What is Checkup Denver? You are reading part of our bi-weekly health newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered straight to your inbox.
Good morning Colorado!
Before you fill yourself up with turkey and pumpkin pie this week, remember to tell all the teenagers in your life to take part in our essay contest – the November 30th deadline is getting closer!
As part of our Colorado Teenage Suicide Investigation Project, we are asking teenagers in the state to write about their own experiences with mental health and suicide. The competition winner will have their essay printed in The Denver Post newspaper, while the top three pieces will be published on the Denver Post website.
You can find out more about the essay competition here.
Not a teenager? You can keep sharing your story with us by filling out our source form or emailing [email protected].
If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, call the Colorado Crisis Line at 1-844-493-8255.
A look at Colorado’s option for public health insurance
Recently, we were looking at what an option for public health insurance in Colorado might look like when two state agencies released their final report on the plan.
In the report, the agencies recommend empowering the state insurance commissioner to require at least two companies to offer the state’s public option in countries where there is only a single insurer. According to the report, there are 22 counties with only one insurer.
The report was released by the State Insurance Department and the State Department of Health Policy and Financing. The agencies, which were asked to prepare a proposal earlier this year, submitted the report to the legislature.
Read more here.
Health needs to be read
Joe Mahoney, special for the Portland Oregonian
Robert Minty, 64, is sitting in his apartment in the Westridge Homes public housing complex in Denver on August 16, 2019. The Oregonian / OregonLive distributed its own test kits there, and three units tested high for carcinogenic gas.
Radon found in subsidized homes in Denver
An Oregonian / OregonLive investigation found that public housing authorities across the country have refused to find and remove radioactive gas from tenants’ homes.
About 70% of public housing in Denver have yet to be screened for radon, the second leading cause of lung cancer, according to the report.
For his investigation, Oregonian / OregonLive distributed test kits to tenants in Denver last year. In two rounds of testing, three homes in the Westridge Homes development had radon above the threshold level required for special ventilation systems to remove it.
Read more here.
Here’s what I read
Do you have a story tip or other feedback? Send me an email at [email protected]. You can also follow me on Twitter @JessicaSeaman. And don’t forget to subscribe to The Post!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jessica
Subscribe to this bi-weekly newsletter to have health news sent straight to your inbox.
Comments are closed.