It is undeniable that health care is something we will all need sooner or later.  The HRRMC Board understands this and knows its job is to balance the health of the institution along with the health of its community members.  Every board from Salida’s City Council to the Chaffee County Commission needs to have a similar awareness. An important obligation of any elected official is to represent all their citizens and it is our job as voters to hold all our representatives to that standard.

Because of the electorate’s choices, the hospital board has broad experience and background.  It is now ready to represent all of us in the hospital district.  As we enter the local election season ask yourself, “Do the other elected boards have a large enough view of who they represent to make decisions for all of us?”   If you feel you are under-represented, now is the time to consider how you could help change that lack of representation.
Chuck Rose

In his editorial Merle Baranczyk writes “We have concerns about Colorado’s civil unions bill.  It would require that those in a civil union partnership be covered as dependents under health and life insurance plans. The measure includes provisions for succession of property, responsibility for raising children, making medical decisions for partners and dissolving relationships….Our opinion has not changed. We supported the constitutional ban on gay marriages in 2006 and oppose the provision included in the civil union bill considered by state legislators.”

I don’t want to be included in Merle’s use of the word “we” either.  The times they are a changing.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin’.
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.- Bob Dylan

The hospital district is holding an election on Tuesday, May 8, for two open seats on its five-member board of directors, and there are eight candidates for those two seats. The directors plan the future operations of the hospital — i.e., what kind of services it will provide and what facilities will be needed to provide those services.

Why does your vote matter?  During the next few years many provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act will take effect.  This includes the most controversial part of this bill, the requirement for most citizens to purchase health care insurance.  This means that the hospital will be providing care to more insured patients and will need to adjust its delivery system accordingly.

Even though the Supreme Court is reviewing the Affordable Care Act, planning at the state and local level is happening now. In addition, Congress is looking for ways to slash funding for Medicare and Medicaid in order to bring down the federal deficit.  Whatever happens at the federal level, the HRRMC will need to adjust accordingly to pursue its vision “to adapt to meet the current and future healthcare needs” of our local area.

The HRRMC mission statement proclaims it is a “world-class healthcare organization that exists to enhance the health of our community”.  This mission means providing primary care for individuals without insurance or those who are underinsured.

Is it a “pie in the sky” goal to provide for the health care needs of all the people of this hospital district regardless of having insurance?  The American Healthcare Association defines this as a trust relationship and states “the mutual investment of people, time and resources as the glue that binds community to hospital.  When the relationship between hospital and community is healthy, the health of the public, communities and hospitals improves.” These ideas must be considered and balanced with the need for the hospital to make money, buy new equipment, buy new facilities, hire more specialists, etc.  This can be done and was successfully accomplished in the Grand Junction area.

All of the stakeholders in the healthcare delivery system in Grand Junction developed a way to provide cost effective, high quality care with an emphasis on primary care, disease management and preventive services that covers nearly everyone in their area.

Many health care reform analysts have looked into this delivery system and to see if it could work elsewhere.  In Bill Scanlon’s synopsis of Grand Junction’s healthcare in the Colorado Public News, February, 2010, he summarized “The will has to be there. That means community and insurers must put patient welfare first, well ahead of shareholder profits

Why does all this matter?   For one thing, it affects your pocketbook. Taxpayers are paying about half of all medical costs in America, through government programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and indigent care programs. Premiums for private insurance have increased 30% as a result of unpaid medical bills and charity care. Reduce those costs and premiums don’t rise so quickly.

These are just a few of the issues that the new Board will be facing.  These are important and complex issues.  The decisions that are made by this Board will have a profound effect on the health and the care provided to each and every person in this hospital district. You can help shape the future of healthcare in our area by voting on May 8 for candidates who have innovative ideas, have experience in healthcare, and have the right motivation to make sure that the healthcare needs of all the citizens will be considered in the overall balance sheet of the hospital.

Elizabeth Ritchie has spent 40 years working as a registered nurse and healthcare manager. After retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Nurse Corps, she has worked in home care, inpatient and outpatient hospice, medical care auditing, free clinics and end of life programs.

This is Sam’s second trip to EBC for Outdoor Research and Nate Porter’s second involvement with the nationally recognized story surrounding Chad Kellogg’s solo speed record attempt on the tallest peak in the world. The first part of the story filmed by Sam Bricker can be seen here: http://vimeo.com/28535339

Two weeks prior to leaving Salida, Salida Mountain Sports helped provide a good portion of the gear necessary for Sam to trek to Everest and maneuver on the Khumbu icefall just above basecamp including a new harness, crampons, ice axe, helmet, mountaineering boots and basic trekking gear.

Sam’s video dispatches will be available on outdoorrearch.com in early May. Nate noted that Salida locals can follow Sam’s journey via Salida Mountain Sports’ Facebook page via a Spot GPS Tracker that will display Sam’s position and communications along the 9 day trek to basecamp.

Additionally, this year marks the anniversary of the first American expedition to Mt. Everest, so Sam will also be gathering footage for a national feature for Outside television and a two year film project chronicling Chad Kellogg’s quest to summit Everest at a record speed of 30 hours roundtrip.

In an email Nate received from Kathmandu, Bricker said, “I’m very appreciative of the interest and support of my family, local community and Salida Mountain Sports.” Sam has two Salida Middle Schoolers, Jonah (6th Grade) and Janae (8th Grade) who will be watching their dad’s 40 day journey in the Himalaya. Sam will be joined by his Salida fiancée Renee Schriever who will trek to base camp in early May before Sam treks down.

People wanting to know more about Salida Mountain Sports’ involvement can reach Nate Porter at his store on F Street or by email:

nate@salidamtnsports.com
Facebook: Salida Mountain Sports

“Art is my obsession!” said Barbier. “I have owned three galleries and two art co-ops in both Crested Butte and Steamboat. I was a batik artist for 25 years and sold fabric design to New York companies. I spend hours in Photoshop on my Mac on various projects that stretch my intellect.”

Barbier’s new interest is to combine all of her techniques into one product resulting in an interesting, textured surface.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University, Barbier went on to teach in private boarding schools and on cruise ships as an artist-in-residence. This was a way for her to make a living, meet new people and see the world.

Barbier lives in Mesa Antero and loves the mountain views and the change of seasons. Her work can be viewed at www.joaniebarbier.com.

All artwork in the hospital exhibit is for sale, and 25 percent of the proceeds are donated to the HRRMC Foundation.

HRRMC is hosting four art exhibits this year in the main hallway of the hospital’s first floor, as part of its mission to create a healing environment. The hospital displays the work of regional artists, with an emphasis on the Arkansas Valley. For more information on exhibiting art at HRRMC, call 719-530-2217.

Josh Been was willing to donate significant time and the buildings owner’s Jack and Linda were willing to donate the wall space. We had some Citizen money to buy supplies, Lex Johnson was willing to contribute iron work for mounting aesthetics while Anton was willing to donate money. Moreover, Anton was willing to give Josh and I artistic licence. He didn’t request the shop’s (Salida Bike Company) logo on the art, and expressed indifference to having a bike present if we felt a hiker was more appropriate.*

The financial value? It’s difficult to know. This is significantly larger than even Josh’s biggest current canvases. Even with Josh donating so much time, It would be a costly project. So, I’d hoped the city would help, hence my grant submission looking for assistance. As a member of Salida Mountain Trails, and being familiar with the Siding project, I am aware of the general time frame to create good downtown signage and wayfinding tools on or near railroad property (we’re close! Thanks to Dara McDonald, Mike Harvey and many others). So, in addition to getting a JB original downtown, one of my goals for this project was to create a beautiful tool to help visitors get acquainted with the valley.

In the end, there were legitimate questions about ownership. The city council wisely and collectively wished to ensure their investment was addressed. Josh and I spoke after the City Council meeting and decided that if we could do the project without the city’s help, it would simpler for everyone. I thanked the Mayor for his help, telling him we would no longer be in need of the funds. However, we still plan to move forward with a privately funded and recreationally artsy addition to our hamlet in the next few weeks. Thanks should be given to everyone involved.

Josh’s painting will be visible from Riverfront Park, an area that was littered with garbage before Mike, the Arkansas River Trust, Lowry & Co., and others got busy. As I stand in the park I am reminded of Salida’s past visionaries and how many community minded people there are in town. I am reminded of how many people it takes to make interesting ideas happen on a blank canvas.

I appreciate Mountain Mail Editor Merle Baranczyk’s thoughts in his op-ed today. However, I am curious how he thinks “it will do little to inform or educate visitors who wish to ride area trails…” without seeing the art? Our working sketches are rooted in a wide valley view highligting the valley’s trails and towns.

Additionally, I noted Mr. Baranczyk’s opinion about our thoughtful city council and staff’s priorities in his April 10th Op-ed. It’s easy to confuse misplaced priorities with vision. As I told Council, better signage on the highway is an excellent idea. I am certainly not opposed to it. As our city planner knows, I have many ideas aside from the Sackett Street art. The good news is that creating a giant piece of art can clearly happen without the city’s assistance. Merle, if you’d like to help spearhead and fund creative wayfinding signage on Highway 50, I’d be willing to support your vision.

*How did this project happen? Among other things, my dad was a big part of the parks program in Madison, Wisconsin during the 1960s and 1970s. That city, now much larger is well respected for its bike paths and parks. He said you must look for opportunities to make your town more interesting. He wasn’t an artist, a cyclist or a frisbee player. He was a Veterinarian. But, through his lifelong work, primarily as a Rotarian he learned to look for the pieces of the puzzle that are often necessary to make something beautiful, functional and whenever possible healthy, become a reality. Council as well as city staff understand the often oblique connection between ROI in the arts and how it translates to tourism.  However, their real vision was that they quickly understood the opportunity presented by several community members coming together. In short, this would not have happened a year ago, and it might not be possible a year in the future.

Next year’s senior class Monday April 16

Next year’s junior class Wednesday April 18

Next year’s sophomore class Monday April 23

Next year’s freshman class Wednesday April 25

“Thank you to the residents of Chaffee County who took the time to discuss with me their thoughts about protecting Browns Canyon.  I heard a lot of positive feedback about how a national monument designation could help drive the local economy and the outdoor recreation industry, including hunters, anglers and river runners.  I heard a lot of positive comments that the designation would highlight Browns Canyon’s reputation as a premier rafting destination in the country, simultaneously cementing its place on the map for tourists and preserving the recreational opportunities for locals,” Udall said.  “I also heard a lot of important questions and comments that I will take into consideration as we move this process forward, including how to ensure that grazing and other pre-existing rights would be protected and how the agencies involved would manage increased visitors.  The businesses and community members here know what works best for their region – and getting their important feedback is exactly why I started this collaborative process in the first place.”

Udall outlined three ways for Coloradans to participate in the process: individuals can look at the draft maps and comment at http://markudall.senate.gov/outdoorheritage, organizations can set up face-to-face meetings with Udall staffers to discuss their thoughts, and all Coloradans can attend one of the open office hours staffers will hold around the region, including the next one scheduled at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, April 11 from 3 – 5 p.m.

With the help of like minded anti- Christo groups CAIKW (Christo’s Art Is Kinda Weird) and WJDGI (We Just Dont Get It), this rag tag team of predominantly down canyon activists has created a war chest of over 12 million dollars and has an hired an international P.R. firm and printed bumper stickers to fight the artist. Christo could not be reached for comment.