Kaiser launches new health advocacy movement

A new health advocacy movement called "Keep Living Colorado" aims to extend the lives of underserved communities through healthy living and participation in the Connect for Health Colorado insurance marketplace.

Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Uptown Media, Ebony, and ESPN Denver. Keep Living Colorado will launch March 8 at a health summit in Denver, where African- Americans and Latinos will hear how to "exercise their right to healthy living."

The kick off event, KeepLivingCO.org Summit – Health Rights ARE Civil Rights, will be held at The Cable Center, 2000 Buchtel Blvd. from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. March 8. Guests can pre- register at KeepLivingCO.org.

According to the 2011 Colorado Health Access Survey by the Colorado Trust, the number of people with no insurance or who are underinsured is more than 1.5 million or one in three Coloradans. Of those, Coloradans of Hispanic descent are more likely to be uninsured than other groups, with 33 percent uninsured. This figure hasn’t changed significantly in more than five years. Furthermore, 52 percent of the uninsured nationally, identify as nonwhite.

“Kaiser Permanente believes that everyone in this country should have access to high-quality, affordable health care and coverage," says  Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis, Kaiser Permanente Colorado's Vice President of Government and External Relations. "Unfortunately, we know that some communities have previously been underrepresented and have not had access to health care services and coverage. Sadly, this can have devastating impacts on health.”

Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock will kick off the event, followed by two panels of experts, which will include Tonya Lewis Lee, founder of Healthy You Now; Celebrity Chef Nikki Shaw; Beverly Bond, founder of Black Girls Rock; and CREA Results CEO Fernando Pineda-Reyes.

Contact Confluence Denver Development News Editor Margaret Jackson with tips and leads for future stories at margaret@confluence-denver.com.