Governor John Hickenlooper has proclaimed January 31, 2014, Jerry Brasher Day in celebration of Mr. Brasher’s forty years of service dedicated to the health and well-being of Coloradans.
Mr. Brasher is retiring after forty years as executive director of Salud Family Health Centers in northern Colorado. He and the staff of Salud have touched the lives of thousands of people in Colorado, improved access to primary and preventive health care, especially for the uninsured, underinsured, and migrant and seasonal farmworkers. He has advocated tirelessly on behalf of Community Health Centers (CHCs), promoting high quality health care as a basic human right. Many in the Community Health Center movement consider Mr. Brasher a mentor and a friend. He has made a positive difference for countless individuals and families, and he has inspired people to champion the CHC movement.
Mr. Brasher is a founder and served as board member and president of the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN), Colorado’s Primary Care Association. He has served as board member and past president of the Community Health Association of Mountain/Plains States (CHAMPS); and he has served on the boards of directors of the Colorado Community Managed Care Network (CCMCN) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). He is also a member of the Colorado Rural Health Center, the National Rural Health Association, the Colorado Public Health Association, and the American Public Health Association.
Mr. Brasher described why he chose Salud for his life’s work as this:
“It was during the early 1970s that I got involved at Salud. Having been trained in economics and further honed at Berkeley, much of my early work had been in natural resource allocation. The part I found missing was the human services part of the economic equation. So when the job of directing the work of Salud opened up, I jumped at the chance to get this human service experience. The challenges were monumental – from adapting to federal regulations and directives to providing direct primary and preventive care services to the farmworker population of the Fort Lupton area. But it was watching and being a part of our doctors, dentists, and practitioners providing these services to a truly needy population that hooked me into making it my life’s work.”
To watch a video montage of testimonials to Mr. Brasher from his colleagues in the Community Health Center movement, please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA4X5XP8jVg.
Do you want to follow in the footsteps of Jerry Brasher and have an impact on Colorado’s medically underserved populations? Check out the jobs below or the CHAMPS job bank to learn more about open positions. Your Dream Job is Calling – Answer It!
