Colorado students challenge state policies on health care, clean energy • Colorado Newsline

Youth from the Colorado Youth Advisory Council presented a state committee proposal that could become bills during the 2025 legislative session. The proposal included policy proposals related to naloxone distribution, access and clean energy.

Recommendations are made by committees within COYAC. The group of young people on the council come from all over the state and range in age from 14 to 19. The students presented their ideas for the next session to the Colorado Legislature’s Youth Advisory Committee Council last week.

In the past, the council advocated legislation related to the reduction and prevention of eating disorders, care that ensures that both genders are included. free menstrual products for students, among other policies that have become bills or legislation. COYAC students connect with government agencies and media professionals to find the best ways to turn their strategic ideas into reality.

Students presented various ideas that could help schools save energy by installing solar panels, reduce waste by creating student-led food waste reduction groups in school cafeterias , and increasing access to school transportation due to the ongoing shortage of school bus drivers.

Another idea the students have proposed is a government-sponsored conference to teach high school students about the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. The students also recommended adding two new representatives to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environmental Justice Advisory Board, one of whom would be from a disproportionately affected community.

“Today’s youth are not waiting for tomorrow or someone else to save the planet, and allowing students to enter the conversation is the only way to empower the next generation to solve the problem that we are told all our lives are our responsibility. , Sophie. Tipper, a 16-year-old from Arapahoe County, said.

Students will follow up with additional stakeholders to refine their ideas before the next legislative committee meeting in Aug. 15, when the committee is expected to narrow down the bill’s recommendations to no more than six.

Ultimately the committee will select no more than three regulations to be considered for presentation at the end of its final meeting on Oct. 1.

Administering naloxone to prevent an overdose

Makena James, a 17-year-old Steamboat Springs court clerk, described the disproportionate impact the opioid crisis has had on rural Colorado. Lack of access to naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug, is also evident in rural communities, he said.

“Simply put, naloxone saves lives,” James said. “But for our rural youth and low-income communities, that life-saving solution is neither financially nor environmentally accessible.”

Suyash Shrestha, a 15-year-old from Thornton who serves on the council, suggested adding naloxone to the AED cabinets already in secondary schools to increase access to youth. He also suggested distributing naloxone to local businesses such as coffee shops, convenience stores and restaurants to distribute to members of the public for free.

“The availability of such an easy-to-use overdose treatment ensures that first responders can provide medication in a timely manner, in addition to people around in more difficult situations,” Shrestha said.

Access to schools

Kate Glover, 16, a senior COYAC member, started using a wheelchair in June 2023, and returned to school in August to start her second year. He said he has always loved school, but the lack of opportunity makes it difficult for him to return.

“Throughout the school year, I couldn’t go to school by myself,” Glover said. “My happy place was somewhere I couldn’t get to without people help me.”

He recommended that the Legislature create an audit program so that school facilities are regularly reviewed for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This can be done through the government’s contract with a third party, by hiring the auditors as government employees, or by training the agency’s current auditors on the requirements of the ADA.

Information from these assessments will be shared publicly so that families can make informed decisions about which schools are the best fit for their students. Currently, Glover said if a student has an access problem, they must take proactive steps to speak to school leadership or file a legal complaint.

“For most people, you don’t have to think about how to get in the door, about emergency exits, about which classrooms to go to, about where to eat in the cafeteria. your dining room,” Glover said. . “It’s not something that comes to mind until you can’t.”

Youth health literacy

Mia Portillo, an 18-year-old high school graduate and former member of COYAC’s health care committee, is preparing to go to college across the country, and is struggling to see that How will health care change as you will need access. doctors to treat his kidney disease at a new level.

Portillo says that most of what students learn comes from school, but school does not give them the practical skills needed in everyday life related to health care, insurance and finding doctors. He cited data from Children’s Hospital Colorado that found 30% of parents have difficulty understanding basic health care information, and nearly 50% have difficulty understanding prescriptions.

Portillo said health literacy is the ability to find, understand and use health information.

“If we focus our efforts on expanding health education resources, Colorado’s youth will be better equipped to navigate the health care system as they age,” said Portillo. “They will be able to speak up for themselves, to speak up for their children and the people around them.”

Ranye Ezenekwe, a 17-year-old from Westminster who works for COYAC, said the council wants the state to create a Health Literacy Oversight Panel tasked with providing literacy questions including the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. .

The team would analyze data from the survey to identify areas for improvement, create self-paced learning platforms to help students develop the skills needed to advocate for their lives, and advise the Colorado Department of Education. about improvements in education standards that will meet health literacy needs. . The panel will also produce an annual report highlighting progress in different areas across the country, Ezenekwe said.

Ezenekwe said the government could also provide health literacy materials at health centers in schools to help students learn about the comparison of health insurance plans, public health, general medical conditions and health advocacy.