Hello Colorado!
Happy Monday and welcome back! We have a lot of news for you this week so let’s get started!
Colorado medical students train as abortion providers as other states restrict access to the procedure
With the recent flurry of activity in state legislatures related to abortion, there’s a sense that a shake-up is on the way for one of the nation’s most contentious issues. And for those training as abortion providers, it could limit where they work after they finish school, medical students said.
“We traveled to Alabama for vacation a few months ago, and as much as we loved the beach, we said we can’t ever move here because I would be put in jail,” said Aly Sotiros, a student at the CU School of Medicine.
Since January, 19 states have enacted new restrictions on abortions, such as Alabama’s law that would make terminating a pregnancy at any stage a felony for the health provider. Abortion advocates also worry that the 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling that legalized abortions nationwide could be overturned.
Read more here.
ICYMI: Families in Elyria-Swansea struggle with asthma amid historic I-70 construction
- If you haven’t already, read the story The Denver Post published about families living in one of the nation’s most-polluted urban ZIP codes and their concerns that the construction on the Central 70 expansion project could make their asthma worse.
- Also, watch the video my colleague RJ Sangosti created for the project: “It feels like a snake wrapped around your chest.” — Asthma amid historic I-70 construction.
- Asthma rates in the Elyria-Swansea and Globeville neighborhoods are higher than the state average. Here’s a map on asthma rates across Denver.
Health-must reads:
- Steven Summer, the chief executive of the Colorado Hospital Association, will retire at the end of the year.
- Talks between Kaiser Permanente and unions representing its employees aren’t going well, raising the possibility of a walkout later this year.
- Colorado has expanded its lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, to include its owners and former executives. The state first sued the company last year.
- A hospital in Pueblo will start asking patients to provide their gender identities when they come in for care. It’s just the latest example of how Colorado health systems are finding new ways to approach patients’ gender identities.
- Denver water proposes removing all lead pipes from homes in the metro area, a project that could cost about $500 million.
Here’s what I’m reading:
- The U.S. could see as fewer medical students choose to specialize in one of those fields. — The Washington Post
- , a nonprofit that offers crisis counseling to LGBTQ teens, to try to curb youth suicide. — The Atlantic
- Booze-free bars are on the rise as — Kaiser Health News
- Researchers find that e-cigarettes , including when it comes to hearts, lungs and brains. — Vox
Have a story tip or other feedback? Email me at jseaman@denverpost.com. You can also follow me on Twitter at . And don’t forget to become a to The Post!
See you in two weeks!
Jessica
