Noticias

• Hospital District Welcomes New Board Members
• AmeriCorps Cuts Leave Hundreds in Colorado in a Lurch
• Romance Takes Center Stage

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Hospital District Welcomes New Board Members

The Telluride Hospital District has a new board after Tuesday’s election.

Paul Reich was re-elected to the board as the top vote-getter with 530 votes. Thomas Crabtree and Tricia Maxon were also elected, with 529 votes and 484 votes, respectively. Each elected member will serve a four-year term.

Reich — along with the other candidates — notes he’s humbled by the vote of confidence shown by the voters.

“I’m excited because I bring experience over the last three years of being on the Hospital District Board and guiding us through some really difficult times,” Reich said. “I feel like we’ve finally turned the corner – both in terms of board governance and actions, as well as the operations of the organization. I think it’s a really exciting time to be part of healthcare in Telluride and charting a vision for the future.”

Maxon comes from a financial background. She says she’s looking forward to getting her feet on the ground and continuing the work that the previous boards and staff have done.

“I think it’s so important that we continue a healthy medical center. The prior board and current staff worked very hard to get it to a healthy medical center financially,” Maxon said. “My goal is to – as a new board member – continue that. First and foremost.”

She notes that comes as the financial picture for healthcare continues to change.

“I can’t even begin to comprehend what cuts are coming our way at the federal level. There are so many changes that seem to happen hourly in Washington. There’s going to be impact there,” she said.

The Telluride Regional Medical Center has had financial challenges over the past several years — even going to local governments for financial support. It’s found more stability over the years, but Crabtree wants to keep that work going forward.

Crabtree is a local physician and entrepreneur.

“It’s not underinformed to think that insurance companies make their money by denying care,” Crabtree said. “As a clinician, and a person who’s fought with insurance companies on a day-to-day basis for 35 years, I think I have an ability to help the medical center, negotiate, stiff arm, hardnose, some better reimbursement rates.”

In addition to staying financially sound, the board members also highlight the importance of leaning in to the creation of a new medical center for the region.

“In an ideal world, we’ll have a new healthcare facility before I leave the board in 2029. That’s an ambitious goal, but we’re so close to securing the land, and we’re optimistic that we’ll be able to secure funding for the new facility,” he said. “I think it’s really exciting time to finally bring to fruition a long-sought goal of the community – to have a healthcare facility that we can grow into as the community matures.”

In the meantime, Crabtree asks that the community stays engaged.

“They need to tell us – the medical center, the board – what exactly they hope to see as we grow,” he said. “The medical center has an opportunity, as well as a challenge, to develop a new facility. With that new facility comes the opportunity to expand some services, or realign some services, and that really has to come from the community. So, people need to sound off and let us know.”

The results from the Hospital District board election are unofficial until the canvass board meets May 13. The new board members will be sworn in at the Telluride Hospital District Board meeting on May 29.

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AmeriCorps Cuts Leave Hundreds in Colorado in a Lurch

Hundreds of Colorado-based AmeriCorps members had their service years abruptly cut short last week as the Trump administration announced sweeping reductions to the longstanding federal service program.

Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera said the cuts are “devastating” to Colorado, which hosts more than 6,500 AmeriCorps members across the state each year.

“It’ll have a devastating effect. Because sometimes in rural Colorado these are the only people serving,” Primavera said. “So some not-for-profits may have to close their doors, kids would be not able to finish their year, and it would have a devastating effect on rural communities.”

In Colorado, AmeriCorps members provide critical services in schools, public lands, and nonprofit organizations. While a typical service term lasts about a year, the recent federal funding cuts have left many members in limbo.

“They serve because they have a heart for service and a passion for service,” Primavera said. “I’ve been on AmeriCorps sites across the state and I’ve talked to AmeriCorps members who say that their service was actually life-changing. I’ve talked to people that the AmeriCorps members have served, and you know, some of the kids wouldn’t have even gone back to school.”

Juan Fernandez, executive director of the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC), an AmeriCorps-funded conservation program, said the cuts will directly affect public lands and forest health.

“As the funding goes away, the priorities come into focus as far as, well, we have to do fire mitigation, so what’s going to suffer?” Fernandez said. “And that usually is the trail building, the trail restoration, and a lot of times, especially with our federal partners, that means trail closures.”

In Telluride, SCC crews contributed to trail reroutes at Magic Meadows, the Valley Floor and Deep Creek, among others.

Colorado has more than 800 AmeriCorps service sites and receives approximately $54 million annually in federal funding for programming. Primavera said the benefits of AmeriCorps programs ripple through communities.

“We heard a story about a youth mental health corps member who sat down with a mom and their daughter, and they were both survivors of gang violence and their daughter was struggling to just show up at school,” Primavera said. “But thanks to the AmeriCorps member, they were enrolled in therapy, they were enrolled in tutoring and Saturday school, and now they’re on a path to success. Not only is it life-changing to the member, it’s life-changing to the person they serve and it’s life-changing for the community, actually. So it’s a win-win-win for everybody.”

In response to the cuts, Colorado joined 24 other states in a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that only Congress has the authority to reduce AmeriCorps funding. A hearing is scheduled for May 19.

“We’re hoping that we get immediate relief with an immediate injunction, so that’s really what we’re focused on right now,” Primavera said.

She emphasized that now is not the time to reduce investment in national service programs.

“There’s so much need with our conservation, our forest health, with our academic gaps, youth mental health issues,” Primavera said. “This isn’t the time to cut programs that really give back more than they get. It’s really time to double down on the money we get.”

According to a press release from the Governor’s Office, every $1 spent on AmeriCorps efforts in Colorado returns up to $34 in value to local communities.

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Romance Takes Center Stage

Local author Aggie Unda Tames, who writes under the pen name A. Unda Tames, is out with a new book this month. Center Stage is the fourth installment in the Latin Lovers romance novel series.

Other books in the Latin Lovers series include Sweet and Spicy, Mariana, and Mariana 2.

A workplace romance of sorts, Center Stage follows the story of Alejandro and Emmie.

Unda Tames spoke with KOTO News about the book and the experience of diving deeper into a character. She started by setting the stage of the book.

Story begins at 8:11.

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Mountain Village Hosts Annual Community Clean Up Day

It takes a community to keep a town clean and healthy.

Next week, the Town of Mountain Village will host its annual Community Clean Up Day to help maintain the area’s natural environment.

The entire community is invited to participate. The town will provide gloves and bags.

The clean-up event will take place Wednesday, May 14, at Village Court Apartments in Mountain Village. Registration begins at 2:30 p.m., with the clean-up scheduled to run from 3 to 5 p.m.

An after-party will begin at 5 p.m. and will include pizza, a raffle and prizes — including one for the weirdest trash find.

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Screenagers Viewing Explores Youth and Technology

For better or worse, young people today know how to navigate a screen.

The film Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age dives into the risks of screen use and discusses how parents and educators can help young people achieve a healthy balance.

Next week, the Communities That Care Coalition will host a screening of the film to help the community learn more.

The documentary focuses on screen use in school, boys and video games, girls and social media, and the risk of addiction.

The screening will take place Wednesday, May 14, at the Wilkinson Public Library. Food will be provided starting at 5 p.m., and the movie will begin at 5:30 p.m. Childcare will be available.

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Study Shows Dust on Snow Can Double Melting Rate

A new study has found that dust deposits on mountain snow can cause it to melt twice as fast and make it harder to predict how much water ultimately ends up in the Colorado River.

McKenzie Skiles at the University of Utah is the study’s author.

“If we can bring attention to the magnitude of these impacts and motivate people to come together and make a difference, sort of on the ground, and mitigate dust and mitigate this impact on still water resources, that would be an ideal outcome of my research,” Skiles said.

A lot of airborne dust comes from farm fields and agricultural production. Skiles says the new findings could help water managers get a better idea of how much dust will impact the amount of water that ends up in their reservoirs.

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Western Slope County Files Complaint Over 9-1-1 System Issues

A county on Colorado’s Western Slope has filed a complaint with state officials over issues with the 9-1-1 system.

For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KVNF’s Lisa Young reports.

Story beings at 16:34.

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Boulder Choir Uses Music to Inspire Conversation on Global Challenges

A choir in Boulder is using music to inspire thoughtful conversation about challenges facing humanity.

As KGNU’s Shelley Schlender reports, their latest performance blends choral works with poetry and invites the audience to reflect on the growing threats to the natural world.

Story beings at 18:21.