Q & A
On Jan. 1, Gov. Bill Owens appointed Dennis Ellis as the new director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
In that job, Ellis is responsible for broad-based health and environmental programs, including bioterrorism, disease prevention, air- and water- quality protection and consumer protection.
Q: What are some of the health and environmental issues you’d like to see the department tackle this year?
A: I think the most pressing issue for the department is emergency preparedness, and that entails bioterrorism, avian flu, pandemic flu, those types of issues. While we feel like we have the good beginnings of a plan, preparation is not something that ever ends.
Q: Another important health issue in Colorado has been lagging childhood vaccination numbers. What is the state of Colorado doing on that front?
A: I know that as recently as 2003, Colorado ranked 50th, with a 60 percent rate of childhood immunizations. Since that time, I know both Lt. Gov. Jane Norton and former state health director Doug Benevento made a press to put more dollars into this area. I know we are currently reaping some of the fruits of those efforts. Currently, Colorado has moved up to 44th nationally, with a 77 percent immunization rate. And we’re shooting to be above 80 percent by the year 2010.
Q: A long-standing environmental issue in Colorado has been air quality. We’ve had a few good summers on the ozone front and carbon-monoxide levels are down, yet haze in national parks is still an issue. What is the best course of action for the state to take to maintain good air quality for years to come?
A: We’re very excited about the improvement of air quality and the overall general health of Coloradans. One item the governor has laid down the gauntlet on is to review the tailpipe-emissions program as a good government test to see if it can be retired and still maintain the significant gains we’ve made in federal public-health standards. Over the next year, the air-quality control commission will be reviewing data to determine if we can achieve those standards with the removal of this program.
REGIONAL NOTES
PARKER
Follow dolphins, from theater seat
The chill of winter can include the warm blue waters of the Bahamas and an up-close look at wild dolphins, at least on film.
Beginning Saturday, “Dolphins,” an Academy Award nominee in 2000, will be presented throughout March at The Wildlife Experience’s Extreme Screen Theater. The center is located at East Lincoln Avenue and South Peoria Street, a mile east of Interstate 25.
Filmmakers take viewers on an underwater adventure to follow dolphins from the coral reefs of the Bahamas to the wind-swept seas of Patagonia.
A team of marine biologists chronicles the communications of wild dolphins and examines the bond between dolphins and humans. For more information and ticket prices, call 720-488-3300.
LAKEWOOD
Meeting on Federal Center plans
An open house will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday on plans for a light-rail transit station and St. Anthony Central Hospital relocation at the Denver Federal Center.
The session at the Lakewood Heritage Center, 801 S. Yarrow St., will include a presentation at 6:15 p.m., and city representatives will discuss the proposal to annex and zone the Federal Center land. For more information, call 303-236-8000 ext. 5039, or e-mail lisa.morpurgo@gsa.gov.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Forums to guide school budget
Two public forums will be held in March to help Jefferson County Public Schools’ Board of Education finalize next year’s budget.
The forums will include a brief overview and break-out sessions with board members. They will be held at 6 p.m. March 13 at Arvada West High School, 11325 Allendale Drive, and 6 p.m. March 15 at Dakota Ridge High School, 13399 W. Coal Mine Ave., in Littleton.
DENVER POST STAFF REPORTS
