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DENVER – The Colorado Chamber’s Health Care Council today voted to support Senate Bill 163, the Colorado Healthy Communities Act. The bill, by Sen. Julie Gonzales, Sen. Kevin Priola, and Rep. Kyle Mullica, seeks to improve the rate of vaccinations in schools and advance public health.
“Vaccines are an effective and proven way to prevent diseases and save lives, which also leads to lower health care costs down the road,” said Loren Furman, Senior Vice President of State and Federal Relations for the Colorado Chamber. “The cost to treat vaccine-preventable diseases is significant and contributes to the ever-increasing health care expenses experienced by individuals, employers, and the health care industry as a whole in Colorado. Our members in the business community strongly support SB 163 because increasing Colorado’s inadequate childhood immunization rate will lower costs and improve public health across the board.”
SB 163 would establish and provide additional resources towards a statewide vaccination goal for children. It would also require schools to track and publish vaccination rates and standardizes the non-medical exemption process, protecting parental choice.
The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on February 19, 2020.
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