The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing held its ARPA Quarterly Webinar on February 20, 2024, focusing on updates regarding the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) initiatives. The meeting's agenda included general ARPA updates, a closeout plan for ongoing projects, highlights of recently closed projects, and a review of the department's website.

The session commenced with an overview of ARPA's progress, presented by Taylor Ipock, an ARPA project support administrator. Ipock reported that as of January, 55 projects had been successfully closed, a significant increase from 33 projects reported in December. The department aims to complete the final closeout process for the remaining projects by March 31, 2024, when all funding must be dispersed.

Phoebe, another team member, provided insights into the project outcomes and the roadmap for future activities. She noted that 53 projects had closed by the meeting date, with an additional eight expected to close by the end of March. The team is currently finalizing budget details to facilitate provider payments with the remaining funds and is preparing outcome documents to showcase the achievements of the 61 ARPA Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) initiatives.

Patrick, another speaker, emphasized the importance of creating individual fact sheets for each ARPA project. These documents will outline the community needs that prompted each project, the impacts achieved, and plans for sustaining the initiatives moving forward. The goal is to ensure that the work initiated under ARPA continues to benefit the community beyond the project's completion.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to transparency and ongoing communication regarding the outcomes of the ARPA projects, as well as the next steps in the department's efforts to enhance health care services in Colorado.