DDPHE briefs council on measles response, urges more community vaccination access

Denver’s public health department told the City Council Health and Safety Committee on a briefing that it has responded to recent measles activity in Colorado and is focusing on outreach and improved vaccine access ahead of the school year. Kristen Chu, a member of the Department of Public Health & Environment medical operations team who led the presentation, said, "We have assessed approximately 437 individuals. A hundred and 86 of those were high risk contacts. 28 were referred for post exposure prophylaxis." The department also reported that Colorado had 16 cases and Denver had four confirmed cases during the recent surge. The department framed the update as part of broader immunization work used to prevent outbreaks and to improve kindergarten vaccine rates. "We are under the... goal rate," Chu said when describing MMR coverage targets and the department’s efforts to raise school vaccine uptake. She and other presenters described a mix of mobile clinics, school partnerships, and community outreach to reach families who face access barriers. The briefing outlined how the department’s nursing and epidemiology teams conduct case investigation, contact tracing and targeted post-exposure vaccination. Leslie Warren, who supports the epidemiology unit, described existing reporting and coordination protocols with Denver Public Schools and school-based clinics, saying the agencies have "a pretty robust system set up" for routine reporting and outbreak detection. Why it matters: DDPHE emphasized that even a single confirmed case can trigger many investigations and exposures. Nurse and immunization clinics are one immediate tool, but the department said community partnerships, language access and targeted outreach are needed to raise immunization coverage. Committee members asked how the city can help. Council Member Amanda Sawyer (District 5) asked about expanding in-school vaccination work to reach kindergarten students; Chu and DDPHE staff said Denver Health’s school-based programs are being coordinated with DDPHE and Denver Public Schools and that teams now meet monthly to align priorities and consent processes. Executive Director Karen McGowan told the committee the department is reviewing budgets and said "it would be a squidgy answer" when asked if specific programs are guaranteed amid upcoming budget cuts, but she added the department is prioritizing core public health services as it plans for reductions. DDPHE provided several program metrics during the briefing: its nursing team had run 41 community clinics with 25 partners so far this year, administering 697 vaccines and projecting more than 1,600 by year’s end (the department said this would be about a 10% increase over the prior year). DDPHE reported Denver exemption rates around 3–4 percent and overall vaccination coverage across measured vaccines in the mid-80s percent range, and staff described data- and place-based approaches to target outreach where coverage is low. Committee members and DDPHE staff also discussed language access and culturally responsive outreach. Chu said DDPHE translates materials into the top three local languages and can access translators in more than 50 languages for events, and that the department relies on trusted community partners to lead conversations in neighborhoods where vaccine hesitancy or access barriers exist. The briefing closed with a request that council continue to share information and partner contacts to expand clinic locations and outreach; no formal committee action or vote was taken on the briefing.