Community Engagement Program

Once a burgeoning farming suburb of Denver - Aurora is now Colorado’s third largest city with a population of more than 381,000 residents. 

The population is about 29% Hispanic/Latino, 16% Black/African American, 6% Asian, and houses refugees and immigrants from many countries, with over 160 languages spoken in Aurora Public Schools. 

Northwest Aurora (our neighborhood) is home to the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, which is the city’s second largest employer (behind Buckley Air Force Base), and Children’s Hospital Colorado is its largest private employer. It is also home to the Department of Family Medicine and to many of us.

This part of the city is one of its most richly diverse. But, along with that diversity, it faces challenges with health disparities, lower income and employment levels, and other social determinants of health and economic well-being as compared to other parts of Aurora, the Denver-metro area, and the state of Colorado as a whole. 

Despite these challenges, the rich cultural fabric of Aurora makes it a vibrant, creative, and enriching place to live, work, learn, and thrive.

There are many opportunities to enjoy all that Aurora has to offer including: dining on food from one of the many locally owned, ethnic restaurants in the city; catching a show at the Vintage Theatre just off of Colfax Avenue; enjoying an art exhibit created by young people from Aurora at DAVA; perusing the small businesses and shops at the Stanley Marketplace; enjoying some outdoor time at Cherry Creek State Park; and so much more!

Denver has seen tremendous change in recent years as a steady influx of people from around the country and world have come to this vibrant front range city looking for adventure and opportunity.

Denver’s estimated population was nearly 705,000 in 2017, a 17.41% increase since the 2010 census, making it one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The city’s population is about 31% Latino/Hispanic (predominately Mexican American) and 10% Black/African American; 23.5% of the population speaks only Spanish at home.

Denver’s diversity continues to grow alongside its population. Around the city, you will find neighborhoods as disparate as the Highlands with its hipster breweries and luxury condominiums; Athmar Park where you can get an authentic Vietnamese Bahn Mi; Five Points, a historically African American neighborhood; and Montbello, home to one of Denver’s several predominantly Spanish-speaking communities. In addition, Denver is home to thousands of refugees from around the world, boasts a vibrant LGBTQ community, and, as the state capitol, is the state’s center of political discourse and activism.

With 300 days of sunshine each year, we are often found hiking and rock climbing in one of the many nearby state parks, attending concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheater, cheering at Rockies baseball games, skiing in Breckenridge, or enjoying one of Denver’s many breweries. 

We also enjoy the city's arts and culture, including the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and a blossoming food scene. With unbeatable metropolitan amenities nestled in a striking Western landscape, the Mile High City certainly has something for everyone.​

The work we do at the Department of Family Medicine goes beyond the metro Denver area. 

We have partnerships throughout the state and have been leaders pushing for improved behavioral health care in primary care clinics and fighting the opioid crisis. We have been involved in multistate projects to improve cardiovascular health outcomes, used policy and our voice to advocate for our patients at the state and national level, and led the way in increasing the rural primary care workforce.