Latest news with #HCAHealthone
CBS News
13 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Wheat Ridge to allow freestanding emergency care facility to be built on Wadsworth corridor in the Colorado city
At June 9's Wheat Ridge City Council meeting, an ordinance was passed that effectively paved the way for freestanding emergency departments to be built and operate within the city limits. CBS One such area is slated to be on the corner of 38th Street and Wadsworth Boulevard. "(This) for the first time allows freestanding emergency departments to be built in mixed use zones," said Dan Larson, Wheat Ridge's District 4 Councilor. Freestanding emergency departments -- also known as freestanding emergency rooms -- are effectively emergency care facilities not attached to a hospital. If someone is dealing with a life threatening condition, first responders can take them to a facility like this before deciding if they will send them further to a full-service hospital. The condition of giving this lot of land to HCA Healthone, who operate Rose Medical Center in Denver, is that the freestanding ER also be a part of a larger medical campus in the adjacent plaza on 38th. The total size of the lot is about 5 acres. While the ordinance passed in a council meeting on Monday, it wasn't without some resistance from residents and health care professionals. One big issue revolved around individuals' understanding what freestanding ERs actually are. "It cannot and does not provide a level of care to the level of a real hospital and many of your elderly especially at Wheat Ridge," said Douglas Martel, a former cardiologist at Intermountain Lutheran, during public comment. Critiques like his specifically revolved around cardiac emergencies like heart attacks or strokes. Freestanding ERs, he argued, were not capable of handling those types of emergencies the same ways that full service hospitals are and thus might confuse potential patients and lose them precious time to be treated. "If you want to keep excellent care in your community and for your constituents you will oppose this ordinance," Martel advocated. Other issues from residents included billing and insurance coverage as well as accessibility. Freestanding ERs built a reputation in the early 2010s for "being predatory," as Larson put it, to patients with exorbitant costs that they didn't account for until after treatment. Councilman Larson told CBS Colorado that a big reason the freestanding ER was on the table was because of Intermountain Lutheran's move to the west side of town, creating a need for an emergency care center on the east side. Additionally, Larson said, the regulatory standards for these types of clinics had been changed, allowing Wheat Ridge to not worry about having too many of these services in ways others have. "The regulatory environment in the state of Colorado in terms of licensing, in terms of building practices has changed," Larson said. "The city of Wheat Ridge has changed."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DDPHE contacting people who may have been exposed to measles at DIA
DENVER (KDVR) — On Friday, health workers said they are continuing to work to contact people who may have been exposed to measles at the Denver International Airport. Denver's Department of Health and Education said today it is focusing on the people who were on the flight with the person who had the virus, as well as people who may have stayed at the same hotel. F-16 Vipers to flyover these Colorado areas over Memorial Day weekend People who were at DIA and at an airport hotel on May 13 and May 14 are being told they could have been exposed to the highly contagious measles virus. A passenger who went through the airport's international gates tested positive for the virus, and because that virus can linger in the air for up to two hours, passengers and hotel guests are being told to watch for symptoms. 'I think the main thing to know about, is that if you are a vaccinated person, then you are safe, by and large. For unvaccinated people, you should be monitoring for symptoms if you're in the vicinity of that exposure during that time period,' HCA Healthone Aurora Emergency Department Medical Director Dr. Katie Sprinkel said. DDPHE said health workers are trying to contact people who were on the flight with the infected passenger. The same is true for people who stayed at the Quality Inn and Suites Denver International Airport. 'We're working with the hotel, we're able to, um, get in contact with people who were staying at the hotel or who are working at the hotel, at the same time they might have been exposed, and letting them know of the exposure symptoms to look out for,' DDPHE Spokesperson Emily Williams said. Dr. Sprinkel said the measles vaccine is 97% effective. The Emergency Department Medical Director was at DIA with her child on one of the same days as the infected traveler. 'It made me think. I do have a young child who's had one vaccine but not two. So it did prompt me to call my pediatrician, and in my case, there's nothing to do, but it is something that kind of raises the hair on my neck and made me think twice to get in touch with our pediatrician,' Dr. Sprinkel said. Denver sues Trump administration over potential loss of transportation funding Dr. Sprinkel said anyone who may have any concerns about possible measles symptoms should check with their health care professionals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
