Remembering Retired Colorado Firefighter and Paramedic Paul Cary
Today we acknowledge the life and work of Paul Cary, a retired firefighter and paramedic, a grandfather, and a Colorado hero who volunteered to travel to NYC to serve on the front lines as a paramedic and save lives. He began working on April 1 and tragically passed away on April 30 at the age of 66 after contracting COVID. Yesterday, he returned home to Colorado for the last time.
We can never express just how grateful we are for people like Paul, and all our emergency responders who are on the front lines of fighting this virus. Paul dedicated his life to the service of others, and he will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to Paul’s family, friends, and loved ones, we grieve with them today. Let’s all honor Paul Cary’s memory and all of our first responders by continuing to take this seriously and practice social distancing and mask-wearing so we can beat this virus.
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*NEW* Map of Local Community Based Testing Sites
As Colorado continues to move forward with the “Safer-at-Home” phase, we have also been working to expand testing in every corner of our state. The State of Colorado has been providing guidance and supplies to help local public health agencies stand up local testing sites across the state. These are especially important in communities and areas of the state where private providers are limited in number and capacity.
Several weeks ago, we distributed a playbook to local public health agencies to support them in their work, and asked them to submit a request to the state. So far, we've received requests in 59 counties. The state lab has completed readiness assessments and approved plans for 40 sites. We have sent supplies to all 40 of these testing sites, and as more come on line, we will be sending supplies to those as well to meet people where they are. And in addition to the 40 State supported testing sites, we have provided supplies to several large hospital systems and clinics in the Denver-metro area including Denver Health, National Jewish, Children's Hospital and Kaiser. And the State Lab has distributed over 22,000 testing kits across the state since April 8th.
Today, we debuted a new tool on our COVID-19 website, a map of these community-based testing sites throughout the state.
Click Here to Access the Community Bases Testing Sites Map
We will continue to update the map as more sites come on line.
It's important to remember that these sites are not the only route to testing. The community-based testing sites are meant to fill in the gap for underserved communities outside the main metro regions.
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Stakeholder Engagement Update
We know that as we begin to loosen these restrictions on our economy and our society, we need to provide clear guidance to individuals, public officials, businesses, nonprofits and other entities to ensure that we can maximize compliance and be successful in this next phase.
This past week we had webinars to go over the new guidelines and answer any questions. The Governor participated in some of these to hear from store owners, customers, hospitals, and others, totaling nearly 3,000 participants on these webinars. We spoke with retail associations, personal services providers, general commerce leaders, chambers of commerce leaders, members of the healthcare sector, hospitals, post-secondary education leaders, child care leaders, local government, and real estate sector representatives.
Visit ColoradoSaferatHome.com for more guidance.
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Governor’s Advisory Committee for Cooperation and Implementation
Along with clear guidance for individuals, businesses, and local governments, we need to ensure compliance on a broad scale. Today, the Governor appointed members of an advisory committee to advise the Governor and CDPHE on policies and regulations that are designed to maximize social distancing at the local level, specifically focused on how local governments, and local public health can coordinate with the state on educating the public about these regulations, and maximizing compliance and enforcement. We also took care to ensure that communities large and small, and areas across our state are represented so we can make this work for every community.
Today, the Governor announced the bipartisan membership of the board:
- County Commissioner representing over 250K residents - Steve Johnson, Larimer
- County Commissioner representing under 250K residents- Hilary Cooper, San Miguel
- Mayor representing City over 100K residents - Nick Gradisar, Pueblo
- Mayor representing City under 100K residents - Barbara Bynum, Montrose
- Local Public Health Official in County Over 100K residents- Robert McDonald, City and County of Denver
- Local Public Health in County Under 100K residents- Heath Harmon, Eagle County
- A County Sheriff- Jeffery Shrader, Jefferson County
- A Local Police Chief- Gary Creager, Broomfield
- A Local Fire Chief- Thomas DeMint, Poudre Fire Department
- One Representative of the Economic Recovery and Stabilization Council- Kyle Martinez, Olathe
- Governor’s Chief of Staff- Lisa Kaufmann
- Executive Director of Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS)- Stan Hilkey
- Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)- Jill Ryan
- Executive Director of the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA)- Patty Salazar
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Animal Protection Week
This week is Animal Protection Week. One of the silver linings of this crisis is that folks are adopting new furry friends left and right! And as great as that news is, we know that we still have many challenges when it comes to the humane treatment of pets, livestock, wildlife, and all living creatures. From setting up wildlife corridors to partnering with local shelters to hold adoption events at the Governor’s Mansion, we take pride in our pro-animal policies in this administration, and we want to take this moment to acknowledge all of the furry and feathered friends that call Colorado home.
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Teacher Appreciation Week
We show our appreciation for our educators every year, but this year it’s even more important to show our appreciation for the efforts of Colorado’s 50,000-plus teachers.
We want to thank all of the teachers out there for their work, adapting their lesson plans, their technology setup, and going above and beyond to keep our kids engaged with the learning during these trying times.
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Colorado Education Initiative and PCs for People
We know that at-home learning is a challenge for many families. An estimated 54,000 students in Colorado lack internet-enabled devices and hot spots. The Governor's office has partnered with the Colorado Education Initiative and PCs for People, a non-profit that refurbishes desktops and laptop computers, to provide a way for companies and individuals to donate their used laptops and desktops to be utilized for low-cost purchases for school districts and charter schools. Donations of any size are accepted and support overall impact.
You can donate by visiting givecomputers.org and we also have information on the Help Colorado Now website.
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Best Practices
The best thing you can do right now is encourage your family and friends to stay home. This will help reduce the spread. Also, practice good hygiene and social distancing in order to keep yourself and others safe -- especially vulnerable populations like older Coloradans and those with underlying health conditions:
- Stay at home unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave your home.
- If you do have to leave your home, wear a cloth face covering or a mask.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- If someone at your home is sick, avoid sharing dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people in your home. After using these items, wash them thoroughly with soap and water.
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State Services for Impacted Individuals
If you have lost wages or been laid off due to COVID-19, please visit coloradoui.gov to determine your eligibility for unemployment insurance and apply for benefits. This includes those working as independent contractors or working in the “gig economy” who have lost wages due to COVID-19.
If you have lost your job and as a result, have lost your health care, you can sign up for health insurance through the state of Colorado’s insurance exchange at https://connectforhealthco.com. Please take advantage of this special enrollment period to get covered and protect yourself during this pandemic.
If you have questions about housing assistance, health care assistance, employee rights, or other state services, please call the Colorado state hotline 2-1-1 for assistance.
We need to recognize the toll that this crisis is not only taking on our economy and our way of life, but our mental and behavioral health. Colorado Crisis Services provides free, confidential, professional, and immediate support for any mental health, substance use, or emotional concern 24/7/365. Folks can call 1-844-493-TALK (8255) or text TALK to 38255 to speak to a trained professional. Any Coloradan that needs support should reach out.
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