Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Public health

Over 100,000 tainted products? Lawsuit exposes dangers in Colorado’s cannabis regulation gaps
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Over 100,000 tainted products? Lawsuit exposes dangers in Colorado’s cannabis regulation gaps

By Evan Wyloge and Chris Osher | Denver Gazette A Denver district court judge ruled against a cannabis cultivator’s request to force Colorado to immediately overhaul the state’s cannabis testing rules and seemed ready to rule for a complete dismissal of the case, after a full day in court Wednesday arguing over whether the state is living up to its obligation to protect marijuana consumers. The decision effectively keeps state cannabis regulators from being compelled — for now — to crack down on the alleged illegal use of hemp-derived THC distillate in the state’s legal marijuana supply chain. The lawsuit raises concerns about the legitimacy of Colorado’s legal cannabis market, once seen as an industry gold-standard. Depending on how pervasive the use of the synthetic, hemp-derive...
The COvid Chronicles: Fifteen days that changed Colorado forever
Approved, Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

The COvid Chronicles: Fifteen days that changed Colorado forever

By Rocky Mountain Voice Editorial Board Editor’s Note: The following is the most extensive article RMV has published. We believe the depth is necessary to preserve the timeline and truth of Colorado’s earliest COVID response decisions. Colorado changed overnight. In the first two weeks of April 2020, headlines shifted from public health to public control. Behind the fear and mandates were decisions—made daily—that reshaped lives and redefined freedom. This is the record. April 1 Where else to start than the pages of The Denver Post (The DP)? On April 1, 2020 it wasn't an April Fool's Day joke that the economic industry Gov. Polis prioritized over such Centennial State mainstays as oil-and-gas and beef production – tourism – was reeling.  Hotels across the state were co...
Joondeph: “Trust me, I’m a doctor” doesn’t mean what it used to
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

Joondeph: “Trust me, I’m a doctor” doesn’t mean what it used to

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker “Trust me, I’m a doctor” is a humorous expression that suggests one’s opinion should be accepted without question, regardless of whether the person offering the opinion has actual medical expertise or experience. The assumption is that physicians are knowledgeable, competent, and trustworthy. At one time, few would have questioned that assumption. In 2013, Rasmussen Reports surveyed American adults and discovered that a significant majority, specifically 81%, trusted their doctor.  Four years later in 2017, that number was even higher, with 93% of patients trusting their regular doctor. A funny thing happened in late 2019 and early 2020. In late 2019, almost no one had ever heard of COVID, coronaviru...
CU regents request internal investigation for conflict of interest
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

CU regents request internal investigation for conflict of interest

By Eric Young | Denver Gazette Members of the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents have requested an internal investigation into one of its fellow members over possible conflicts of interests in efforts to cut funding for a CU program. The investigation, requested by regents Ken Montera and Callie Rennison, comes after fellow regent Wanda James’ objections to a campaign created by the state legislature and funded through the Colorado School of Public Health and CU Anschutz Medical Campus to educate the public on the health risks of highly concentrated marijuana. “We know the people of Colorado expect the Board to provide excellent oversight and leadership to the University of Colorado,” Montera and Rennison said in a joint statement. “We expect that as well and are confident ...
Colorado tuberculosis cases hold steady, as a major outbreak rocks Kansas
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado tuberculosis cases hold steady, as a major outbreak rocks Kansas

By John Ingold | The Colorado Sun Colorado is not seeing an unusual uptick in cases of tuberculosis, despite an ongoing outbreak next door in Kansas, the state Health Department says. The Kansas outbreak, focused in the Kansas City area, started last year, and it has since grown to be among the largest in the country since at least the 1950s. (You may have read that it is the largest in U.S. history, but that is erroneous.) Two people are reported to have died. Here in Colorado, cases of tuberculosis are more or less in line with recent historical averages, even though the number of cases reported in Colorado last year exceeded the number of cases reported so far in the Kansas outbreak. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Whooping cough outbreak at Colorado Springs middle school confirmed by health department
Approved, gazette.com, Local

Whooping cough outbreak at Colorado Springs middle school confirmed by health department

By Mackenzie Bodell | The Gazette Jenkins Middle School families with children in the seventh grade received a notice from El Paso County Public Health this week confirming a whooping cough, or pertussis, outbreak.  An outbreak is considered to be two or more individuals testing positive for the illness, according to a health spokesperson. Officials were not able to say how many cases of the respiratory illness have been reported so far. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
Jobs, programs are cut at two Colorado mental health centers amid Medicaid “unwind”
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Jobs, programs are cut at two Colorado mental health centers amid Medicaid “unwind”

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun Two more community mental health centers are eliminating jobs and cutting programs as Colorado’s safety-net health system staggers from a massive drop in Medicaid rolls.  WellPower, which provides mental health care in Denver regardless of whether patients have insurance, is cutting six positions from its co-responder team that pairs social workers with city park rangers, fire and law officers. It’s also eliminating its virtual therapy program, which connected 579 patients with therapists online last year. And it’s ending its lease of Garfield House, an apartment complex where the mental health center has placed patients who needed housing.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Human case of ‘rabbit fever’ found in Wheat Ridge, Jeff Co health officials report
Approved, DENVER7, Local

Human case of ‘rabbit fever’ found in Wheat Ridge, Jeff Co health officials report

By Óscar Contreras | Denver 7 News A human case of tularemia, a bacterial disease that mostly spreads between rodents and insects, has been found in Jefferson County, public health officials said earlier this week. The case was reported in a Wheat Ridge resident and was the first human cause of tularemia in the county in 2024, according to a spokesperson with Jefferson County Public Health. The disease, also known as “rabbit fever,” is caused by the bacterium Fransicella tularensis and mostly affects rodents and rabbits, as well as insects such as ticks and deerflies. It can be transmitted to humans, however, through the bites of infected animals or insects, as well as through the ingesting contaminated water or food and airborne bacteria. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER 7 NEWS...
Hot dog anyone? Denver vendors may be unlicensed and lacking sanitary standards
Approved, Downtown Denver, Westword

Hot dog anyone? Denver vendors may be unlicensed and lacking sanitary standards

By Catie Cheshire | Westword When hordes of patrons file out of Denver sports arenas and music venues, they’ll inevitably encounter someone hawking hot dogs, ready to fill bellies directed by inebriated brains. Because who’s saying no to a bacon-wrapped glizzy at 2 a.m.? But city officials, pointing to a surge of unlicensed hot dog vendors in Denver, warn against partaking in street dogs. Without proper health inspections, they say, you could be signing up for more than just a hangover. “Unfortunately, with the dangerous lack of sanitary standards being practiced by some of the unlicensed hot dog carts, people may find themselves sick the next day and assume it is because of the alcohol they consumed the previous night — instead of the hot dog and bacon sitting u...
Study: Pasteurization cures milk from bird flu, but steer away from ‘raw milk’
Approved, National, thefencepost.com

Study: Pasteurization cures milk from bird flu, but steer away from ‘raw milk’

By The Fence Post (via Hagstrom Report) Officials from several government agencies said today that tests for the presence of remnants of high path avian influenza (HPAI) in milk and dairy products show that pasteurization inactivates the virus, making the dairy products safe, but testing continues. The officials said that preliminary results from 297 total retail dairy samples of fluid milk, cottage cheese and sour cream have shown those products to be safe. Infant formula is also being tested, a Food and Drug administration official said. Raw milk headed for pasteurization is being tested, and the government continues to urge people not to consume raw milk. READ FULL STORY AT THE FENCE POST