needs – by getting into housing, avoiding the loss of housing, or helping people stay in their homes safely and without feeling isolated.
3. Further understanding the depth of support needed to improve one’s overall health for individuals experiencing multiple medical, social and economic hard-ships. These patients require an intensive approach that BCH cannot accomplish alone.

Here are a few ways this funding has been put to work for our community:

24 people were placed into housing and 1 more received a voucher and was in the process of applying for a place to live. The 3-year averages for the All Roads program include a 76% decrease in emergency department visits for those housed and a 52% decrease in hospital admissions for those housed.

16 ‘warm-hand-offs’ between BCH’s PILLAR program and the Boulder Alano club connected people experiencing substance use disorders with community meetings offered 365 days a year in a safe, welcoming and nonjudgmental space.

Of the 39 participants living with HIV supported through this partnership, 37 attended an HIV appointment within the last year, 17 avoided emergency department visits or hospitalization, 34 attained an undetectable viral load, and 33 obtained or maintained housing. 85% of clients served either obtained or maintained housing, which shows the impact of the funding on overall stability.

At the time of enrollment, 69% of participants (13 individuals) either agreed or strongly agree with the following statement, "In the last 30 days, I didn't have enough money to buy the quantity of fruits and vegetables I would like to eat". At follow up, 15% either agree or strongly agree with this statement. This represents a 78% reduction from baseline to follow up.

19 older adults have received navigation and access including referrals for in-home safety modifications, access to decluttering services, food and transportation support, and emotional and social wellbeing resources. As a result of this partnership, a small number of clients referred through Boulder Community Health have also enrolled in the Friendly Visitor program, which helps mitigate social isolation by fostering consistent and meaningful social connection. These are services that would not have been provided through the hospital system alone.

95 BCH patients were supported with 8 weeks of 7 meals each week (3,717 total meals). 76% of recipients were over the age of 60, 41% were living at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, 76% reported improved ability to remain living at home independently, and 94% reported that they had not stayed overnight in the hospital nor gone to the ED since receiving PAH meals.

Join Us in the 2026 BCH Partnership Cycle:

As we look ahead, the BCH Foundation is excited to announce the 2026 Funding cycle – an open call for new partnerships. Boulder Community Health and The BCH Foundation continue to hold our vision of partnering to create and care for the healthiest community in the nation as our top priority, and we look forward to continuing this work in 2026. All of this is made possible by the generosity of the community of donors supporting BCH through the Foundation.