ProgressNow.org Daily News Digest

DeGette, other Dems make stem-cell push - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11362529 In the end, Pelosi and representatives of the incoming Obama administration say it is likely that Obama will move quickly to roll back the Bush policy, with Congress following with a comprehensive initiative that addresses a more far-reaching federal provision limiting the scientific work. That result would be welcomed by Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, an author of the stem cell measure twice vetoed by Bush — once in 2006 when Republicans still controlled Congress and again in 2007 after Democrats took over. DeGette said her view was that Obama should act to hasten any new research rather than see a bill get tied up in the early days of the session. Congress can then draft its own, more detailed version providing money for new research and dealing with ethical issues surrounding the stem cell question. "I think we can do this in a win-win situation," she said.

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Legislature 2009: ‘Holding pattern’ for health care : Colorado Government : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/02/holding-pattern-for-health-care/ State lawmakers have ambitious health care goals, including proposals to provide universal coverage for Coloradans. But chances are slim that broad health care reform will be enacted this session, lawmakers said. Incoming House Speaker Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, said the state is in a "holding pattern" with health care reform. Carroll wants to give every person access to high-quality health care. He supports single-payer, Canada-style health care. But with an estimated $13 billion startup cost, and the prospect of a $604 million budget deficit because of the recession, the state can't afford it right now. State Rep. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, said smaller-scale proposals could be passed.

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New law lets patients find out more about doctors : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/02/new-law-lets-patients-find-out-more-about-doctors/ Coloradans in 2009 can learn much more about the doctor who is about to perform a delicate procedure on them, thanks to a law that demands more transparency. House Bill 1331, also known as the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act, requires doctors registering in Colorado to include any public disciplinary action taken against them. That means that if a neurosurgeon, say, lost hospital privileges in a medical center because of botching a brain surgery, that information will be available to Colorado consumers as soon as that doctor registers or re-registers in this state. So far, some 1,300 doctors newly registered in Colorado have that information on line.

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Denver Health sees costs for covering poor soar in ‘08 : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/05/denver-health-sees-costs-for-covering-poor-soar/ Denver Health Medical Center in 2008 provided about $315 million in care for the uninsured, a record for the city's primary "safety-net" hospital for the poor. The amount is 14 percent more than the $276 million provided in 2007. The surge comes as the increasing numbers of unemployed and uninsured people turn to hospitals because emergency rooms are legally required to see all patients who enter their doors, regardless of their ability to pay. Emergency department admissions at the hospital soared 17 percent in November, the most recent month of data available, from a year earlier.

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DUI ignition interlock law takes effect in Colorado : More Business : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/02/dui-ignition-interlock-law-takes-effect-colorado/ Motorists convicted of driving drunk will have to install breath-monitoring gadgets in their cars under new laws taking effect this week in six states, including Colorado. The ignition interlocks prevent engines from starting until drivers blow into the alcohol detectors to prove they’re sober. On Thursday, Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska and Washington state began requiring the devices for all motorists convicted of first-time drunken driving. South Carolina began requiring them for repeat offenders. Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been conducting a nationwide campaign to mandate ignition locks for anyone convicted of drunken driving, claiming doing so would save thousands of lives. But critics say interlocks could lead to measures that restrict alcohol policies too much.

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GJSentinel.com: Report shows deficiencies in county nursing homes

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/01/02/010309_1a_Nursing_homes.html Five of Mesa County’s eight nursing homes garnered more health inspection violations than the average Colorado nursing home, according to state and federal inspection data. The county’s nursing homes racked up anywhere from 10 to 44 health deficiencies on inspections conducted between July 2007 and October 2008, according to a recently unveiled database from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The average Colorado nursing home had 12 deficiencies, according to the federal data. The information, available on the federal agency’s new five-star rating system, compares the more than 15,000 nursing homes that accept patients covered by Medicare or Medicaid. The Palisade Living Center, topped the list with 44 health-related deficiencies over the 16-month period, including three of a serious nature.

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Lucky survivor praises Greeley’s burn center - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11359692 The cramped 2,000-square-foot center already serves an eight-state region that includes northern Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North and South Dakota, Idaho, Kansas and Nebraska. The new 12,000-square-foot structure will provide 10 private rooms for patients, soothing water treatments, a rehabilitation gym and other advanced care. Families will get lockers and private areas to rest. "This is the type of facility that is needed both locally and throughout the area," said Cleon Goodwin, burn unit medical director and surgeon. A good portion of the patients the burn unit treats come from nearby oil and gas fields. Many are burned so severely they often stay for months, Goodwin said.

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Craig Daily Press / Unwed pregnancy still ‘high’ in Moffat County

http://www.craigdailypress.com/news/2009/jan/03/unwed_pregnancy_still_high_moffat_county/ Elation. Uncertainty. Fear. A positive result on a pregnancy test can elicit a wide range of emotions for local women who visit the Yampa Valley Pregnancy Center. “I’ve had women dissolve into tears,” Director Debbie Rudd said. “I just kind of sit quietly and let them work through it and try to ascertain whether they’re (crying) tears of happiness or if they’re just totally upset. “I’ve seen both.” Among its other clients, the Pregnancy Center provides ser­­­­­­vices to single pregnant women. That demographic has increased steadily in the past. In 2000, 22.6 percent of births in Moffat County were to single mothers, according to the Colorado Children’s Campaign, a bi-partisan state nonprofit advocating for child health care and education.

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Adventures in hope for one woman - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11369076 From her home base, a tiny Denver apartment, Locke plans her travels — a blue suitcase, already packed for this month's jaunt to Cambodia, stands in a corner — and writes a monthly newsletter that keeps supporters up to date. It also reminds readers why she does it. That reason is her faith, Locke says. Faith that has led her literally around the world and kept her looking ahead at an age when many might be content to reflect on the past. "After I met the Lord, I had hope," Locke said. That hope is what she wants to share with the refugees, the orphans, the mistreated and abused across the world. Her faith propels her, but she takes with her more than spiritual conviction and good intentions. She's a trained nurse.

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Amid recession, Vail Valley people choose booze | VailDaily.com

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20090103/NEWS/901039950/1001/NONE Unless you add “cutbacks” and “quarterly losses” to your workplace lexicon, there doesn’t seem to be such a thing as “business as usual” right now. That is, unless you’re in the business of selling alcohol. Despite the national belt-tightening, alcohol seems to be, if not practically recession-proof, very resilient. Try telling Avon Liquors employee Bryant Bowlby anything different and he’ll scoff at the mere thought. He sees the final numbers at the end of the night. He sees the familiar faces coming around a little more often. Alcohol sales aren’t just good, he said, they’re great. “We’ve had one of the best summers we’ve had in a while,” said Bowlby, who’s worked at the store for three years. “It wasn’t as good on New Year’s, but Christmas, it was packed.”

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A ‘quiet hero - the best kind’ : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/jan/03/a-quiet-hero---the-best-kind/ The casket and mourners were gone and the cavernous church sanctuary was silent. Used tissues littered the floor in the front row where Brian Kopp's family had been seated. On the floor in front of the stage, the firefighter's boots and suit lay neatly folded, his last name visible in bright yellow letters. The suit was dirty and worn from years of battling fires and dealing with medical emergencies. It represented the core of Kopp's identity - a man of action who lived to help others. Family and friends praised the 38-year-old father from Larkspur for his achievements as a pilot, house designer and skilled carpenter. They said he never boasted.

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Community salutes a “quiet hero” - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11359694 Brian Kopp was always there to help others, whether on the job as a paramedic, at home with one of his children or with a friend who needed something done. At a memorial service in honor of Kopp, 38, at The Rock church Friday, those who knew the 38-year-old paramedic from Larkspur praised him for his ability and desire to come to the aid of those in need. "That job of helping others is what defined him," said Kopp's older brother, Kenneth Kopp, noting how his brother would never make it a big deal when he saved someone's life. "That's the kind of man he was — a quiet hero. That's the best kind." Brian Kopp died Dec. 27 in an avalanche in Grand County.

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Finding help before tragedy strikes : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jan/04/finding-help-tragedy-strikes/ In the weeks before he shot his supervisor at Eldora Mountain Resort and then took his own life in a gun battle with police, the people around Derik Bonestroo noticed he was behaving strangely. Reaching out to someone who’s troubled — especially a co-worker you haven’t known long — isn’t easy. However, mental health professionals say, resources are available to people who want to find help for those who are suffering. “I think one thing that people could do if they’re worried about a co-worker — and they don’t have any information about him or her — is they could call for advice from a mental health professional,” said Dr. Richard Warner, director of Colorado Recovery, an outpatient and residential treatment center in Boulder for people with serious mental illnesses.

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Hunting ranch for sale after hog quarantine - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11364940 A commercial hunting ranch quarantined after a contagious disease was found among wild hogs is now for sale. The quarantine was imposed on Little Creek Ranch in Collbran in November when some feral hogs being trucked in tested positive for the virus pseudorabies. The disease was also found among hogs on the ranch, and more than 70 of the animals were killed. The quarantine was lifted Tuesday. Hayden Outdoors, a real estate company, has the ranch for sale at $5.7 million. Broker Eric West says owner Alan Baier wants to retire.

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Audit: Denver response times lagging - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11266984 The city of Denver's emergency medical response system is not meeting industry standards for response times and has been getting worse in recent years, a performance audit released Thursday found. The 55-page report from City Auditor Dennis Gallagher's office found that the city's system for providing medical care to citizens is hobbled by "structural weaknesses and limited oversight practices." The audit covered performance from Jan. 1, 2003, through December 2007. Katherine Archuleta, a senior aide to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper who was recently assigned to Denver International Airport, acknowledged some of the shortcomings. But her written response stressed that the city has made strides toward improving the system in the past year. She also said there is a lack of national standards on response times for emergency response.

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Denver medical response time lags : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/19/denver-medical-response-time-lags/ Denver's emergency medical response system is dragging in three critical areas: dispatching 911 calls, getting first responders to the scene and then getting ambulances to sick or dying patients, according to a city audit. The long-awaited review, which examined emergency response times between 2003 and 2007, found instances when Denver Health didn't have any ambulances available. A mutual aid partner or contracted private ambulance is called when Denver Health doesn't have one available, spokeswoman Dee Martinez said. But it'll probably lead to a longer response time. The audit, released Thursday by City Auditor Dennis Gallagher, also found that response times have continued to increase annually, which he called "distressing."

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Pools to stay open in spite of new regulation | Gazette.com

http://www.gazette.com/articles/pool_45077___article.html/covers_law.html Thousands of public pools, including many in Colorado Springs, are supposed to close Saturday because they don't have special drain covers required under a new federal law. Problem is, few - if any - of the covers exist. Pool operators here and elsewhere plan to stay open illegally, and they are relying on strength in numbers and a best-we-can-do mantra to escape enforcement. "There's nobody in the country that I know that's ready to go," said Dan Dummermuth, chief operations officer for the Pikes Peak Region YMCA. Engineers have inspected pools at the region's nine YMCA's, he said, and have a plan for compliance. The organization is ready to install new drain covers that meet the legal requirements - as soon as someone makes them. City pools, too, will stay open past the deadline, said Paul Butcher, director of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. The city will install new covers as soon as it can, but he faulted the law for including a date that precedes the industry's ability to comply.

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Deadline has pool operators wading into uncertainty - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11266964 Public swimming pools and spas must be equipped with anti-entrapment drain covers and other safety features by Saturday or they must close under a new federal law. But pool operators say the equipment to comply with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act is not available, and backlogs of several months are reported. "Our understanding is they (the specified drain covers) are flat-out unavailable," said Ron Hopp, executive director of the Foothills Park and Recreation District. Hopp and other operators said they intend to keep pools open. Operators will tell patrons about safety measures they have taken and that they are not in compliance with the law.

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The Pueblo Chieftain :: Grant to help improve students’ health

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/12/19/news/local/doc494b8028d5ea6171108204.txt A group of parents at Irving Elementary School will work this year to improve health for children and their families, with the help of a grant from the Kellogg’s Corporate Citizenship Fund. Action for Healthy Kids is partnering with Pueblo City Schools to provide assistance to underserved schools to improve nutrition and physical activity policies and practices this school year. The focus this year in Colorado will be based at Irving Elementary School.

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County and Dillon want to continue fight against pop-up road barriers | SummitDaily.com

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20081219/NEWS/812189938/1001/NONE During a guest appearance at Dillon’s town council work session this week, County Commissioner-elect Karn Stiegelmeier stressed to council that she wishes to maintain a united front within the county in dealings with Denver Water. The discussion Tuesday night was in response to the malfunction of an automated pop-up barrier on the Dillon Dam Road last week. The controversial barrier released on a 2004 Honda Odyssey, knocking off its front bumper. The pop-up barriers are meant to keep oversized vehicles of the Dam Road and were installed as a defense against unspecified threats. “The incident sent shudders down my spine,” said Mayor Barbara Davis. Town manager Devin Granbery addressed the council with his desire to continue to fight against Denver Water’s use of pop-up barriers to limit access to the Dillon Dam Road, especially in light of last week’s incident.

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County operations center officially dedicated : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/dec/18/county-operations-center-officially-dedicated/ Boulder County officials dedicated a new communications and emergency operations center this week. The $9 million facility, dubbed the "Dr. William McCaa Emergency Communications Center," is located at 3280 Airport Road, east of the Boulder County Jail. The center, which started operations in August, replaces the Boulder Regional Communications Center. That facility, which opened in 1974, combined dispatch services for the Boulder Police Department, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office and most fire, rescue and emergency medical services in the county.

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NCMC cancer center satellite to open in Sterling | GreeleyTribune.com

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20081219/NEWS/812189868/1002/NONE Thanks to an $8.8 million donation from Frank and Gloria Walsh, Sterling will soon be home to the David Walsh Cancer Center, which will be housed on the Sterling Regional MedCenter campus. A release stated the 8,600-square-foot facility is likely to be completed by spring 2010. The cancer center is expected to offer radiation oncology, chemotherapy and infusion services, tumor registry, a physicians’ clinic and a patient education center. The center’s radiation oncology services will be a branch of the same program at the Cancer Institute at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, and NCMC staff members will help in that area on the Sterling campus.

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Colorado grocers renew push for beer - The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_11257925 After losing a battle with liquor stores last year, grocery and convenience stores are regrouping to push hard in the 2009 legislative session for approval to sell full-strength beer. The effort comes after a bill passed in the 2008 session that allowed liquor stores to open on Sundays, a measure that grocery and convenience stores say has cut deeply into their Sunday sales of 3.2-percent beer. Sean Duffy, a lobbyist for the Colorado-Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association and the Rocky Mountain Food Industry Association, said grocers and convenience stores have seen their Sunday 3.2 beer sales drop by nearly two- thirds since the Sunday liquor sales law took effect in July.

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CO detectors required by March 9 in Aspen, Pitkin County | AspenTimes.com

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20081218/NEWS/812179939/1001/NONE Pitkin County has stiffened its law regarding carbon monoxide detectors, and has named the revised ordinance after a family of four who all died of carbon monoxide poisoning while in Aspen for the Thanksgiving holiday. The “emergency ordinance,” henceforth to be called the Lofgren Ordinance, also is being adopted by the Aspen City Council. Both the city and the county will be holding public hearings on the ordinance after the new year — on Jan 12 at City Hall and on Jan. 17 at the Courthouse Plaza. Property owners have until March 9, 2009, to comply with the regulation.

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GJSentinel.com: Airport chief says new security rules ‘scariest’ yet

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/12/17/121808_1a_Airport_security.html A new security directive from the Transportation Security Administration is being called “scary” by staff members of the Grand Junction Regional Airport. The measure further guards against security risks among airport employees and in restricted-access areas of individual airports, officials said. Airports throughout the nation must implement the security measures. “This is the most scary thing I’ve seen put out through the TSA since they’ve been in existence,” airport Manager Rex Tippetts told the Grand Junction Regional Airport board Tuesday. “This came absolutely, positively, out of the blue to everyone Thursday morning. TSA is saying this is a done deal.” As part of the directive, TSA will require individual airports to take on the duties of verifying, examining and keeping all documentation related to airport workers. Previously, employers such as airline and car rental companies took care of that process, TSA officials said.

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