Today, on a special episode of Colorado Edition, we explore the question of who makes the decisions that protect the people during a public health crisis. And we’ll look at how tensions over that are playing out in one Colorado county, whose public health director recently announced his retirement in the midst of a pandemic.
We speak with Dr. Mark Wallace, director of the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment, who is retiring from his position.
We also talk with the Weld County Commissioners about what Dr. Wallace’s retirement will mean for the county.
And Theresa Anselmo, executive director of the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials, joins us to explain what local public health officials do, and what the pandemic has meant for the profession.
You can hear an extended version of our interviews with Dr. Mark Wallace hereand an extended version of our interview with Theresa Anselmo here.
Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!
Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions:
- “The Bus At Dawn” by Holyoke
- "Noe Noe" by Castro
- "Vik Fence Sahder" by The Fence
Colorado Edition is hosted by Erin O'Toole (@ErinOtoole1) and Henry Zimmerman (@HWZimmerman), and produced by Lily Tyson. The web was edited by digital editor Jackie Hai. Managing editor Brian Larson contributed to this episode. We received production help from Rae Solomon.
KUNC's Colorado Edition is a news magazine taking an in-depth look at the issues and culture of Northern Colorado. It's available on our website, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can hear the show on KUNC's air, Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m., with a rebroadcast of the previous evening's show Tuesday through Friday at 9:30 a.m.