Vaccines now required for all CO health care workers | From the Newsroom

Also, a recap of last night's twilight vigil

Email not displaying correctly? View the web version

Good afternoon, Montrose! It's Anna Lynn here. I can't believe it's already the last day of August, which means that there's only a few more weeks of actual summer. I've lived in Florida for the past four years, so this upcoming fall will be my first one in a while. If you have any ideas for fun fall activities to do in and around Montrose, send me an email (annalynnw@montrosepress.com)! Now, onto today's news. Vaccines mandated for all healthcare workers in CO: The Colorado Board of Health ruled at an emergency meeting last night that all employees at hospitals and health care facilities will need to get vaccinated by Sept. 30, but final rules and logistics are still to be determined. Individuals will be able to opt out for religious or medical exemptions. This move comes as cases of the more-contagious delta variant spike around the country. Approximately 30% of Colorado health care workers are still unvaccinated. Katharhynn Heidelberg has been making calls all day and is coming out with a full-length story about the local reverberations very soon. (She covered on an anti-vaccine protest at the hospital last week, when dozens of people protested during a hospital board meeting. Vaccines were not on the agenda.) Related: MHS grad Jefferson Peak is a registered nurse working in the Denver area at the University of Colorado hospital. He shared some heartbreaking stories about working in the ICU for the past 18 months with 9News. "A lot of the people are burnt out as I'm sure most people are aware," Peak said. "We have not had a single break of anything, of any kind. It's been consistent COVID ICU work for us since 18 months ago." Twilight vigil to pay respects: Last night, dozens gathered at the intersection of Main St. and Townsend Ave. to pay their respects for the 13 American service members killed last week in an explosion at the Kabul airport. "[I feel] heartbroken that a mom is going through this — that 13 moms are going through this right now," Cheryl Mastens said. "There's no words." Mastens drove from Grand Junction to come to the event. She's the president of Western Slope Blue Star Mothers, an organization of current and former military moms. Check out the full story here. It's football season: multiple people around town have already told me that I'll be able to hear Friday's first home game from my apartment in town. We'll be hosting a live event the night before the game at 7:30 featuring team athletes on NABUR, a Daily Press-powered social media platform, and on montrosepress.com. We'll also post a video to our FB page the next day. If you have any questions for the players, share them with our sports writer Josue Perez, who will be hosting the event! His email is josuep@montrosepress.com. QUICK LINKS Listen to our podcast Montrose Fresh, it's available everywhere podcasts are found including Apple, Pandora, Spotify and Amazon Music Remember those we've lost in our obituaries section View the letter to the editor. If you would like to submit a letter please email: editor@montrosepress.com Get today's weather forecast Check out our classifieds and explore the MDP e-editions Already a subscriber, but need to activate your digital account? Click here to create an account or call our office at 970-249-3444 and we'll get you all set up

Powered by Journalists! NABUR platform bridges the gap between local news and social media by inserting a previously missing element: Interactive, quality community journalism. Go to NABUR

INVEST IN YOUR LOCAL JOURNALISM Just $1.99 per week - Become a member of your community today.

State health department reports higher infection rates in unvaccinated individuals Montrose Memorial Hospital was caring for four confirmed COVID-19 patients as of 6 a.m. Monday morning. Two patients were in the ICU and two were in the Medical/Surgical Unit of the hospital, according to MMH Chief Marketing Officer Leann Tobin. Read More MCSD slated to offer after-school childcare at most district schools starting Sept. 7 Starting Tuesday, Sept. 7, Montrose County School District will be kicking off the Extended Learning Network for elementary school students, a new after-school program that will offer after-school childcare and educational enrichment. Read More Six-year prison term imposed in 'callous' stabbing of wheelchair-using man who was also beaten with golf club and doused in gas The level of violence William Fritz inflicted on a wheelchair-using amputee was at odds with his lack of history of such crimes — yet, his otherwise prosocial behavior cannot overcome the severity of his crime, District Judge Keri Yoder found. Read More

Have a story idea? Click here to let us know Loving this newsletter? Have an idea for something we could do better? Send us feedback by emailing justint@montrosepress.com Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus pandemic and local events by following us on social media.

Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions. Montrose Daily Press PO Box 850, Montrose, CO 81402-0850