Community health services / photo courtesy
Community Health Services has been a preventive clinic in Pitkin County, removing obstacles to health care for those who have low income, insurance or other care options since 1971.
Now, with the budget cuts of President Donald Trump and the proposal to eliminate a national and family planning program of the CHS called Title X, as well as the state subsidy revisions, the local security net supplier simply hopes to spend the year.
Logan Hood, executive director of the CHS who has been for the non -profit association for five years, said that she had seen the title X program developed in these five years because the need increased in the Fork Roaring Valley. According to Hood, six out of 10 women looking for contraceptive services indicate that it is their only health care provider, according to Hood.
“It’s more important than ever,” she said. “We are only a few months old in the administration. Eliminate title X … This will devastate our clinic and other clinics that count on the United States, we want to be this safe and reliable resource that we have been for so long. ”
Linda Vieira, a nursing nurse, midwife and nurse advanced practitioner in women’s health, said that she had seen women in the CHS in the past 47 years and is well aware of the critical services he provides for the “health of people in the Fork Roaring Valley”.
“Without financial help,” she said, “many would not have the capacity to plan to have or have no family.”
One of the biggest concerns of Hood with the title X is the program of promenade against cancer which helps to pay not only free mammographs for women who are not insured or under-assured, but which also pays diagnostic monitoring mammograms, biopsies, ultrasounds, and more if something is found.
Another of the main programs of CHS is the smiling for students, offering students from kindergarten to eighth year, from Aspen to parachute with preventive oral care. This program is partially supported by a subsidy funded by the federal government and also threatened by budget cuts.
“There is a real desert for affordable pediatric dentistry in our region,” said Hood. “Oral health is forgotten in public health circles, but reality is that it is the cornerstone of someone’s general well-being. We see around 3,000 students between Aspen to parachute just during the school year – it’s about nine months. And every year, more children and families opt for these free preventive services. ”
She has also seen the CHS vaccination program developed since COVID-19, with many people in Pitkin County for high support for vaccines and to stay up to date.
“This program has also doubled-it’s always a need,” she said. “It doesn’t slow down.”
SHC also offers contraceptives, sexually transmitted infection tests, cancer screening and other preventive health care, in addition to giving references and advice for things such as food insecurity, childcare, violence between intimate partners, mental health, etc. Vieira confirmed that these are services to which individuals and families “would not have access otherwise”.
Federal funding affects each of the programs, according to Hood.
The same day as Trump published the agenda to eliminate title X, it confirmed the standard subsidy of the CHS adjusted by the State of Colorado, so that allowances are based on the availability of funds – not guaranteed. This means that for this coming year, the CHS was expecting $ 125,000 from July 2025 to June 2026 and will now receive only $ 100,000.
“It doesn’t give us a long ramp to win $ 25,000,” said Hood. “Our cost has increased each year. I fear that my impact will not be affected by patient. The cost of doing business does not slow down, it increases. ”
She said that health care in general is disputed, with more than 575,000 coloradans losing medicaid for a number of different reasons since COVID-19. She also noted that she saw a lot of CHS partners – including Aspen Valley hospital, local foundations and local municipalities – also to tighten their belts and put support for their support.
“Much of this, it feels like going up, as if it was a constant battle to keep funds or write subsidies,” said Hood. “I have limited resources. Philanthropy is more important than ever in the history of our clinic. This will certainly soften the impact for those who need a safety net clinic so that we can continue to offer a service base. ”
According to its website, the CHS had 2,571 visits in 2024, with 1,614 “Unduped customers”.
Those interested in making a charity to the clinic can visit Coloradogives.org/organization/aspencommunityhealthservices.