Latest news with #DenverHealth
CBS News
3 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Denver man receives pacemaker using new technology
A Denver man is thanking the doctors at Denver Health after years of care for a heart condition. Bennie Milliner didn't think he'd be here today. He flatlined following a stent replacement in his heart back in 2018. It's a moment he'll never forget. "The next thing I remember is all these people around me and lights and noise, and I just realized that I was over it," said Milliner. "I was just watching the scene, and I was then I looked out and it was like- just like a silvery atmosphere. I couldn't feel my body. God, it was so peaceful. And then I saw this light, and I was thinking, 'oh man, this is it, you know?' And then I heard somebody say, 'we got a pulse,' and I kind of jumped," he said. Doctors at Denver Health were able to get Milliner's heart pumping again after working for over 30 minutes. It's something he'll forever be grateful for and literally holds close to his heart through a tattoo on his left arm. "It says '2-12-18 2nd chance,' and that's the meaning of the tattoo," he said. Seven years later, Milliner is back at Denver Health. "At least a couple of times a month, his heart would stop beating for anywhere from about three to eight to 10 seconds sometimes," Denver Health cardiologist Christopher Barrett said. That led Milliner to get a pacemaker implanted in his heart earlier this month. "If it detects that the heart has stopped beating or it's not beating quickly enough, it's going to deliver a small electrical impulse that's too small to feel, but it's large enough to make the heart know it needs to beat," said Barrett. The pacemaker he has is a new technology, something called a "leadless pacemaker," that goes completely inside the chest with no wire. According to the manufacturer, Medtronic, it's 93% smaller than a traditional device. "It's deployed and released within the heart, grabs onto the tissue, and it stays in there forever," Barrett said. "That capsule has no leads, no generator. It's very inconspicuous, and it's completely self-contained in the heart." Once again, Milliner has a new lease on life thanks to Denver Health, and an appreciation for the doctors, nurses and staff who have helped. "I watch what they do, and it's the care and concern all the time," said Milliner. "It's just incredible."
Axios
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Denver's $800M bond package for infrastructure projects takes shape
Denver is one step closer to deciding how it might spend a proposed $800 million bond package that Mayor Mike Johnston wants on the November ballot. State of play: An executive committee handpicked by Johnston — including former Mayor Federico Peña and Denver City Council president Amanda Sandoval — submitted a list of recommended infrastructure projects to Johnston after months of public input. The process drew more than 6,200 survey responses and nearly 1,000 town hall attendees. The big picture: The proposal spans streets, bridges, parks and public safety — but lacks a clear cornerstone project to define the bond. Instead, it focuses on dozens of smaller, long-awaited fixes and new additions: 🏥 Public health and safety New first responder training center A children's advocacy center Upgrades to Denver Health's Westside clinic Denver Animal Shelter expansion 🌳 Parks and public spaces Build-out of two new parks at Emporia Park and Park Hill Park Safety lighting on Cherry Creek and High Line trails Sloan's Lake cleanup Renovations to the Decker, Montbello and Blair Caldwell African American Research libraries 🏘️ Housing and culture A co-located library and housing project in East Denver Site prep for a future American Indian Cultural Embassy 🚧 Infrastructure Santa Fe improvements between Sixth and 13th Avenues — a notorious choke point. Bridge and viaduct repairs, including Cherry Creek crossings and the Quebec bridge over Airlawn Road Upgrades to the Marion and 38th and Blake underpasses What's next: Johnston will review the recommendations and, in the coming weeks, submit a formal package to the Denver City Council, which must vote to put it on the Nov. 4 ballot.
CBS News
19-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Supreme Court ruling won't affect access to gender-affirming care in Colorado, but impact may felt
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser says a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued Wednesday will not affect access to gender-affirming care in the state. The divided court upheld a Tennessee law that restricts certain medical treatments for transgender minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and some surgeries. Twenty-six other states have enacted similar restrictions. However, Colorado passed a law in 2023 protecting access to gender-affirming care. In a statement, Weiser said, "Parents with trusted medical providers know what is best for their child and should have the option to seek the care their child needs." WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 17: The U.S. Supreme Court is shown March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. / Getty Images Denver Health also told CBS Colorado the ruling will not impact its ability or commitment to continue offering gender-affirming care. Advocates on both sides say the ruling could still influence how families across the country access — or avoid — gender-affirming care. On Wednesday, the decision reignited a national debate over who should have the authority to make healthcare decisions for transgender youth. Steven Haden, founder of the Colorado-based nonprofit Envision: You, warned the ruling could put transgender and nonbinary youth at risk in states where such care is banned. "LGBTQ youth are already at a significantly higher risk of suicide than straight youth — with greater rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, and eating disorders," Haden said. However, some parents welcomed the ruling. Erin Lee, a mother and founder of Protect Kids Colorado, said her daughter was introduced to gender identity discussions at age 12 without her consent — something she believes contributed to serious mental health struggles. "My daughter was recruited into a secret gender club at school — without my consent," Lee said. She said her daughter was exposed to adults outside the family and connected with them online. "She was taught how to medicalize, how to see a gender-affirming care therapist without my knowledge, how to pursue puberty blockers — and she was told to keep it all a secret from us. We were lucky to find out and help her through the confusion," she said. Lee says that after about a year, her daughter realized she was not a boy and is now comfortable in her identity. That experience, she says, motivates her to speak out. "So many other families came forward with similar stories — kids convinced at school they were the opposite sex and told not to tell their parents," Lee said. "I realized this was a pervasive issue that needed attention." Her daughter is no longer transgender-identified, and Lee is now advocating for a 2026 ballot initiative that would ban gender-affirming care for minors in Colorado. "Kids cannot consent to irreversible medical treatments," she said. "I believe children should have time to develop — to work through mental health distress — before making irreversible, life-altering decisions about their bodies. Gender dysphoria is real; we've lived through it. But it's a mental health issue." Colorado remains one of the few states with laws protecting healthcare for transgender youth. The organization Transcontinental Pipeline helps queer; transgender and LGBT people move from unsafe and unaccepting environments within the U.S. to Colorado. A spokesperson for the nonprofit tells CBS Colorado that since the November election, it has received roughly 900 applications from individuals seeking care and other rights in Colorado — many coming from states with restrictions on transgender rights.
Axios
09-06-2025
- Health
- Axios
What's next for the police response alternative STAR as it turns 5
Five years after launching, the Support Team Assisted Response Program — otherwise known as the STAR program — sits at a crossroads. The big picture: The program dispatches a paramedic with a behavioral health clinician to low-risk calls, most often for people dealing with mental health distress or substance use issues. Program manager and supervisor Marion Rorke tells us the program serves as an alternative to sending Denver police, who now sometimes call STAR themselves when they realize it's better equipped to handle certain calls. State of play: STAR has turned into a national mode l, but in order to one day become a 24/7 service, it needs more funding — which seems unlikely given Denver's current budget woes. What they're saying: "Every single call that the STAR van responds to — in lieu of law enforcement — could potentially be a life saved," local police reform activist Alex Landau told Denver City Council last week as it recognized the program's fifth anniversary. By the numbers: The program responded to 25,144 incidents between June 1, 2020, and June 3, 2025, per data provided by the city's department of public health, which runs STAR. When it launched, STAR had a single van with two people staffing it per shift. It now boasts eight vehicles, plus a rotating staff of 16 Denver Health paramedics and 16 clinicians from WellPower, a mental health care provider, who still work in teams of two. How it works: STAR runs from 6am-10pm daily, with Denver 911 responsible for dispatching its team instead of police or ambulances. STAR can connect people with additional services, even transporting them to places like behavioral health centers or referring them to other local health care services. Nearly 60,000 calls were STAR-eligible over the past five years. The intrigue: Rorke tells us she's working to codify a community advisory committee that provides direct feedback and recommendations to STAR's operation, something local advocates say is crucial to its success. That could mean making this community board a charter requirement, giving the panel more authority. Between the lines: STAR's current budget is $7.2 million, including $5.3 million directly from the city, and the rest coming from Caring for Denver grant money.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Denver Health partners with Flight for Life to provide critical care transport
Denver Health is launching a new partnership that they said will save lives. A bright orange helicopter will now be stationed at Denver Health on the first Thursday of each month. It's one of the aircraft that belongs to Flight for Life, a critical care transport company the hospital said is known for its state-of-the-art fleet and experienced medical teams. CBS Dr. Gene Moore, a surgeon at Denver Health, said traffic can often keep regular ambulances from reaching patients in a timely manner. "Furthermore, I think we have learned more and more, particularly with our war experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, that survival is based on care to the patient as soon as possible," said Moore. Flight for Life is one of several air ambulance services that work with Denver Health.
