Latest news with #ColoradoSchoolofPublicHealth
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More Colorado workplaces are becoming safe places for employees in recovery
At Odie B's, a sandwich shop in Denver, recovery from drug and alcohol use is part of daily operations. 'Seventy percent of our staff is active in recovery,' Cliff Blauvelt, co-owner of Odie B's, said in a video testimonial. 'We try to provide a safe space where people can feel comfortable.' Blauvelt has struggled with alcohol use for more than 20 years. He co-owns Odie B's with his wife, Cara Blauvelt. One employee, Molly, said working at Odie B's helped her focus on sobriety and reconnect with her sense of purpose. 'I was burned out, I was working a lot of hours. … I started dry January, and after a few months I realized I needed to quit drinking,' she said in the same video testimonial. 'Cara definitely helped with my sobriety journey, just reminding me one day at a time, and now, I have been sober for going on two years.' Colorado is one of more than 30 states that have launched recovery-friendly workplace programs in recent years. They're part of a growing effort to reframe how employers address addiction, mental health and recovery for the well-being of their employees and businesses. Our team from the Centers for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health works with employers to develop training guidelines and policies to help make their workplaces supportive of recovery. Over the past three years, we've worked to understand the tools employers need to better support employees with substance use disorders. Many are deeply motivated but lack formal policies or training. That gap is what the Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative is designed to fill. Since 2021, our team has developed and delivered recovery and mental health training to more than 8,000 Colorado employees. They represent more than 100 businesses in industries ranging from local government to construction companies and health care providers. Our training sessions focus on equipping individuals with an understanding of mental health and substance use disorders, explaining how to combat stigma, and outlining how to navigate accommodations in the workplace. Substance use is not just a personal issue; it's a public health and workforce challenge. In 2023, 1,865 Coloradans died from a drug overdose, according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. That's up about 65 deaths from the previous year. Nationally, overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2015. In high-risk industries, such as construction and mining, where physically demanding work, long hours and job insecurity are common, workers have some of the highest rates of nonmedical opioid use. These workers are thus at a high risk of developing substance use disorders. They also face other mental health challenges. These same sectors face the highest suicide rates across all occupations and nearly double that of the general public. Recovery, as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a federal agency, includes 'a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.' In Colorado, an estimated 400,000 people identify as being in recovery. Many of them are working, raising families and rebuilding their lives. The economic impact of substance use is significant. Colorado has lost more than 360 million work hours to opioid use over the past decade, according to the American Action Forum, a nonprofit that conducts economic analyses. That's the equivalent of 173,000 full-time jobs for one year. In 2017 alone, the cost of lost productivity due to opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose in Colorado was estimated to be US$834 million. Employers save an average of $8,500 per year for each employee in recovery, according to the National Safety Council. These savings come from lower health care costs, reduced absenteeism and decreased turnover. In other words, when employers retain and support workers through recovery rather than lose them to untreated substance use, they see measurable benefits. In 2024, Colorado lawmakers passed a bill for supporting recovery and addressing the opioid epidemic. The legislation provided funding to establish the Recovery Friendly Workplaces Initiative and the voluntary employer participation and certification program. In early 2025, funding for the initiative was removed from the state budget due to a broader fiscal shortfall. The funding cut disrupted many of our planned activities, and we are currently relying on interim support from counties and state offices. Small businesses remain a priority for our team, despite recent funding cuts. Many lack human resources departments or formal wellness programs but are nonetheless deeply committed to helping their employees succeed. A Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initative participant, Absolute Caulking & Waterproofing of Colorado, employs 39 people. Absolute has championed recovery-friendly policies as something the business values. 'This partnership saves us time and resources, which is invaluable for our small, family-owned business,' said Sarah Deering, vice president of the company. The road ahead presents challenges, including limited funding, the societal stigma around recovery and all of the complexities of recovery itself. But we continue to follow the scientific evidence. Our research team is evaluating the outcomes of our programs to better understand their impact and hopefully inform future policy recommendations. We are committed to the belief that work can and should be a place of healing. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Liliana Tenney, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Olivia Zarella, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Read more: Explainer: how recovery high schools help kids with addiction The opioid epidemic in 6 charts Work requirements are better at blocking benefits for low-income people than they are at helping those folks find jobs Liliana Tenney receives funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Olivia Zarella receives funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Landmark oil and gas reform in Colorado is failing
Members of the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission listened to public comments from opponents of a major oil and gas drilling plan on the state-owned Lowry Ranch property in Arapahoe County during a hearing on May 16, 2024. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) A recent study provided further evidence that living near oil and gas wells in Colorado isn't safe. The study, led by Dr. Lisa McKenzie of the Colorado School of Public Health, demonstrated that children who were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of cancer, were more likely than children without cancer to live within 8 miles of a well site. The finding aligned with earlier studies that have shown that the risk of cancer is much greater for people who live near oil and gas operations. It also added weight to a conclusion that is increasingly unavoidable: A landmark state law adopted in 2019 that was supposed to protect the public from oil and gas development is failing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The law brought about a long overdue mission change to oil and gas regulation in Colorado. The state's previous official position was that its role was to 'foster' oil and gas development. But, with the passage of Senate Bill 19-181, its new position was that its role is to 'regulate' oil and gas development 'in a manner that protects public health, safety, and welfare, including protection of the environment and wildlife resources.' This was supposed to be an official pledge to protect residents who are at risk of illness or death due to exposure to emissions, who live near operations where spills and other accidents might occur, and against environmental degradation, including from climate change. Colorado was supposed to take the side of residents, not a polluting industry. It was supposed to serve the people, not corporations, and protect the environment, not profits. The state has not fulfilled that commitment. 'Unfortunately, not a lot has changed,' said Micah Parkin, executive director of 350 Colorado, which works for climate solutions and environmental justice. 'They're still fracking right by and underneath communities.' She pointed to the recent approval, by regulators on the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission, of a plan for an enormous, 156-well oil and gas development in Arapahoe County adjacent to neighborhoods, schools and the Aurora Reservoir, a drinking water supply. Community members organized intense, persistent protests against the plan, but the ECMC was unswayed. This is a pattern. There are already more than 46,000 producing wells in the state, and every year Colorado regulators grant permits for many hundreds more. Denials are rare. The rate of oil and natural gas production has remained roughly steady since 181's passage, and there's every reason to believe — given apparent regulatory capture at the state level, the existence of untapped resources in Colorado, and industry rhetoric — that production will only increase in the coming years. Oil and gas production is the single biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado, according to state data. How is any of this protective of public health and the environment? I mean, it just seems like common sense. You don't keep digging the hole when you're already deep in it. – Micah Parkin, of 350 Colorado As industry has steamrolled new regulatory provisions, emissions have increasingly exposed Coloradans to health risks. The Front Range region has failed to meet Environmental Protection Agency ozone standards for decades, and ozone pollution — which is linked to asthma, lung disease, bronchitis, congestive heart failure and other conditions — is now so bad the state is officially in 'severe nonattainment' of the standards. Oil and gas production is one of the state's top contributors of ozone 'precursors.' It's also a major source of benzene pollution. Benzene, associated with a higher risk of cancer and other adverse health effects, was recently found in concentrations that were 10 times above federal standards miles away from the site of a well blowout in Weld County last month. The biggest threat of all — to Colorado and the world — is climate change, which is caused largely by combustion of fossil fuels like those being pumped out of the Colorado ground. It wasn't until last year that state regulators got around to considering oil and gas rules that might account for the industry's 'cumulative impacts,' including on the climate. But the final rule fell far short of meaningful new protections. As oil and gas production increasingly threatens Coloradans, residents might wonder how regulators can justify the approval of even a single new permit to drill. 'If their mission truly had changed, and they were considering public health, safety, welfare and the environment and prioritizing those things, they wouldn't be permitting any more until we were on track to meet our climate goals, and we were on track to not be in nonattainment for ozone,' Parkin said. 'I mean, it just seems like common sense. You don't keep digging the hole when you're already deep in it.' Yes, that's the view of an environmental advocate. But it's also a view that's implied by the plain language of state law. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Colorado's early childhood education workers face burnout and health disparities, but a wellness campaign could help
A lot of research has been done on the outcomes of young children who receive care in early education programs across the country. High-quality early childhood education programs positively shape young children's development. Far less research has focused on the early childhood workforce that powers these programs. We set out to better understand how to support workers who care for our youngest and most vulnerable children. Workers who provide care for children under 5, such as teachers, administrative leaders and support staff, play a pivotal role in shaping the next generation. But research suggests they are underpaid, overburdened and have limited resources. For example, in Colorado, about 46% of the early education workforce receives public assistance, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and Medicaid. These workers earn a median hourly pay of $18.50. Across the country, between 43% of child care workers receive public assistance. Additionally, teaching in early childhood settings takes a toll. According to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, nearly half of early childhood education teachers report high levels of daily stress during the school year, compared with approximately 25% of U.S. workers. Stressed-out teachers impact children, too. Poor well-being in early childhood teachers can reduce child care quality. This may lead to poor social-emotional development and increased behavioral issues in young children. Research shows that chronic underfunding of early childhood education programs, coupled with the inherent stressors of the job, leads to burnout and turnover. We are clinical associate and research assistant professors of public health at the Colorado School of Public Health. We have researched the early childhood education community in Colorado for more than 15 years. Our team is currently one of six federally funded national research teams investigating the well-being of this workforce and creating strategies to prevent burnout and turnover. There are many causes of health disparities within the early childhood education workforce. The job involves managing children's challenging behaviors, working 9-12 hours a day, sitting in child-sized furniture, taking few breaks – and having a lack of support from co-workers and supervisors. Researchers have found that early childhood educators in the U.S. experience higher rates of chronic health conditions as compared with national samples of workers with comparable income, education and other characteristics. These conditions include severe headaches, lower back pain, obesity and diabetes, as well as mental health conditions, including depression. Past studies, including our own, suggest that poor psychological and physical well-being may be particularly pronounced among early childhood education staff employed in Head Start settings. Head Start is the largest federally funded early childhood education program in the U.S. It often provides care for young children living in poverty. Head Start teachers report depression rates ranging between 25% and 32%, compared with the national average of 18% among the U.S. workforce. The well-being of early childhood educators also varies by where they live. In our recent work, we explored differences in job-related demands and resources among 332 Head Start staff in rural and urban areas in Colorado. A higher percentage of our rural sample in southeast Colorado reported lower family incomes and lower levels of education. This would suggest that early childhood education staff in rural settings may experience higher levels of stress because of increased economic hardships. However, on average, our rural sample had a lower level of emotional exhaustion, which is a key indicator of burnout, than our urban sample. Rural settings tend to foster close-knit relationships, strong social support networks and a slower-paced work environment than urban settings. These social situations could be why workers in rural areas report lower levels of emotional exhaustion. Alternatively, in urban settings, educators may experience larger class sizes and more stringent licensing and training standards, which could translate to increased stress. While workers in urban settings face higher rates of burnout, we also found that they had higher levels of hope, optimism, self-efficacy and resilience than those of rural child care workers. These positive feelings helped to decrease the effects of their high-stress work environments. Our findings suggest a need to improve the work environment and provide caregivers with healthy coping strategies – especially urban Head Start staff. To address the workplace needs we identified, we launched the Well-Being of the ECE Workforce in Low-Resourced Locations program, or WELL program. The program looks at workplace policies, culture and safety, plus a person's health status, home life and community, to create a program that supports an individual's well-being at work. We partnered with five Head Start agencies to test Head Start well-being programs. The Head Start staff we worked with across Colorado identified mindfulness, coping strategies and sleep as areas of need. We tailored WELL in response to their requests. WELL provides workplace training and supports related to these topics, texts weekly tips and strategies to promote well-being, and even helps sites design a relaxation lounge as a place for staff to unwind. Our preliminary findings suggest that the majority of staff were satisfied with the WELL program, and participants reported increased confidence in practicing behaviors that promote their well-being, like mindfulness. '[The WELL program] has helped me within the classroom, too,' said one study participant. 'So when you're like, 'Oh, my gosh! This child's driving me crazy. I can't deal with it!' it's like, 'Just take a step back. It's OK to take a break and ask somebody for help.'' We also found that 77% felt that their early childhood education center supported participation in WELL. These findings, while preliminary, highlight the likelihood of this program to be successfully implemented in other early childhood education centers in Colorado. Read more of our stories about Colorado. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Jini Puma, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Charlotte Farewell, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Read more: What would it mean if President-elect Trump dismantled the US Department of Education? Helping teachers learn what works in the classroom − and what doesn't − will get a lot harder without the Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences What do special educators need to succeed? Jini Puma receives funding from the Administration for Children and Families. Charlotte Farewell receives funding from the Administration for Children and Families.
