Health
COGCC officials to be briefed on oil and gas health study ahead of setbacks decision
Colorado oil and gas commissioners will be briefed by state officials on the potential health risks of drilling ahead of a critical rulemaking decision, after all. Kristy Richardson, Colorado’s state toxicologist, is scheduled to deliver a presentation on a landmark public-health study to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Thursday afternoon, as commissioners prepare […]
Advocates push state to resume early prison releases due to coronavirus
The family of Ronald Johnson — a 62-year-old Black grandfather who’s served 22 years in prison for nonviolent drug offenses — worries that his prison sentence might be a death sentence. “In prison, he can’t protect himself and he can’t social distance,” his daughter Amber said in a statement. “My deep fear is that my […]
Gov. Polis signs order aimed at advancing equity in state government
An executive order advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in Colorado government — originally scheduled for March but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic — was issued Aug. 27 by Gov. Jared Polis. The order directs the Department of Personnel and Administration, or DPA, to develop policy promoting equity in state hiring and compensation practices; implement […]
Abortion denial is harmful
As many states continue to restrict access to abortion, this November, Colorado voters will get a chance to stop an abortion ban. Proposition 115 would ban abortion at 22 weeks of pregnancy. As a nurse practitioner who has provided care for young families for over a decade and as a researcher who has documented the experiences of young […]
Paid family and medical leave qualifies for Colorado ballot
Proponents of a ballot initiative establishing a new paid family and medical leave program in Colorado submitted enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, the secretary of state’s office announced Aug. 25. Initiative 283 would provide 12 weeks of paid family or medical leave. Businesses with 10 or more employees would pay a premium […]
COVID-19 hospitalization data shows racial, ethnic disparities
Besides having disproportionately higher rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths, people of color have also been hospitalized more frequently than their white counterparts, new data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment shows. While comprising 4.6% of Colorado’s population in 2019, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Black people made up 10% of […]
Oil and gas groups block briefing for officials on health impacts of drilling
Colorado’s five new oil and gas commissioners were set to hear a presentation from state officials on the health impacts of drilling this week — but oil and gas interest groups objected, and the commission agreed to cancel the briefing. Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission chair Jeff Robbins noted the decision at the beginning […]
Colorado’s COVID-19 test positivity rate falls below 3%
Just 2.32% of COVID-19 tests in Colorado were positive Aug. 16, the lowest rate since the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment began tracking tests and cases in early March. For the week ending Aug. 15, 2.99% of tests were positive. Gov. Jared Polis praised the development during a news briefing Aug. 18. He […]
Wildfire updates: 130,000 acres burned as hot, dry weather continues
Four major wildfires have burned an area of more than 130,000 acres across Colorado in recent weeks, causing evacuations, highway closures and potentially hazardous levels of smoke and other forms of air pollution in many parts of the state. Amid hot, dry weather that has left 100% of the state under an official drought classification […]
Need for proposed supportive housing project not contested, only its location
A proposed supportive housing and recuperative care facility in Denver received push-back this week from an area business owner who is concerned about the concentration of poverty in the area. On Tuesday, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless presented to the State Housing Board a new housing project that aims to create 98 affordable and […]
Gov. Polis visits two Western Slope wildfires as two others ignite, spread rapidly
Gov. Jared Polis visited with local officials and firefighting crews at command centers near two wildfires on Colorado’s Western Slope on Friday morning, as two other blazes grew rapidly in Larimer and Grand counties. Speaking to reporters in Eagle, a few miles east of the 14,000-acre Grizzly Creek Fire, Polis said the blaze was the […]
Rural areas in Colorado lack mental health providers. A $1.5 million grant aims to fill the gaps.
A statewide shortage of mental health and addiction providers is acutely felt in Colorado’s rural communities, many of which have high rates of suicide and overdose. A new fellowship program, supported by the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence and funded through United Health Foundation, aims to change that — or at least make a significant […]