The Chanda Plan Foundation Grant Program

The Chanda Plan Foundation Grant Program is sponsored by The Chanda Plan Foundation. Dedicated to improving the quality of life for persons with physical disabilities through direct services and systemic change to access integrative therapies.

Chanda Center For Health | Integrative & Collaborative Care The Chanda Center for Health’s mission is to deliver, advocate & educate for integrative therapy and other complementary services to reduce health disparities and costs by improving health equity and outcomes for individuals with physical disabilities through the support of donors, grants, special events and community partners.

The Chanda Center for Health provides access to acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, physical therapy, behavioral health, care coordination, and primary care through various programs where services are available onsite at its Lakewood facility or remotely.

We serve individuals of all ages living with Spinal Cord Injuries, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Spina Bifida, Brain Injuries, Muscular Dystrophy and many other neurological conditions. At the Chanda Center for Health, we believe that people living with long-term physical disabilities have the right to create their own healthcare path, live independently, and be active members in the community.

Many individuals living with long-term physical disabilities experiences chronic pain or on-going health conditions, which leads to isolation, overuse of medications and depression. In addition to providing direct services, the Chanda Center for Health is an advocate organization that assesses healthcare barriers for persons with disabilities through systemic policy changes and/or improvements.

Chanda Hinton, founder and Executive Director of The Chanda Center for Health, endured a spinal cord injury leaving her paralyzed at the age of 9. When she should have been livin’ it up in college, her health took a significant decline due chronic pain and over utilization of opioids. It was during a meeting with her health provider that her sister, a yoga therapist, asked about integrative therapy options.

The physician responded, “At this point, Chanda has nothing left to lose, so do it. ” Within days of receiving integrative therapies, Chanda’s health began to shift dramatically. As her health improved from acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic care, she began to research why there was a lack of these services available to people living with long-term physical disabilities.

At that moment, it became Chanda’s personal mission to change this reality. In 2005, Chanda and her sister, Crystal Hinton, founded the Chanda Plan Foundation, offering integrative therapies through providers in the community, regardless of participants’ ability to pay. In 2017, after a successful capital campaign, the Chanda Plan Foundation created the Chanda Center for Health, a separate 501c3, to provide services onsite.

In 2023-24, the foundation was dissolved, leaving Chanda Center for Health as the primary entity promoting wellness, healing, encouraged movement, reduce pain, support recovery, and improve the overall quality of life for persons living with long-term physical disabilities.

The Chanda Center for Health continues to improve health outcomes for individuals with long-term physical disabilities and make significant systematic change across Colorado. Change Who We Serve Program As a nonprofit organization, the Chanda Plan Foundation offered integrative therapies at little to no cost to participants beginning in 2005.

It began as a small-scale program providing access to receive integrative therapy only at provider locations. After extensive discussions with participants and collaborations with stakeholders, the Chanda Center for Health was founded in April 2017 to meet the needs of the population it serves.

The Center became the one-stop-shop for individuals to access a wide range of services provided by disability competent healthcare professionals and designed to improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs with disability competent care as the guiding principle.

The primary goal of the Chanda Center for Health is to give persons with long-term physical disabilities the services they need to improve their overall health and participation in life. We help our participants heal their whole bodies, with an emphasis on proactive and preventive healthcare.

Long-term, the Chanda Center for Health seeks changes in policy, systems and services while it advances successful, evidence-based working models and innovative pilot programs aimed at better serving its participant population. Accessing integrative therapies for those with long-term physical disabilities begins with Medicaid reform.

With the support of a volunteer lobbyist and policymakers, the Chanda Plan Foundation worked to change Colorado state legislation in 2009, and Medicaid instituted a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) waiver to provide massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic services to eligible participants. Over the last 10 years (2009-2019), the waiver evaluated the impact of these services and the consequential cost savings for those enrolled.

In 2021, the waiver renamed, now know as the Complementary and Integrative Health Waiver (CIH), which expanded to additional eligible diagnosis and state-wide. CLICK HERE to learn more about how to access service The most recent evaluation of the waiver validates what we witnessed through our direct services – better health outcomes at lower costs. Colorado Medicaid choosing to cover integrative therapies is serving as a national model.

Click here to view this evaluation. Our doors are open to everyone; however, we specialize in serving individuals of all ages living with Spinal Cord Injuries, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Spina Bifida, Brain Injuries, Muscular Dystrophy and many other neurological conditions. To Learn more about programs and access services, click Here.

Integrative therapies have generated positive outcomes for Chanda Center for Health participants and cost less than the average visit to the doctor. While receiving therapy, many participants lower their cost to Medicaid by reducing their prescription drug dependency and emergent hospital visits. Please take a moment to review such impacts addressed in our surveys below.

For further impact, please CLICK HERE to see our systemic change work. The 2019 Complementary and Integrative Health Services Evaluation validates what we’ve witnessed through our direct services, better health outcomes at lower costs. If Colorado Medicaid chooses to cover integrative therapies the legislation can be modeled for adaptation on a national level.

CLICK HERE to view. Participant Health and Life Surveys In addition to positive health outcomes, our services cost less than the average visit to the doctor while reducing prescription drug dependency and emergent hospital visits.

86% Improved quality of life 84% Improved physical mobility 79% Increased social activity participation 88% Improved independent functionality The positive impact of the integrative therapies provided at the Chanda Center for Health is truly invaluable and life-changing for the participants we serve. SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE BY CLICKING HERE AND TAKING A SURVEY TODAY! View our CCFH 2025 Evaluation and Outcomes Report here.

Discover the impact we have in our 2024 Impact Report. cmatthews@chandacenter. org Senior Executive Director Clinic & Operations Director Outreach & Care Coordination Coordinator Care Coordinator & Program Manager Clinic Support Specialist virginia@chandacenter.

org Event & Fundraising Manager Senior Director of Accounting & Finance Director of Quality, Craig Hospital Clinical Research Coordinator, Craig Hospital Gabrielle Steckman, Member Check out the latest news about the Chanda Center for Health.

Chanda Hinton is Featured on the Parenting Up Show Chanda Hinton Talks to Ruthann on the For Those Who Care Podcast Chanda Hinton is Featured on Redefining Healthcare for People with Disabilities Denver Business Journal Recognizes Chanda Hinton as 2025 Outstanding Women in Business Chanda Hinton is Featured on the Lead with Heart Podcast to Discuss Nonprofit Leadership Chanda Hinton Talks to Dr. Pinkston About A Call to Action for Chronic Pain Chanda Hinton Talks to Axios about Behavioral Health and Disability Chanda Hinton as Featured Guest on Ride the Omnibus Podcast Chanda Hinton as Featured Guest on Xceptional Leaders Podcast Chanda Hinton as Featured Guest on The Business of Healthcare Podcast Chanda Hinton as Featured Guest on COPIC’s Within Normal Limits Podcast Chanda H inton as Featured Guest on Interdisciplinary Chanda Plan Foundation featured on Denver7 for Colorado Gives Day Chanda Hinton Named One of Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2020 by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce Owens Recovery Science Podcast Featuring the Chanda Plan Foundation and Chanda Center of Health Chanda Hinton Accepts Colorado Fund for People with Disabilities 2019 Linda Chism-Andre Lifetime Trailblazer Award Chanda Center for Health Partners with Denver Health to Provide Primary Care Chanda Hinton Wants to Expand Medicaid Coverage of Alternative Treatments Colorado MTS Encouraged to Apply as Medicaid-Reimbursed Providers Massage Improves Quality of Life for Disabled People READ Centura Health Physician Group Interview with Chanda Owens Recover Science Podcast Featuring the Chanda Plan Foundation and Chanda Center of Health Chanda Hinton Named One of Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2020 by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce