Health
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 […]
Every week for a year, this group has provided water and trash services to Denver’s unhoused
Almost every Sunday for the past year, a small group of volunteers has gathered at 10 a.m. at Benedict Fountain Park in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood equipped with shovels, plastic bags, latex gloves and an intricate homemade water system. From there, the group disperses throughout the city in search of homeless encampments, where they offer […]
Tracking Front Range ozone pollution as summer smog worsens
It’s been another smoggy summer along Colorado’s Front Range, with ozone pollution in and around the Denver metro area spiking to its worst level in more than a decade. Air quality advisories issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have been a near-daily occurrence since the start of June. At ground level, […]
It is time to hold Big Insurance accountable
The past year has shown the deep flaws within the American health care system. Despite the pandemic, many Americans have still had to suffer through merciless health care policies that left many in inescapable medical debt and having to decide if getting treatment was worth the inevitable bill. Furthermore, communities of color are unevenly harmed […]
How a doctor breaks norms to treat refugees and recent immigrants
“How a doctor breaks norms to treat refugees and recent immigrants” first appeared at khn.org. AURORA — Fatumo Osman, a 65-year-old Somali refugee who speaks limited English, was in a bind. She made too much money at a meal prep service job so she no longer qualified for Medicaid. But knee pain kept her from […]
U.S. House to vote this week on expanding PFAS regulation, backers say
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress and Biden administration officials at a conference on Wednesday outlined how they’re attempting to regulate toxic chemicals found in drinking water — including an upcoming vote in the U.S. House. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, a former top environmental official in North Carolina, said the agency is currently in the process […]