Colorado began funding co-responder efforts in 2018 and now backs 31 such initiatives. An additional 20 or so programs exist across the state that send mental health clinicians out with law enforcement.
Daliah Singer
Special to The Colorado Sun
Posted inEducation
A program in Gunnison is providing fresh, local food to teachers — for free
Easing one source of stress for preschool educators could make teachers better in the classroom, managers of the collaborative food program say
Posted inEducation
Despite surprise reprieve in Denver, school closures likely to continue in metro area
10 Denver schools slated for closure still are “on watch,” Aurora has shuttered 8 schools and Jeffco will close 15.
Posted inEquity
Colorado’s child care crisis shows no sign of waning
Timing was everything for Jaiya Jermulowske and her husband, Kory. They knew they couldn’t afford to have two kids in day care at the same time, so the couple— who live about 35 minutes south of Steamboat Springs — planned their second pregnancy around child care. When her son, Kayson, was born, Jermulowske left her […]
Posted inEconomy, Equity, Health, News
Slow loss of obstetrics care forces rural Coloradans into long drives, or long stays, when babies arrive
When Georgina Bishop became pregnant with her third child, things got complicated. Not with the pregnancy itself or even the labor. But she did drive two-and-a-half hours — one way — to reach the hospital so she could give birth. Bishop lives in Telluride. With her first two children—now 6 and 10 years old—she used […]
Posted inColoradans, Education, Equity, News, Politics and Government
“Everybody has a second job”: Low pay leaves rural Colorado teachers struggling
It was November, and Casey Cunningham had a decision to make: She could pay her car registration or buy holiday gifts. Cunningham was already delinquent on her student loan payments. After shelling out for her rent, car and utilities, she was left with less than $1,000 to cover all of her other expenses. The third-grade […]
Posted inCOVID, Crime and Courts, Health, News, Politics and Government
For incarcerated youth in Colorado, the coronavirus pandemic isn’t over yet
It was late April and Renee sounded drained and worried. She hadn’t hugged her son or seen his face without a screen pixelating his features since the COVID-19 pandemic began in Colorado more than a year earlier. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said over Zoom. “That is something a parent could never describe. It’s 24/7 of a […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Health
Coronavirus moved some substance treatment services online in Colorado — possibly permanently
Kara Bonham was already struggling with alcohol consumption, depression and anxiety when the pandemic forced her life into overdrive. She had a high-stress job as a first responder in Fort Collins. On top of that, her older sister, who also struggles with alcohol, had recently been diagnosed with end-stage liver failure. As Bonham saw it, […]
Posted inCOVID, News
In Colorado prisons and jails, a piecemeal approach to the threat of coronavirus
There are nearly 20,000 adult prison inmates in Colorado (about one-fifth of whom are older than 60), and thousands more in county jails. Those involved at all levels of the criminal justice system are concerned that if COVID-19 finds its way inside a prison or jail, there will be little ability to stop its spread. […]