Health
Mexico’s abortion access serves as vital example to U.S., state lawmakers say
With dozens of state-level abortion restrictions already in effect, and more set to kick in if and when the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, elected officials across the U.S. are looking to Mexico as an example in the fight to protect and expand abortion access. Six Democratic state lawmakers from various states, including Sen. […]
Abortion care on wheels
This story originally appeared in the Wisconsin Examiner. As the nation braces for a decision that could come any day from the U.S. Supreme Court ending federally protected abortion rights — and making abortion a crime from the earliest stages of pregnancy in some states — women’s health care advocates have been thinking outside the […]
New law will use demographic health data to address inequities
A bill signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday makes Colorado just the sixth state to require the collection of sexual orientation or gender identity data, more commonly known as SOGI data, as part of a broader effort to use demographic health data to address inequities. House Bill 22-1157 requires the Colorado Department […]
Fentanyl law’s proponents and foes prepare for criminal justice fallout
With Gov. Jared Polis’s signature May 25, hotly debated legislation to respond to the fentanyl overdose crisis became law in Colorado. But for the policy makers, attorneys and advocates who fought for a bill they could stomach, the work is only just beginning. “This law is a bold response deploying both public safety and public […]
‘It’s always our fault’: LGBTQ activists express concern over monkeypox
Colorado now has two cases of monkeypox. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that patients infected worldwide are primarily people who identify as men who have sex with men. While the CDC and WHO have also noted that sexuality does not correlate with disease, homophobic responses have […]
One year later, what has ‘functional zero’ veteran homelessness meant in Fremont County?
In February 2021, Fremont County became the 12th community in the country to achieve “functional zero” for veteran homelessness, meaning that there are fewer veterans experiencing homelessness than Fremont County can house in a month. A year later, members of the county’s homeless service provider say the designation helped them expand their services and offers […]
Veteran suicide prevention pursued in $20M competition
Ahead of Memorial Day, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs launched the Mission Daybreak challenge: a $20 million competition and accelerator program aimed at fostering innovation to decrease suicide deaths among veterans. “To end Veteran suicide, we need to use every tool available,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a Wednesday statement announcing the new […]
Infant formula stockpile for the U.S. suggested by FDA chief
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government should consider creating a stockpile of infant formula to avoid the possibility of future shortages, the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told a Senate committee on Thursday. Commissioner Robert Califf said during his third hearing on Capitol Hill about the months-long shortage that his agency and lawmakers […]
Polis declares state emergency over baby formula shortage
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order on Wednesday that declared a disaster emergency in the state due to the nationwide baby formula shortage. It makes funds immediately available to support the free distribution of donor breast milk to parents in need across the state. As of May 10, there was a 40% baby […]
Ron Hanks steps up abortion attacks on Republican Senate rival Joe O’Dea
With just two weeks left before voters begin receiving their ballots, Colorado’s Republican U.S. Senate primary is heating up over the issue of abortion rights. State Rep. Ron Hanks of Penrose, a far-right election conspiracist who secured the top ballot line on the June 28 primary with the highest vote share at the GOP state […]
Nine monkeypox cases now reported in seven states, and CDC urges awareness
WASHINGTON — Monkeypox cases are slowly increasing throughout the United States, though public health officials said Thursday they have the tools needed to diagnose, treat and contain the virus that’s mostly spread by skin-to-skin contact. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a briefing that there are now nine diagnosed cases […]
FDA chief cites ‘egregiously unsanitary’ conditions at Michigan baby formula plant
WASHINGTON — The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told Congress on Wednesday that he’s found no evidence of intentional delay or malfeasance within the agency — though it took months to act on a whistleblower report of what he called “egregiously unsanitary” conditions at an infant formula plant in Michigan. FDA Commissioner […]