Health Care

The West is facing a growing shortage of home care workers as the senior population booms and more people stay away from nursing homes as the pandemic drags on.

With no local access to prescription drugs, the town of Walden, Colorado has crowdsourced a delivery system, taking advantage of anyone’s trip to those bigger cities to pick up medications for the rest of the town.

Gov. Jared Polis signed a $5.4 billion transportation package on Thursday, one he said will benefit the very stretch of road the outdoor signing ceremony took place under

One of the only things federal lawmakers can agree on these days is that telehealth should be remain a fixture in the U.S. health care system.

The Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges recently announced a $1 million investment from a health care industry leader to help diversify the workforce. The Kaiser Permanente Colorado Equity Scholarship Fund will provide financial assistance to students from underrepresented communities.

Tired of waiting for federal action to reduce prescription drug costs, Colorado is acting on its own — even if it must do so with one arm tied behind its back. Unable to set prices or change patent protections, the state is exploring creative legislative and administrative approaches to lower out-of-pocket costs on medications.

Before the pandemic, Colorado looked set to become the second state to pass what’s known as a “public option” health insurance plan, which would have forced hospitals that lawmakers said were raking in "obscene" profits to accept lower payments. But when COVID-19 struck, legislators hit pause.

Death doulas are also called death midwives or end-of-life doulas, but whatever you call them, their numbers have blossomed in the last decade. There's a few in every state, but Colorado is a hotspot in the Mountain West.

This weekend, 10,000 people aged 70 or older are expected to receive a COVID-19 vaccine during a mass, drive-through vaccination event in the parking lots outside Denver’s Coors Field. But the rush to get a coronavirus vaccine has not been matched by some health workers who care for elderly and frail residents at long-term care facilities.

Colorado is currently experiencing the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations since the pandemic began. This is concerning for state officials, who have warned we could exceed our hospital capacity this winter. We spoke with Dr. Jane Jenab, a physician working in Colorado and New Mexico, who has been dealing with the pandemic first-hand.