The Colorado 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 below for more information on upcoming presenters.  If you are interested in presenting, please contact us.

The Steering Committee meets monthly prior to each SEOW meeting to create the agenda.  Additionally, the group has focused on updating the SEOW’s strategic plan, logic model, and timeline.  If you are interested in participating in Steering Committee meetings, please contact Sharon Liu.

The SEOW has four workgroups, including the Alcohol Policy Workgroup, the Data Workgroup, and the Sustainability Workgroup, and the Training Workgroup.

The Alcohol Policy Workgroup is a subcommittee of the larger SEOW and was formed to research evidence-based policies to reduce excessive drinking. The group has continued its partnership with Change Labs Solutions, an external technical assistance provider, to develop a guide for understanding and addressing Alcohol Outlet Density at the community level. The group aims to finalize the guide in May of 2019 and present it at the 2019 Shared Risk and Protective Factors Conference in Keystone, Colorado.

The Data Workgroup is another subcommittee of the larger SEOW.  It recently finalized a set of Colorado epidemiological profiles, which present data on demographics, alcohol, marijuana, and opioids.  The purpose of the profiles is to provide a state-level overview that summarizes data from new and established surveillance sources for use in prevention/intervention planning, monitoring, and evaluation and provides recommendations to ensure comparable data to improve data collection for future surveillance.

The Sustainability Workgroup met in January to begin planning for the future of the SEOW.  The group will meet again in March to begin looking at the costs associated with the SEOW and begin discussions around other entities that can possibly take on the work of the SEOW.

The Training Workgroup formed to address data access and usage needs identified by local public health departments. SAMHSA provided the Strategic Prevention Framework-Partnerships for Success project with an additional $25,000 in supplemental funds.  The SEOW voted to address local public health department training needs and will be working with the Southwest Prevention Center (University of Oklahoma) to design a training for Colorado on data literacy.  The first meeting with the work group will take place in this month.  

Third Annual Shared Risk & Protective Factors Conference

"As prevention professionals, you have likely seen issues that are common among the youth, families and communities you work with - issues like poverty, families dealing with substance abuse, and youth who are not connected to or do not feel safe at school. We often refer to these issues as 'shared risk and protective factors.' This conference focuses on learning and implementing strategies that take a shared risk and protective factor approach to prevent multiple forms of violence, injury and substance abuse, helping multiple programs and agencies achieve their desired outcomes."

When: May 29-31, 2019
Where: Keystone, Colorado
Website: https://registrations.publichealthpractice.org/Training/Detail/115

Colorado State Epidemiological Profiles
Colorado State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup

"In early 2019, the Colorado State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) published this four-part document as an overview of opioid, marijuana, and alcohol consumption and consequences in Colorado. Each substance is presented in its own profile, with a Demographics profile provided for additional state context. These epidemiological profiles were designed to be readily usable to all people working in substance use prevention. They cross many data sources and aim to present the most actionable findings."

To view the profiles, click here.

2018 Summary on Health Concerns Related to Marijuana in Colorado
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

"When Colorado became one of the first two states in the nation to legalize retail marijuana, the Colorado Legislature mandated that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) study the potential public health effects of marijuana use.