CarePortal

Aug 1, 2023

Federal earmarks, Medicare tutorials, first West Nile virus case, helping kids, Teen Cadets shine, CONO hoedown, property returns, minimum wage Pam Zubeck (Courtesy city of Colorado Springs) Mayor Yemi Mobolade and City Council have planned a seven-stop listening tour to hear from residents. The information gathered will be used to help set the city's direction. In-person meetings: Aug. 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — District 6/ Northeast Colorado Springs with Councilor Mike O’Malley at Sand Creek High School (7005 N. Carefree Circle) Aug. 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — District 5/Central Colorado Springs with Councilors Nancy Henjum and David Leinweber at COS City Hub (4304 Austin Bluffs Pkwy.) Aug. 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — District 3/Southwest Colorado Springs with Councilor Michelle Talarico at Hillside Community Center (925 S. Institute St.) Aug. 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — District 2/North Colorado Springs with Council President Randy Helms at Pikes Peak State College (2070 Interquest Pkwy.) Sept. 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — District 1/Northwest Colorado Springs (Councilor Dave Donelson's district) at a location to be announced. Sept. 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — District 4/Southeast Colorado Springs with Councilor Yolanda Avila at Southeast Armed Services YMCA (2190 Jet Wing Dr.) Another meeting will be held online from 10 a.m. to noon on Sept. 9 via Microsoft Teams. A link will be posted on the city's website. Residents are encouraged to register in advance at  ColoradoSprings.gov/ListeningTour . ------------------ Sen. John Hickenlooper (Sen. Hickenlooper Senate website) Colorado Springs would be on the receiving end of various funding bills that will send $79.3 million to Colorado, if the Senate and House approve the bills, according to news releases from Democratic Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet. Funding directed to Colorado Springs: • $590,000 to Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center • $800,000 to Care and Share for facility upgrades • $3 million to Homeward Pikes Peak supportive housing (Bennet only) “From building water infrastructure to increasing access to mental and rural health care, these projects will help Coloradans meet the needs of their communities,” Bennet said in a release. “I’ll do everything I can to pass these bills and get this funding across the finish line.” Hickenlooper's release said, "We’re helping Colorado grow by ensuring we get our fair share. From rural health clinics to food banks and water treatment facilities, these projects are being driven by Coloradans themselves, not a federal bureaucrat.” To qualify, funding requests must be submitted by local governments or non-profits. Senators may then submit these projects for consideration in one of the nine annual funding bills that accept such requests. Congress must now negotiate and pass the individual bills to fund the federal government in 2024. Those individual funding bills include the requests listed above, Hickenlooper's release said. ------------------- Learn about Medicare Older adults and others interested in learning more about Medicare can register for free webinars offered in August by the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging, in partnership with the Pikes Peak Library District. All will be held on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. • Aug. 3: Medicare Eligibility and Coverage (Part A/B) • Aug. 10: Medicare Options: Medigap and Medicare Advantage Plans •Aug. 17: Medicare Part D • Aug. 24: Medicare, Medicaid, and Other Health Insurance Options – What you need to know Registration and more information on each webinar, which will be held on Microsoft Teams, is available at  ppacg.org/medicare-101-webinars . ------------------- First West Nile case in El Paso County An El Paso County resident has tested positive for West Nile virus, making it the first human case in the county this year, El Paso County Public Health announced July 31. West Nile virus is spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito, which becomes infected when they feed on infected birds, the Public Health release said. In Colorado, human cases of West Nile virus are most often reported in August and September. Most infected people don’t have symptoms, but one in five experience flu-like symptoms, which begin two to 14 days after exposure. Serious, potentially deadly neurologic illness occurs in fewer than one in 100 infected people. People aged 60 years and older and those with certain medical conditions — such as diabetes or kidney disease — are at greater risk of serious illness, the release said. Public Health's recommendations: • Limit time outdoors around dusk and dawn. • Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors around dusk and dawn. • Frequently drain standing water from areas around the house . • Treat standing water — such as ponds, ditches, clogged rain gutters, flowerpots, plant saucers, puddles, and buckets — with larvicide "doughnuts," which can be purchased at hardware stores. -------------------- (Photo courtesy CSPD) The Colorado Springs Police Department's Community Relations and School Resource Officer units issued a release noting their Teen Cadet Program's performance at the 2023 Law Enforcement Explorer Post Advisors Association of Colorado (L.E.E.P.A.A.C.) Conference. Competing against 25 teams from Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, and Texas, CSPD's cadets took home the following: 1st place in Crisis Intervention Training 1st place in Traffic Crash Investigation 2nd place in Pedestrian Contacts 2nd place Bomb Threat 3rd place in Traffic Crash Investigation 3rd place in Suspicious Circumstance 3rd place in the Obstacle Course 4th place Family Disturbance 4th place in Bomb Threat 5th place in Traffic Crash Investigation 5th place High-Risk Entry They also captured the Spirit Award, given to one agency to recognize integrity, character, empathy, compassion, and care for others. CSPD's team has won the award all three years it's been given. The cadet program dates back to 1917 and aims to develop young leaders. ---------------- CONO hoedown You can help neighborhood support group CONO reach its goal of $10,000 to fund its programs by buying tickets to its hoedown . The event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 5 at Acacia Park in Downtown Colorado Springs. The hoedown offers live music, dancing, barbeque, lawn games, face painting and more. ------------------- CSPD last week opened its property return office at 224 E. Rio Grande St. The new space offers better service and accessibility and marks a significant step toward streamlining property returns, the CSPD said in a release. In the past, residents had to go through multiple check-ins at the Police Operations Center to recover their property. The renovated facility provides dedicated space to recover items, cutting the time residents have to spend and offering better privacy. CSPD returns property to up to 500 residents per month. The new facility is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For an appointment, call 719-444-7744 or go to this website . ----------------- About that Denver minimum wage After three years of Denver's minimum wage being higher than the rest of the state, the Colorado Fiscal Institute's analysis of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's report on economic data "suggests positive results." The analysis refutes contentions that higher minimum wages can lead to economic stagnation and higher unemployment, CFI said in a release. Denver’s minimum wage was $12.85 in 2020; $14.77 in 2021; $15.87 in 2022; increasing to $17.29 in 2023 (compared to the state minimum wage of $13.65). "Our analysis found Denver did better in three categories compared to the rest of the state: unemployment was lower; weekly earnings increased; and sales tax collections all outperformed the rest of Colorado — precisely the opposite of what opponents had predicted would happen," Chris Stiffler, Colorado Fiscal Institute's senior economist, said in the release. County's CarePortal helps 16,000 kids A partnership between the El Paso County Department of Human Services (DHS) and a faith-based nonprofit recently reached the milestone of serving more than 16,000 children, the county said in a release. CarePortal, an online platform, connects churches, businesses and other volunteers to those in need. DHS caseworkers have worked closely with CarePortal for nearly seven years to help provide items to children and families through volunteers. As of July 26, 16,070 children had received help from the community, including rental assistance, utility payments, household essentials, beds and bedding, car seats, and more. Such support, the release said, could prevent removal or disruption in placement and helps strengthen families. "It truly takes a community to support children who are in the midst of crisis and that families who step in to care for them," DHS executive director Stacie Kwitek said in the release. Chris Lindgren, director of operations for Beautiful Redemption (CarePortal Implementing Partner), said in the release, “It is one of the strongest counties using CarePortal in the entire United States. This is possible because of the hard work of DHS and other child-serving agencies, as well as an active network of caring churches and community members.”