Little has been consistent during the coronavirus pandemic in Colorado, but this has: Fall is COVID season. In both 2020 and 2021, as kids returned to classes and pumpkin-spiced lattes emerged from their caffeinated hidey-holes, COVID cases began to rise in the state. By this time last year, reports of new coronavirus infections had already […]
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Posted inNews
Black and Latino Coloradans are being disproportionately hit by monkeypox as cases rise
The number of monkeypox infections continues to rise in Colorado, but new state data shows evidence that Black and Latino communities have been hit harder. As of Thursday, the state has confirmed 168 cases in Colorado, stretching back to May. A majority of those cases — 94 — have been confirmed in August, though it […]
Posted inNews
Colorado pays $387K to resolve CDPHE whistleblower lawsuit from state’s former disease control chief
Colorado paid $387,000 in an attempt to resolve a whistleblower lawsuit filed against the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment by the state’s former disease control and public health response chief, who alleged he was fired in 2020 after disclosing the agency had mismanaged federal HIV money. The amount is the maximum Dr. Tony […]
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Colorado shuts down “illegal” mining operation upstream from Jeffco communities
Colorado officials have shut down what they call an illegal mining and milling operation south of Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and above Jefferson County communities, saying uncontained chemicals like cyanide for gold processing are a hazard to the public and environment. Rocky Flats Environmental Solutions, which says it is not a mining operation but […]
Posted inClimate, Health, News
Officially, heat deaths are not very common in Colorado. The reality is more complicated.
Missy Anderson stepped out of the shade and into the building heat of another day in one of Denver’s hottest summers on record. Anderson is an injury prevention coordinator at Denver Health, meaning she works to deter the kinds of accidents and events that often land people in the hospital. On this July day, that […]
Posted inHealth, News, Politics and Government
About 25 people age 14 and younger get abortions in Colorado each year
More than 120 girls ages 14 and younger have had abortions in Colorado in the past five years, including eight 12-year-olds, according to the state health department. The state statistics do not include any children younger than 12, though doctors who provide abortions in Colorado said they have treated 10- and 11-year-olds. One doctor interviewed […]
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New EPA guidelines on PFAS “forever chemicals” put Frisco far over drinking water limits
Drinking water in Frisco is tainted with dangerous levels of the PFAS “forever chemicals” from suspected firefighting foam runoff into nearby creeks, according to new EPA guidance that radically lowered safety levels and sent state officials in search of cities with similarly compromised water systems. More than 100 city and town water systems across the […]
Posted inHealth, News
Monkeypox may be spreading undetected in Colorado. Here’s what that means.
It appears the monkeypox virus may be gaining a foothold in Colorado, prompting health officials to offer vaccination to people in high-risk groups. On Wednesday, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said Colorado has seen a potential change in transmission patterns for recent monkeypox cases and the virus could be spreading undetected. As of Thursday afternoon, […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Transportation
Electric school buses are in Colorado’s future. But districts need help paying for them.
One by one, the big yellow diesel-powered school buses shuttling kids back and forth in Colorado districts are rumbling along on their final routes and, after many thousands of miles, belching their last plumes of exhaust. With increasing concerns about the harmful effects of school bus tailpipe emissions on both children’s health and the environment, […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
COVID vaccines for the youngest Coloradans are here. We have answers to your questions.
As a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Dr. Sara Saporta-Keating knows well the toll the coronavirus has had on the country’s youngest residents. The United States has recorded more than 2.5 million cases of COVID-19 in kids ages 4 and younger, according to data presented last week to a Centers for […]