Health
Lawsuit alleges inadequate mental health care for Colorado teens
A federal class-action lawsuit filed Friday alleges the state shirked its duty to Medicaid-eligible teenagers unable to obtain care for mental health and substance use disorders in Colorado. Three anonymous teenage plaintiffs are being supported in the legal action by the state chapter of Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health. The plaintiffs — whose lawsuit […]
Overdose Awareness Day draws attention to deadly toll of substance use
A wall at Harm Reduction Action Center’s Denver office is nearly covered with framed photos of people lost to drug overdose. In front of the wall sits a table with roses, tissues and hand sanitizers. It’s Aug. 31, Overdose Awareness Day, and HRAC is hosting its annual event to mourn lives lost, pass out free […]
Plans for opioid settlement money announced by state and local leaders
Colorado could soon receive $400 million from settlements with drug companies, and the state has a plan — or at least a proposed framework — for using those funds to fight the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Thursday. Under the framework, 60% of Colorado’s settlement proceeds will be distributed to 19 regions of […]
Eli Bremer is wrong. Trans women are women who have every right to compete.
The International Olympic Committee started to allow trans athletes to compete in 2004 – but it wasn’t until last month, at the Tokyo Olympics, that openly trans athletes went for gold. Trans and nonbinary athletes like Chris Mosier, Laurel Hubbard and Alana Smith are role models who broke barriers and were celebrated for advancing inclusion […]
American Rescue Plan task forces seek public input on how to spend $850 million
Big decisions lie ahead for two Colorado task forces, comprising state lawmakers and government officials, that convened for the first time this week. Over the next several months, task force members will determine how to spend $850 million in federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act. And they’re asking for the public to weigh […]
Gov. Polis seeks vaccine requirement for health care workers
Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday formally asked the state Board of Health to implement emergency rules requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for all workers who serve vulnerable populations and staff facilities where people receive essential medical care. Under the governor’s proposal, those people would need to receive their first shot by Sept. 30. “These are settings […]
Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine recommended for immunocompromised Coloradans
Colorado’s health department is following in the footsteps of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by formally recommending that people with compromised immune systems get a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Providers across the state are encouraged to offer an additional dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to moderately or severely immunocompromised […]
Behavioral health task force prepares to tackle mental health, overdose crises in Colorado
When state Sen. Brittany Pettersen saw Colorado’s 2020 overdose death toll — the worst in at least 20 years — she thought of the families of those lost. “We didn’t have the system set up to deal with that increase in need, and we’re never going to get those people back,” said Pettersen, a Lakewood […]
What Colorado renters and landlords need to know about the new federal eviction ban
Federal health officials on Tuesday announced a new, narrower moratorium on evictions through Oct. 3, which will protect struggling renters in areas of the U.S. that are seeing rising COVID-19 infection rates. The ban comes days after a broader federal moratorium expired on Aug 1. The Biden administration previously said it could not legally extend […]
Report: 80% vaccination of Colorado adults would prevent hundreds of COVID-19 hospitalizations this fall
It’s a fact: Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine greatly reduces the chances that someone could fall ill or end up in the hospital with the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. But infectious-disease experts at the Colorado School of Public Health wanted to figure out exactly how many hospitalizations could be avoided under various vaccination scenarios. […]
Report highlights ‘tree equity’ gaps in Colorado neighborhoods
How much of the open space, sidewalks and other land in your neighborhood is shaded by trees? It depends on where you live — and, environmental advocates say, on decades of inequities that break down along class and racial lines. Only about 3% of Sun Valley, a west Denver neighborhood where 94% of residents live […]
Vaccination rates in Colorado prisons remain low as COVID-19 cases spike across the state
COVID-19 vaccination rates remain low in Colorado’s state prisons as the delta variant drives a spike in cases across the state, largely among unvaccinated people. From July 26 through Aug. 1, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recorded an average of 798 new cases of COVID-19 per day, the highest seven-day average since […]