June 1, 2020 Update. We will not launch our pilot demonstration project of working with Denver Area health systems to integrate lifestyle medicine into employee health, community benefit and patient care because we were not able to raise the funds necessary to support the pilot. We have not yet decided if we will attempt to raise funds and launch the pilot in the future.

Shifting from Concept Development to Pilot Implementation

We are in the process of shifting from concept development to implementing Ecosystems for Healthy Lifestyles in one sector of the Colorado economy in one geographic area with a one year pilot in early 2020.

We have selected the healthcare sector with a focus on hospitals because hospitals are the primary providers of healthcare in society and the largest employer in most towns. They also have extensive community outreach programs that can be enhanced by incorporating lifestyle as medicine and powerful boards of directors who can influence adoption in other sectors of society. Equally important, effective models have been developed in hospital settings by members of our team.  Drawing on these models can provides the opportunity for rapid scalability to other hospitals throughout Colorado and other states.

Ecosystems for Healthy Lifestyles will have three major components in hospital settings.

1. Comprehensive strategies to improve employee health that include: Leadership and co-worker support & incentives to practice healthy lifestyle; Skills training in all healthy lifestyle areas, and Opportunities to practice healthy lifestyles at work.
2. Integration of lifestyle medicine into patient care.
3. Integration of lifestyle medicine into community outreach.

Fund Raising to Support Pilot Implementation

We have begun fundraising efforts to support a professional staff to implement our pilot. We envision raising funds from four primary sectors:

1. Employers, health promotion providers and individuals based in Colorado
2. Nationally focused health promotion providers outside of Colorado
3. Foundations
4. Hospitals and hospital groups in Colorado

We Need Help

We need help in raising funds from each of these sectors.  If you would like to help us engage leaders from these sectors, please connect with us. Tell us the leaders you can connect us to, your areas of expertise and experience, and what inspired you to get involved.