Latest news with #DenverHealth
Axios
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Denver's $800M bond package for infrastructure projects takes shape
Denver is one step closer to deciding how it might spend a proposed $800 million bond package that Mayor Mike Johnston wants on the November ballot. State of play: An executive committee handpicked by Johnston — including former Mayor Federico Peña and Denver City Council president Amanda Sandoval — submitted a list of recommended infrastructure projects to Johnston after months of public input. The process drew more than 6,200 survey responses and nearly 1,000 town hall attendees. The big picture: The proposal spans streets, bridges, parks and public safety — but lacks a clear cornerstone project to define the bond. Instead, it focuses on dozens of smaller, long-awaited fixes and new additions: 🏥 Public health and safety New first responder training center A children's advocacy center Upgrades to Denver Health's Westside clinic Denver Animal Shelter expansion 🌳 Parks and public spaces Build-out of two new parks at Emporia Park and Park Hill Park Safety lighting on Cherry Creek and High Line trails Sloan's Lake cleanup Renovations to the Decker, Montbello and Blair Caldwell African American Research libraries 🏘️ Housing and culture A co-located library and housing project in East Denver Site prep for a future American Indian Cultural Embassy 🚧 Infrastructure Santa Fe improvements between Sixth and 13th Avenues — a notorious choke point. Bridge and viaduct repairs, including Cherry Creek crossings and the Quebec bridge over Airlawn Road Upgrades to the Marion and 38th and Blake underpasses What's next: Johnston will review the recommendations and, in the coming weeks, submit a formal package to the Denver City Council, which must vote to put it on the Nov. 4 ballot.
CBS News
19-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Supreme Court ruling won't affect access to gender-affirming care in Colorado, but impact may felt
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser says a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued Wednesday will not affect access to gender-affirming care in the state. The divided court upheld a Tennessee law that restricts certain medical treatments for transgender minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and some surgeries. Twenty-six other states have enacted similar restrictions. However, Colorado passed a law in 2023 protecting access to gender-affirming care. In a statement, Weiser said, "Parents with trusted medical providers know what is best for their child and should have the option to seek the care their child needs." WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 17: The U.S. Supreme Court is shown March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. / Getty Images Denver Health also told CBS Colorado the ruling will not impact its ability or commitment to continue offering gender-affirming care. Advocates on both sides say the ruling could still influence how families across the country access — or avoid — gender-affirming care. On Wednesday, the decision reignited a national debate over who should have the authority to make healthcare decisions for transgender youth. Steven Haden, founder of the Colorado-based nonprofit Envision: You, warned the ruling could put transgender and nonbinary youth at risk in states where such care is banned. "LGBTQ youth are already at a significantly higher risk of suicide than straight youth — with greater rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, and eating disorders," Haden said. However, some parents welcomed the ruling. Erin Lee, a mother and founder of Protect Kids Colorado, said her daughter was introduced to gender identity discussions at age 12 without her consent — something she believes contributed to serious mental health struggles. "My daughter was recruited into a secret gender club at school — without my consent," Lee said. She said her daughter was exposed to adults outside the family and connected with them online. "She was taught how to medicalize, how to see a gender-affirming care therapist without my knowledge, how to pursue puberty blockers — and she was told to keep it all a secret from us. We were lucky to find out and help her through the confusion," she said. Lee says that after about a year, her daughter realized she was not a boy and is now comfortable in her identity. That experience, she says, motivates her to speak out. "So many other families came forward with similar stories — kids convinced at school they were the opposite sex and told not to tell their parents," Lee said. "I realized this was a pervasive issue that needed attention." Her daughter is no longer transgender-identified, and Lee is now advocating for a 2026 ballot initiative that would ban gender-affirming care for minors in Colorado. "Kids cannot consent to irreversible medical treatments," she said. "I believe children should have time to develop — to work through mental health distress — before making irreversible, life-altering decisions about their bodies. Gender dysphoria is real; we've lived through it. But it's a mental health issue." Colorado remains one of the few states with laws protecting healthcare for transgender youth. The organization Transcontinental Pipeline helps queer; transgender and LGBT people move from unsafe and unaccepting environments within the U.S. to Colorado. A spokesperson for the nonprofit tells CBS Colorado that since the November election, it has received roughly 900 applications from individuals seeking care and other rights in Colorado — many coming from states with restrictions on transgender rights.
Axios
09-06-2025
- Health
- Axios
What's next for the police response alternative STAR as it turns 5
Five years after launching, the Support Team Assisted Response Program — otherwise known as the STAR program — sits at a crossroads. The big picture: The program dispatches a paramedic with a behavioral health clinician to low-risk calls, most often for people dealing with mental health distress or substance use issues. Program manager and supervisor Marion Rorke tells us the program serves as an alternative to sending Denver police, who now sometimes call STAR themselves when they realize it's better equipped to handle certain calls. State of play: STAR has turned into a national mode l, but in order to one day become a 24/7 service, it needs more funding — which seems unlikely given Denver's current budget woes. What they're saying: "Every single call that the STAR van responds to — in lieu of law enforcement — could potentially be a life saved," local police reform activist Alex Landau told Denver City Council last week as it recognized the program's fifth anniversary. By the numbers: The program responded to 25,144 incidents between June 1, 2020, and June 3, 2025, per data provided by the city's department of public health, which runs STAR. When it launched, STAR had a single van with two people staffing it per shift. It now boasts eight vehicles, plus a rotating staff of 16 Denver Health paramedics and 16 clinicians from WellPower, a mental health care provider, who still work in teams of two. How it works: STAR runs from 6am-10pm daily, with Denver 911 responsible for dispatching its team instead of police or ambulances. STAR can connect people with additional services, even transporting them to places like behavioral health centers or referring them to other local health care services. Nearly 60,000 calls were STAR-eligible over the past five years. The intrigue: Rorke tells us she's working to codify a community advisory committee that provides direct feedback and recommendations to STAR's operation, something local advocates say is crucial to its success. That could mean making this community board a charter requirement, giving the panel more authority. Between the lines: STAR's current budget is $7.2 million, including $5.3 million directly from the city, and the rest coming from Caring for Denver grant money.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Denver Health partners with Flight for Life to provide critical care transport
Denver Health is launching a new partnership that they said will save lives. A bright orange helicopter will now be stationed at Denver Health on the first Thursday of each month. It's one of the aircraft that belongs to Flight for Life, a critical care transport company the hospital said is known for its state-of-the-art fleet and experienced medical teams. CBS Dr. Gene Moore, a surgeon at Denver Health, said traffic can often keep regular ambulances from reaching patients in a timely manner. "Furthermore, I think we have learned more and more, particularly with our war experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, that survival is based on care to the patient as soon as possible," said Moore. Flight for Life is one of several air ambulance services that work with Denver Health.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- CBS News
Denver teen remains hospitalized following crash involving Aurora police pursuit
A 16-year-old boy from Denver is still in the hospital, nearly five days after the driver of a stolen truck crashed into a car with four teens inside. It happened last Saturday evening as Aurora police officers were chasing the stolen truck. That pursuit moved into Denver before ending in Glendale, where the truck collided almost head-on with a teen's car near South Cherry Street and Leetsdale Drive. "The truck made an impact where my son was sitting," said Ingrid Shea, mother of Kaelen, who remains hospitalized at Denver Health. Kaelen Shea Ingrid Shea Shea explained that her son was sitting in the back passenger seat when the collision happened. Kaelen and his friends had just finished a day-long ultimate frisbee tournament and were on their way to a community pool. Holding back tears, Shea described her son's injuries. "My son came into the ER with multiple brain bleeds, a broken jaw, and his sinus bones are fractured," she said. Since he was admitted, Kaelen's parents have barely left his hospital bedside. Along with fear for her son's well-being, Shea is questioning Aurora's pursuit policy, which was updated earlier this year to include stolen vehicles and DUI drivers. "I don't understand how a 12-minute police chase gets to happen in a populated area for a non-violent crime," Shea said. "That's what's not okay. It's not okay for my family, my child, and it shouldn't be okay for anybody else's." Aurora police shared a statement about the pursuit-turned-crash with CBS Colorado, which reads in part: "We know from experience that suspects who drive stolen vehicles are often involved in other criminal activity. If not apprehended, they continue to pose a serious threat to public safety. That's why our officers work every day to stop further victimization and prevent additional harm." Ingrid Shea CBS "I understand all of that," Shea said, "I'm obviously dealing with the ramifications of it." Still, Kaelen's mother believes something else could've been done to stop the driver of the stolen truck, who could've easily killed her son. "There could've been four funerals that we were planning Sunday morning," she said, adding the other three teens have minor injuries, but it's still not clear when her child will leave the ICU. "I can't speak to all [Aurora Police] policies, but I think they need to be examined." As for the driver of the reported stolen truck, 26-year-old Michael Freyta has a lengthy criminal history. He has previously been arrested on charges for motor vehicle theft, ID theft, fraud as well as forgery. Freyta allegedly failed to maintain his status on the sex offender registry for Adams County, too, according to Aurora Police. Michael Guadalupe Freyta Aurora Police Department "This incident was caused by a criminal suspect, Michael Freyta, who was driving a confirmed stolen vehicle and chose not to stop when officers attempted to contact him. His decision to flee, instead of pulling over for our officer, led to this crash," said APD. "The Aurora Police Department remains committed to holding criminals accountable," they continued. "When individuals like Michael Freyta repeatedly choose to break the law, our responsibility is to act decisively to protect our community from further violence and danger." The Shea Family has set up a fundraiser to help with their son's medical bills, which will continue to add up as he will likely have future rehab for his traumatic brain injury.
