Chronic Disease Self-Management Workshops

If you have a chronic health condition, learning to manage that condition can help you lead a happier, healthier life. Pueblo StepUp is now offering a program that will give you the tools you need to manage challenging illnesses.

Healthier Living: Managing Ongoing Health Conditions is designed to help people who are living with conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or cancer. Participants learn from class instructors and each other important information about nutrition, exercise, stress management,
medication and health care compliance and ways to improve communication with their health care providers. They discover how to make realistic action plans and take steps toward more positive, healthy and productive behavior.

This series of workshops meets for two and a half hours once a week for six weeks. Led by Pueblo StepUp staff, the workshops are interactive group sessions that teach through presentation, discussion and mutual support. Participants may bring a support person if necessary.

Jo Stinchcomb, Wellness Supervisor at Pueblo StepUp, was recruited by the Arthritis Foundation, Department of Public Health & Environment (Chronic Disease Section/Prevention Services Division) and the Consortium for Older Adult Wellness Commission (COAW) to be the Southern Colorado Regional Director for the Chronic Disease Self-
Management Program. The program is sponsored by a 3-year, $60,000-a-year grant from COAW. This funding has also allowed us to hire our newest staff member, Emily Johnson, Wellness Coordinator.

The cost for all 6 workshops is $25 for participants (a support person may attend for free). The cost covers
tuition and class materials, including book and CD. Scholarships and payment plans are available.

For more information, call Jo Stinchcomb at 719-557-3883 or Emily Johnson at 719-557-3887.

StepUp To What’s Happening At StepUp

Grants
This past summer StepUp received several important grants, including SC Ministries, in support of general operating needs; $20,000 from Pueblo County United Way; $20,000 in City Development Block Grant funds; $2,750 from the Frank I. Lamb Foundation for the purchase of a new copy machine; and $1,000 from both Target and the 30 Club
Foundation.

Individual Donations
We receive generous donations and continued support from many of you throughout the year. We try to thank each of you personally, and we sincerely hope we have not missed anyone. While we do not have room in this newsletter to list all of you by name, please know that your contributions are greatly needed and appreciated. We hope to begin publishing all of our donors’ names in future newsletters.

Velma Allen
Mrs. Velma Allen, a resident of Mineral Palace Apartments, passed away recently. Mrs. Allen was 102 years old. She had been a client of the Mineral Palace Wellness Clinic for Seniors for 16 years. We want to thank family members in Pueblo and Kansas for their donations in her name.

CHP + Pilot Program
Pueblo StepUp has been selected as one of 3 sites in Colorado, and the only one outside the Denver metro
area, to pilot a program of direct enrollment of eligible children in Colorado’s Children’s Health Plan Plus insurance and Medicaid. StepUp is working with Pueblo City Schools to identify children who may qualify for CHP+ or Medicaid, but who are not currently enrolled.

This one-year pilot project is spearheaded by Brenda LaCombe, Program Mgr. It is funded by the State of Colorado. If successful, the program will be rolled out to other school districts in the state.

DME Program Transferred
This past spring, Pueblo StepUp closed the Durable Medical Equipment program and donated its remaining
medical equipment to the Center for Disabilities. We took this step because we did not have adequate space to store the equipment nor enough staff to facilitate the proper sanitation and repair of the equipment. And
parking at our new location often proved challenging for our clients.

If you are in need of medical equipment, visit the Center for Disabilities office at 1304 Berkeley or call them at 546-1271.