The Colorado State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) is a network of state agencies and data experts brought togetherto examine the patterns, context, and impact of substance use. The Colorado SEOW is associated with the Attorney General’s Office as the data committee for the Substance Abuse Trend and Response Task Force. This unique relationship
allows the SEOW to provide key leaders and legislators with information on substance use trends and to help inform the allocation of resources.
Upcoming Meetings
The SEOW meets monthly on the third Thursday from 9-11 a.m.Remote connection available. Future dates and presenters include the following:
November 21, 2019 - Tony Grampsas Youth Services Dashboard, Pearl Bell, Youth Development Specialist
December 19, 2019 - TBD
January 16, 2020 - TBD
For more information on meeting locations and remote access, contact us.
Ways To Get Involved
Interested in contributing your perspective and expertise to further impact substance use efforts?
Attend an upcoming monthly meeting in person or virtually;
Present data or data products at a monthly meeting;
Share our newsletter with others in your network; and,
The SEOW aims to have a data presentation at each monthly meeting. Presentations provide members an opportunity to learn about new data sources and data products, offer presenters a chance to receive feedback and answer questions from a group of data experts, and allow for a larger conversation on substance use trends in our state. Please see the "Upcoming Meetings" section above for more information on upcoming presenters.If you are interested in presenting, please contact us.
The Steering Committee (SC) meets monthly prior to each SEOW meeting to create the agenda. The SC and larger SEOW revised our goals to the following four:
1) Characterize substance abuse across the state. 2) Identify and address gaps in substance use data. 3) Increase substance use data availability. 4) Continue to inform prevention and treatment efforts.
The SC will focus on recruitment to diversify the SEOW's membership geographically to be more representative of Colorado. If you are interested in participating in Steering Committee meetings, please contact us.
The SEOW has three workgroups, including the Alcohol Policy Workgroup, the Data Workgroup, and the Training Workgroup.
The Alcohol Policy Workgroup formed to research evidence-based policies to reduce excessive drinking in Colorado. In partnership with Change Labs Solutions, the group finalized a guide for understanding and addressing Alcohol Outlet Density at the community level. The group plans to develop a complementary resource for communities to measure alcohol outlet density at the local level. For more information on using the guide, please contact Kacy Crawford, alcohol epidemiologist at the Colorado Department of Health and Environment.
The Data Workgroup formed to guide the development of the SEOW’s products. Following the release of the state epidemiological profiles and a brief on methamphetamine, the SEOW is gathering data to understand polysubstance use and its prevalence nationally and
in Colorado. The polysubstance brief is intended to provide broad information on polysubstance use. We anticipate finalizing the polysubstance use brief in early November. Additionally, the workgroup is compiling a list of secondary data sources that may be of interest to public health professionals. The list will include short descriptions and links. The brief on polysubstance use and list of secondary sources will be posted on the SEOW’s website when complete.
The Training Workgroupformed to address data access and usage needs identified by local public health departments. The group
developed a data literacy manual to build the capacity of local public health professionals to find, request, and assess the quality of secondary data. The SEOW will disseminate the manual to local public health departments and other community professionals. The workgroup provided a draft version to the larger SEOW for feedback and plans to finalize the manual by the end of December 2019.
Additional Reports and Resources
Colorado Health Information Dataset "The Colorado Health Information Dataset (CoHID) provides access to state and local-level data and resources compiled by the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to help understand health and related issues affecting people in Colorado."
2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data
"The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the nation's premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services."
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Lung Injury and Vaping
"Lung injury associated with e-cigarette use, or vaping, has recently been reported in most states. CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, and others are investigating this outbreak."
"Exploring the Increase in District Court Filings in Colorado, 2013-18," Colorado Division of Criminal Justice
"In recent years, felony filings have increased significantly in Colorado's district courts. Between calendar years 2013 and 2018, the total number of statewide felony filings increased by 44.7 percent, from 36,582 filings in 2013 to 52,949 in 2018."
