My fellow colleague, Lisa Van Bramer, an emergency physician, has started a non-profit that has gotten
the Colorado Kids 1st license plate approved by the Colorado legislature. This license plate will help to raise money for programs that promote health and prevent injuries to children in Colorado. Her organization needs your help by showing support of this intiative. LB
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You can show your support by:
- Going to the following website: http://www.rmrpi.org/
- Selecting SUPPORT THE PLATE from the list on the left.
- Inputting the requested information. She assures me that your information will not be given to anyone for solication purposes and that you will only be contacted by them once the plate is available from the department of motor vehicles.
By signing up to show your support you are under no obligation to get the license plate, but if you want to reserve your license plate by making a donation, you can do it at http://www.rmrpi.org/ by selecting Click HERE to reserve your license plate!
Colorado Kids 1st License Plate Fact Sheet
SB 06-100 "Kids First Special License Plate" PASSED!
Sponsored by SENATOR Sandoval and REPRESENTATIVE Pommer
For more information, please contact Dr. Lisa Van Bramer at ColoradoKids1st@aol.com or call 303-521-7089
Q: What is the Colorado Kids 1st License Plate?
A: The Colorado Kids 1st License Plate is a specialty plate that will help promote the health and safety of Colorado children. The plate will do this in two ways: a) by raising awareness on Colorado roads, reminding drivers to put kids first and b) by raising funds for community organizations and projects dedicated to promoting health and safety of Colorado children. The plate design (above) was submitted to the Colorado Department of Revenue and approved by the Colorado Transportation Legislation Review Committee. The 2006 Colorado State legislature passed Senate Bill 06-100 concerning the creation of the Colorado Kids 1st License Plate this year, and Governor Bill Owens signed the bill into law on June 9, 2006!
Q: How will the Colorado Kids 1st License Plate raise funds?
A: Prior to obtaining a plate, individuals will make a $30 donation to the Rocky Mountain Research and Prevention Institute (RMRPI), a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. In exchange for this donation, individuals will receive a voucher enabling them to obtain a Colorado Kids 1st License Plate. These donations will be placed into the Colorado Kids 1st Fund, which will provide grants to applicants whose projects directly impact the health and well being of children in the state of Colorado. Community groups and organizations can further promote the health and safety of Colorado children by selling these vouchers (see below). Additionally, a one-time $25 special license plate fee charged by the Department of Motor Vehicles as well as regular registration fees applies.
Q: How will the money raised from the Colorado Kids 1st License plate be used?
A: Community groups and organizations with project proposals that comply with the Colorado Kids 1st mission of promoting health and preventing injuries to Colorado's children may apply for grants from the Colorado Kids 1st Fund. The RMRPI Board of Directors intends to fund projects that: (a) promote health and safety programs for Colorado's children; (b) inform, educate and train the general public about children's health issues; or (c) promote public awareness of children's health issues. The Colorado Kids 1st Fund is designed to help community groups and organizations obtain funding, no matter how small the request. Therefore, there is no minimum grant amount.
Q: How will this initiative benefit Colorado and its residents?
A: In addition to raising awareness, the Colorado Kids 1st License Plate will help raise funds to support local safety and health projects focused on children in Colorado in two ways:
- Colorado community groups and organizations will be able to apply for grants from the Colorado Kids 1st Fund.
- The license plate will be available as a fundraising project for local community groups and organizations dedicated to the health and safety of Colorado kids. For each voucher a group sells, it will receive $10 to use for its own programs. Groups interested in selling vouchers will first be approved by a RMRPI steering committee to ensure recipients will use the funds to help promote safety and prevent injury in Colorado children.
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An Ounce of Prevention
Grants from the Colorado Kids 1st Fund will be awarded to organizations and programs that promote the health and safety of children in Colorado. From eyeglasses to booster seat programs- from immunizations to prenatal nutrition-organizations and projects all throughout the state will be able to better help our children through these funds. But how do these programs translate into cost-savings for the state? Read below to find out how far a dollar of prevention can actually go.
- Over a four-year average, a $50 safety seat for a child on Medicaid can save almost $100 in medical costs and $1,400 in preserved good health.1
- For every $1 spent on the preventative Prenatal Plus Program administered by the Women's Health Section of The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, $2.48 is saved annually on Medicaid.2
- Studies have shown immunizations' prevention of illness, disability, and death saves an estimated $10 to $14 in healthcare for every $1 spent.3
- Every $1 WIC spends on preventative nutrition programs for pregnant women results in an average of $3.13 in Medicaid savings over the first 60 days after birth.4
- A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study shows that preventative dental sealants-the plastic coatings applied to children's teeth to reduce cavities-reduces the number of fillings and extractions in poorer children by two-thirds. Not only did the children at highest risk for cavities and extractions require fewer treatments, they also incurred fewer expenses for Medicaid. For a 9-year-old child, for example, preventative sealant treatment led to a savings for Medicaid dollars of almost $4 per tooth.5
| Organizations supporting the Colorado Kids 1st License Plate |
Prevention programs that educate women on the benefits of breastfeeding can help significantly reduce medical care costs due to less illness, fewer hospital, and doctor visits. The average formula fed infant requires 21% more Medicaid expenditures than a breastfed baby.6
1Miller, T and Levy, D. Cost-Outcome Analysis in Injury Prevention and Control: 84 Recent Estimates for the United States. Medical Care, 38(6):562-582, 2000.
2The Effects of the Prenatal Plus Program on Infant Birth Weight and Medicaid Costs, Judith Glazner, M.S., Brenda L. Beaty, M.S.P.H., University of Health Sciences Center, December 2002
3Wagner, et al., Insurance Coverage for Preventive Immunizations in Childhood, 326 New Eng. J. Med. 768 (March 12, 1992).
4Press Release, Colorado Department of Public Health, Nutrition Program Celebrates 30 Years of Helping Colorado Families Eat Healthy (July 17, 2004) (on file at www.cdphe.state.co.us).
5Press Release, UNC News Service, Study: dental sealants for children on Medicaid can reduce dental costs (November 2, 2001) (on file at http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov01/rozier110201.htm)
6Press Release, Colorado Department of Public Health, More Colorado Moms Are Continuing to Breastfeed for Six Months (July 30, 2002) (on file at www.cdphe.state.co.us).