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SENTINEL EXPRESS C O M M E R C E

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C I T Y

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SSUE 48 01 ISSUE

WEEK ,OF JANUARY 24, 5, 2023 TUESDAY NOVEMBER 2020

New COVID-19 restrictions prohibithealthcare, indoor dining, personalCounties gatherings Caraveo wants towilltackle

climate and affordability in next term navigate future

after Tri-County Health breakup Former system expired Dec. 30 BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Yadira Caraveo, Congresswoman-elect for Colorado’s new 8th District.

mentor, many people have been helpful to her while finding her bearings but hasn’t thought about a As Congresswoman-elect D-08 specific person she wants to spend Yadira Caraveo inches closer to most of her time with. People from beginning her first term as a U.S. the Hispanic Caucus and the DemoRepresentative, she’s squaring away cratic Coalition all come to mind, the logistics. she said. rapid testing site at A long line of cars outside the city of Brighton’s For housing in Washington, D.C., Riverdale Park. The site has had to close early many days in recent she’s in anRegional apartment building that On the issues weeks due toother high demand. County’s 14-day teststate positivity rate houses many membersAdams of As a Democrat legislator, Congress. of her timeHealth consisted of serving was 15.9 percent, as of Nov. 17, accordingmost to Tri-County Department. Her medical practice willCity’s remain in the majority. ashigher a minority Brighton and Commerce test positivity rates wereNow both than and the office is planning to hire a member in the soon-to-be Repub13 percent. Forty-five people in Brighton and 29 in Commerce City have replacement, but she’s planning on lican-controlled House, her game died from COVID-19 related Towon’t limit the spread ofher COVID-19, taking a few shifts when she’shealth in theissues. plan change from actions district. in the state legislature. at least 15 counties moved to tighter restrictions that prohibits indoor and “Just to keep my skills up,” she “Having a very clear majority in personal gatherings. said. the House and having a trifecta in She plans to come back to the disthe State, I really always strove to trict as often as possible to be able to make my legislation bipartisan,” she spend time with her family as well as said. “Two-thirds bills that PhotoofbytheBelen Ward to strengthen her connection to the I carried had bipartisan votes on community. them.” When it comes to a congressional Three issues she campaigned BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

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heavily on were healthcare, climate and affordability. Healthcare

As a pediatrician, she hopes to work on and pass legislation that brings down cost of medications, Bythe Ellis Arnold citing her work as a state legislator. Community Media and When Colorado it comes to COVID-19 preventing another pandemic, she As Denver metro counties to doubles down on the effortcontinue of federal inch closer to local to stay-at-home orders powers listening doctors, scientists peoplesystem acrossofthe board in underand Colorado’s coronavirusthe healthcare system. related restrictions, the state announced She said many issues in the healtha newsystem level of were rules that prohibitsby indoor care uncovered the dining and personal gatherings — a pandemic and those workers were change applies to the majority of the the firstthat to bear witness. Now, they need to be involved in the solutions Denver metro area and many counties in to fix regions. the problem. other “Being able to have an agile The state’sworkforce, COVID-19 dial, has healthcare andwhich making been in effect since September, is the sure that we learn from the issuesset of of different levels of restrictions that each SEE CARAVEO, P3

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The mask mandates implemented during the pandemic left a legacy in region’s health care. They fueled the breakup of Tri-County Health, the state’s largest public health agency, serving Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties for more than seven decades. Douglas County officials took issue with mask mandates put in place by the health agency. Looking back, Tri-County Health Director John Douglas, a doctor, said masks were meant to protect the public as the virus swept through the metro area. “I’m sorry the dynamics of the politicization of the pandemic put us in a place where we had to make choices, specifically referring to the mask mandate, that were going to create acrimony with Douglas County,” Douglas said. Tri-County Health Department’s choices were tough to make, he added, acknowledging some divided public. Still, he stands by the agency’s decisions and, citing based research, county is required to follow on the said masks helped slow the spread severity of a county’s local virus spread. of COVID-19. The dial grew out of theresponse state’s safer-atDouglas County’s was home — the policyitsthat came after to optorder out and create own public the statewide stay-at-home orderoperatthis health agency, which is now ing with budget numerous of its own.types of spring anda allowed Th at means Tri-County Health businesses to reopen. is left to fade away, toppled by the The state recently switched to colorto controversy, leaving each county identifiers — levels blue, yellow figure out how to provide andand pay for orange rather numbered levels — to public healththan services. Public health Until departments do red avoid confusion. Nov. 17, level more than respond to pandemics. meant a stay-at-home order. Now, level Tri-County Health provided no-cost red — “severe risk” —overdose is the secondcancer screenings, prevention, and inspections to ensure the Please see RESTRICTIONS, Page 2 SEE HEALTH, P2