Brief History
Aurora Health Alliance (AHA) was started in 2009 by the parish of St. Theresa’s church in northwest Aurora who was concerned about a lack of access in their community, despite being surrounded by an abundance of healthcare resources. They began a series of community meetings, inviting local leadership to participate in discussing the challenges, and working collaboratively to begin to address them. A three-year operating grant from The Colorado Health Foundation in 2013 allowed AHA to hire staff and formalize the organization, including a sustainability strategy that relies on funding from local organizational partners.
Members and Affiliates
In 2018, AHA had over 2,200 members. An AHA member is anyone who believes in the mission and purpose of AHA and wants to be included in outreach and communications. Anyone can become a member through our website, or just by asking to be included. AHA has twenty Affiliates, who pay an annual fee to support base operations. The amounts range from $15,000/year to $250/year. In 2018, AHA secured $70,000 in affiliation funds. AHA is governed by an 18-member Community Board, which includes representatives from Aurora’s key health stakeholders, community organizations, and consumer advocates.
Current Working Groups/Program Priorities
Much of AHA’s work is accomplished through Interest Groups that are created based on member interests and internal capacity. Each group is co-chaired by an AHA Board Member and someone from another partner organization. In 2018, AHA’s Interest Groups were focused on kids’ health, seniors’ health, oral health access, access to specialty care, coverage expansion, and social determinants of health. In 2020, AHA added a new behavioral health interest group. Specific efforts addressed dental sealants, seniors stranded in hospital emergency rooms, affordable dental care for seniors, eligibility for Emergency Medicaid, and behavioral health access.
Why regional alliance work is important
AHA supports and participates in the Metro Area Health Alliance because we share many of the same access goals. Alliance colleagues offer information and support that enhances AHA in both our internal capacity, and our external efforts. We have seen the results of a locally-organized alliance, and the impact it can have on awareness and collaboration; a regional alliance could do more of the same on a larger scale.
Capacity
AHA, like many alliances, does a lot with a little. In 2018, our annual budget was $125,000. These funds primarily support 3 part-time staff – an Executive Director, a Program Manager, and a Communications Coordinator. To keep our fixed costs low, AHA does not maintain its own offices and relies on contract staff rather than employed staff. We rely a great deal on organizational partners and community volunteers to carry out much of our work.
Contact Information
Mandy Ashley | Executive Director | mashley@aurorahealthalliance.org
Website: www.aurorahealthalliance.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuroraHealthAlliance