The Consortium

Background Statement

The Consortium was founded in 1997 with the mission to partner with Colorado school districts to ensure the successful implementation of the state's Medicaid School Health Services (SHS) Program. In 1988, federal law was amended to allow school districts to receive partial reimbursement for medical services provided to Medicaid-eligible students. Individual states were required to design their own implementation plan. In 1991, this planning process brought together a coalition of local business leaders, child health advocates, physicians, parents, and education professionals determined to seize the opportunity to improve the health of children across the state of Colorado. Members of this coalition became the founding board of The Consortium in 1997-the first nonprofit organization of its kind nationally. Unified around a common goal, The Consortium established itself as an instrumental partner in designing Colorado's Medicaid School Health Services Program.

The result was a program unlike any in the country. Determined to design a program that best served all students, The Consortium and its partners crafted the law to mandate that reimbursement funds be spent directly on the unmet health needs of students. In the past twenty years, that mandate has directed hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to nursing, mental health, dental, vision, health education, and insurance outreach, providing additional access to health services for students across the state of Colorado each year.

The Consortium is the only organization in Colorado that offers participating public school districts and BOCES a uniform set of program tools, benefits, and reporting regardless of their size. Throughout its history, the organization has continued to adapt, innovate, and grow in order to meet the needs of Colorado schools and improve the health and well-being of Colorado's children.