Veterans Day in Aspen

U.S. Representative John Salazar spoke at a Veterans Day event in Aspen yesterday. He talked about legislation he's working on to help veterans get medical care when they return from serving overseas. He also mentioned how a new National cemetery in southern Colorado gained approval from the House last week. After discussing "business," Salazar told a story obviously close to his heart, about his father who was a veteran himself. Holding back tears, the congressman told how his father mentioned family and being buried in his uniform right before he died.

The most moving part of the ceremony though, was not Salazar's talk. Instead it was a short comment made by an unidentified soldier who had served in Vietnam. He said he had never felt welcome upon his return home until 37 years later when he came to Aspen. He said the Fourth of July parade where veterans walk through a cheering crowd, was the first time he had felt "welcomed home."

Another veteran I interviewed said nowadays, "greeters" are standing by and called to duty when a veteran returns to the United States. He said no longer do veterans need to feel "unwelcome" when they return home.

Mental Health Behind Bars

Nationally 16% of inmates in jails suffer from mental illness. At the Pitkin County Jail, Administrator Don Bird estimates that number is even greater. He believes between 20 and 25% of inmates deal with issues such as psychotic episodes that are often the reasons inmates end up in jail.

In order to better protect the community and serve the Jail's population, a more aggressive approach is being taken at the Jail. Jail officials will work with health providers to identify, diagnose and treat mental illnesses among inmates. The inmates will also be referred to local health providers after they are released from jail.

Bird says the new approach sprung from a greater awareness of mental health issues in the Valley. He says organizations such as Colorado West are bringing mental illness to the spotlight and making it not such a taboo subject.

So far one inmate has successfully gone through Pitkin County's program, from identifying the illness to seeking treatment with a health provider after release. Bird estimates more inmates will go through the program as they fine-tune it. It's currently being funded with County dollars allocated to medical expenses in the Jail's budget.

A Booming Business

Each day in Colorado, 400 applications from patients wanting to use marijuana as medicine, come to the State Department of Health and Environment. In 2006, just over 1000 people were on the State's patient registry. So far this year, more than 11,000 people are card-carrying medicinal marijuana users. Four dispensaries have opened in Aspen since late summer and several others are serving patients up and down the Roaring Fork Valley.

To treat a knee injury, one patient I talked to uses a concentrated form of the plant that is liquified and edible. Josh Griggs says it makes the constant pain he experiences go away. Griggs is also a dispensary owner and he has created several rules for his patients, or members. They are required to sign a 5-page agreement saying they will not re-sell the marijuana on the street and the patients are outlawed from using the drug in the dispensary.

Local town governments are also creating rules in an effort to regulate parts of the industry. In New Castle, the Town Board is preparing to adopt an ordinance that would require background checks for dispensary owners and the dispensaries themselves would be subject to Conditional Use requirements. So far, no dispensaries have opened in New Castle but in Glenwood Springs there are at least two downtown stores. City elected officials have not set up rules but the mayor believes the State needs to create more regulations.

This booming industry seems to be growing so fast, local governments and even dispensaries are trying to catch up and regulate it where they can. It will be interesting to see where this newly-sprouting industry goes and whether new regulations from the State are developed.

Cool State Website

There's a new State website that "tracks the dollars" of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and it's interesting to see where those stimulus dollars are going. I talked to the Executive Director of Mountain Family Health Centers, which is receiving about $554,000 in stimulus funds, and he told me he's never seen so much transparency from the government. And this website exemplifies that. The website at www.colorado.gov/recovery leads you to a map of the counties of Colorado. You can click on say, Garfield County and find a list of organizations that are receiving Federal funds. An interesting benefactor in Garfield County is Glenwood Beauty Academy Inc., which is getting a $45,000 chunk of change. I suppose the money will help train people to cut hair, paint nails or other beauty trades. Go ahead and log onto the site and check out where the money is going in your county, you might be surprised!

Mail Ballot Elections Gain Popularity

Pitkin County's Clerk and Recorder says more than 90% of Colorado's 64 counties will use a mail ballot election this November. That means polling places and early voting will not be part of the election. Voters will get ballots in the mail and must drop them off or mail them to the County by 7PM on November 3rd.

The mail ballot election is becoming more popular because it's more convenient for voters and cheaper. Pitkin County Clerk Janice Vos Caudill says taxpayers will save up to $20,000 dollars by using this method of voting. It also allows busy individuals to find their own time to go over the issues, mark their choices and mail the ballot.

But, the mail ballot elections are causing some concern. Jenny Flanigan of Colorado Common Cause says the ballots may not reach people who move around a lot, like many residents do in Pitkin County. She also say people should have a choice of how they want to vote and narrowing that decision to one method may not suit all voters in Colorado.

Regardless of various feelings concerning the mail ballot election, it will be conducted this Fall in Pitkin, Garfield and Eagle Counties. Vos Caudill says she wants to hear from voters following the election about whether they liked the method and whether it should be used again.

Flu Shots Available Now

Starting today Pitkin County will begin to administer seasonal flu shots to people willing to get them. On Friday H1N1 or Swine Flu shots will be offered to healthcare workers. Pitkin County has 1000 doses of seasonal flu vaccine and 100 doses of swine flu vaccine. Greater amounts of both vaccines are expected to come to the County later this Fall.

The two flu viruses are similar but there are some differences. Cases of the Swine Flu have developed outside of the traditional flu season and the virus is more often noticed in young people who have not built up strong immunities to illnesses. Liz Stark at Community Health Services says the number of deaths associated with the Swine Flu are similar to those connected to the seasonal flu. Despite similarities, some organizations are being extra vigilant about keeping germs away. The Aspen School District is focusing on cleaning hand railings and other items often touched by students. The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority has also stepped up cleaning efforts in its buses. Stark says absenteeism is up at Aspen schools and pediatricians are seeing more patients, due to the flu.

The same rules as always apply: If you're sick stay home and if your symptoms are severe, seek medical assistance. And, health officials are stressing getting a seasonal flu shot early because the shots may run out. The first clinic is today at the Health and Human Services building near Aspen Valley Hospital, from 1 to 6PM.

New Colorado Discoveries

I recently returned from my first trip to the San Luis Valley in south-central Colorado and I am impressed. The natural beauty in this state, to which I am a newcomer, continually amazes me. I grew up in the West, in Montana, and appreciate the wonder there too but in Colorado it seems more accessable and the mountains are just a wee bit taller. We must have passed two or three "14er's" visible from the highway from Poncha Springs to Buena Vista. My friends and I climbed to a high alpine lake outside of Crestone on a well-developed and (unfortunately) well-used trail. Despite the sometimes crowded trails, I am happy someone took the time to build the trail and make these sometimes perspective-changing scenic views available.