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House committee advances bill to codify Healthy Steps early-childhood program
Summary
The Health & Human Services Committee recommended Senate Bill 17 to the Committee of the Whole after testimony and questioning on whether the bill mandates screenings, how it will be funded and which agencies will participate.
Senate Bill 17 to codify the Healthy Steps early-childhood program into the Colorado Department of Early Childhood advanced from the House Health & Human Services Committee by a favorable recommendation, the committee recorded.
The bill’s sponsors and witnesses told the committee the measure would recognize and define an existing pediatric primary-care program that embeds child-development and behavioral-health specialists into clinical teams to support children ages 0–3 and their caregivers. Representative Joseph, a bill sponsor, said the measure is designed “to support early childhood health programs in Colorado” and to solidify a program that currently operates in the community.
Healthy Steps, witnesses said, already operates in clinics statewide. Christina Walker, senior director of policy at the nonprofit Healthier Colorado, told the committee the program serves about 38,000 children in roughly…
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