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Three million invested in rural Colorado to improve health care

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Three million invested in rural Colorado to improve health care

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Colorado State Director Armando Valdez today announced that USDA is awarding $3,013,600 in grants to improve health care facilities in four rural towns across Colorado.

“Rural health care is a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration. These projects funded today will improve the level of care for four rural medical facilities across our state and expand critical services for 23,608 people in Colorado,” said Valdez. “USDA Rural Development invests in rural America because we know a strong community is rooted in its people. A healthy community is a productive community. It is essential to fortify our rural health care systems to be resilient and prepared for any residual pandemic impact or future disease threats. Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, USDA is committed to making sure that people, no matter where they live, have access to high-quality and reliable health care services,” Valdez emphasized in this announcement. The projects awarded in Colorado are:

  • Delta County Memorial Hospital District in western Colorado will use a $384,400 grant for relief from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic This project will reimburse a portion lost revenue and ensure the 8,915 rural residents the district serves continue to have access to high-quality healthcare.
  • Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center in Brush, CO will use a $700,000 grant to provide immediate relief from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will reimburse the Care Center for a portion of lost revenues, helping to ensure that the 5,463 residents of this rural community continue to have access to high-quality healthcare.
  • Lutheran Hospital Association of the San Luis Valleywill use a $1 million grant to perform renovations to improve patient and staff conditions at the San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in southern Colorado. The Regional Medical Center dates back 100 years and only offers significantly overcrowded, semi-private rooms with non-American Disability Act (ADA) compliant bathrooms for inpatient care. This project will convert seven rooms, presently used for outpatient cardiopulmonary services, into flexible private suites, including two that will have negative- pressure heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for enhanced infection control and isolation capabilities. All rooms will feature ADA-compliant bathrooms, LED lighting, air scrubbers and neces- sary technology updates for modern equipment and patient monitoring.
  • Mineral County will use a $929,200 grant to update the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the Clinic and Ambulance Building in southwest Colorado. The current system is inefficient and dated which results in constant comfort complaints and high energy bills and usage. This project will replace the system with high efficiency split system heat pumps and fan coil units while using existing duct- ing. The project will improve the comfort in a crucial community building that has seen increased use and demand because of COVID-19.

Nationwide, USDA is awarding $110 million in grants to improve health care facilities in rural towns. These grants will help 208 rural health care organizations expand critical services for nearly 5 million people in 43 states and Guam. This funding is available through the Emergency Rural Health Care Grants Program and the historic legislative package, the American Rescue Plan Act. The Act and this program are examples of the government’s ability to respond quickly to ensure every person and family has access to high-quality health care no matter their zip code. The assistance is helping provide immediate relief to support rural hospitals, health care clinics and local communities. USDA is administering the funds through Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety, and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal, and high-poverty areas. For more information in Colorado, visit www.rd.usda.gov/co.

County Clerks begin mailing ballots for November 8th general election

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County Clerks begin mailing ballots for November 8th general election

This week, Colorado County Clerks will begin mailing ballots to active eligible voters for the November 8 General Election.

“Colorado voters should start checking their mailboxes for their 2022 General Election Ballot,” said Secretary Griswold. “I encourage every eligible Coloradan who has not yet registered to vote do so, there is still time!

County Clerks must mail ballots to voters by October 21st for the General Election. Registered voters who do not receive a ballot should contact their County Clerk.

Eligible Coloradans can still register to vote and update their voter registration at GoVoteColorado.gov. through October 31st. Coloradans can still register to vote, receive a ballot, and vote in person at a voting center until 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Important information for Colorado voters:

  • All Colorado voters can sign up to track their ballot from sent to counted using BallotTrax.
  • Eligible voters who wish to mail back their voted ballot should do so by October 31st to ensure it is received by their county election official by November 8th. After October 31st voters should return their ballot to a drop box or voting center.
  • Early voting begins on October 24th. Some locations will open earlier, with 411 drop boxes and over 350 voting centers available this year, voters can look up the closest locations, opening date and hours at GoVoteColorado.gov.
  • In person voting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8th, will be available from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Eligible voters must have returned their ballot to a drop box or voting center by 7 p.m. on Election Day, or be in line to vote by 7 p.m. on Election Day for their ballot to be counted. Ballots cast by military and overseas voters must be sent no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day and received by close of business on the 8th day after the election (November 16).

Colorado voters can visit GoVoteColorado.gov to:

  • Register to vote or update their voter registration
  • Find their local County Clerk
  • Find their closest drop box or voting center
  • Sign up to track their ballot using BallotTrax
  • Find accurate election information

Source: Colorado Secretary of State’s Office

Our Government

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Our Government

White House

Statement by President Joe Biden on New Mental Health Funding: The announcement of funding to expand Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics is a critical step in helping to expand the availability of evidence-based community mental health services. These clinics are proven to improve health outcomes while lowering costs, by delivering 24/7 mental health and substance use care to millions of Americans, no matter who they are or whether they have ability to pay. Through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the American Rescue Plan, and funding in this year’s budget, my Administration is working to expand this program to communities that need them most.

Colorado Governor

Governor Polis announced the nine Colorado schools, districts, and community partners awarded grant funding from the Response, Innovation, and Student Equity (RISE) Fund. These grants build upon the Polis Administration’s work investing in high-quality K-12 education to ensure all Colorado students can thrive, and provide bold support for students attending schools and districts in turnaround status. “From Montrose to Pueblo, and Lake County to Adams County, we are making sure that all Colorado students have access to a great education,” said Gov. Polis.

Denver Mayor

To recognize Hispanic Heritage Month, Mayor Hancock celebrated some of Denver’s local Latino community leaders and presented awards to individuals and organizations nominated by their peers for their outstanding contributions to the community and the city as a whole. This year’s Resiliency Award was presented to the following nonprofits or businesses who went above and beyond to support their community during the city’s recovery efforts: Reyna Zarate, Lupitas Camino a la Esperanza; Francisco Cuevas & Camelia Robles, El Coco Pirata & La Machaca; and Maria Garcia Berry, CRL Associates

A Week In Review

Joseph Rios
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A Week In Review

Africa

Tanzania president asks women to have fewer babies – Tanzania President Sami Suluhu Hassan spoke over the weekend, urging women in the country to use birth control measures. According to a 2020 World Bank estimate, Tanzania’s fertility rate was at 4.8 births per woman. The country’s birth rate has declined over the last 30 years, but not as fast as other neighboring countries like Kenya and Ethiopia.

New social media law in Uganda – Critics in Uganda filed a legal challenge against a law that punishes anybody who shares unsolicited or misleading information on social media. Amnesty International, a rights group, said the law is designed to target critics of the government. Anybody convicted under the new law faces up to five years in jail or a fine.

Asia

BTS boy band prepares for South Korean military service – BTS, a popular boy band, will join the South Korean military for national service. South Korea requires men aged 18-28 to serve around two years in the military. BTS has been the world’s best-selling artists for the past few years. They previously won a deferral that allowed the group to delay military duties until the age of 30.

Japan investigates religious group – Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered an investigation into the Unification Church after the assassination of former leader Shinzo Abe. The person accused of killing Abe said the church bankrupted his mother and blamed Abe for promoting it. The church condemned Abe’s death and said it was unfairly vilified because of the incident.

Europe

School girl’s body found in box – Authorities in Paris are investigating the murder of a 12-year-old girl whose body was found in a container at the courtyard of her apartment building. Police arrested a 24-year-old woman in connection to the killing who was seen on a security video pulling the container. Another man who assisted the woman is also in custody.

Russian drone and missiles leave eight dead – Ukraine cities like Kyiv and other places were hit by numerous Russian drone and missile strikes on Monday morn- ing. At least eight people were dead including a couple expecting a baby. About 600 towns and villages were impacted by power outages. Ukraine says it shot down dozens of Russian drones.

Latin America

Millions fleeing Venezuela – According to new data from the United Nations, more than seven million people from Venezuela have left the country since 2015. More than 80 percent of those people are living in Latin America and the Caribbean. Venezuela’s population dropped by more than two million since 2015. The UN also recently said that half of all Venezuelan refugees and migrants can’t afford three meals a day and lack access to safe and dignified housing.

Mexico to keep military on streets – Mexico’s Congress voted in favor of troops carrying out public service duties until 2028. Troops have remained on Mexico streets for years as part of an effort against drugs and gangs. Congress voted in favor of the bill after a marathon session in the Chamber of Deputies. The bill is backed by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

North America

Alex Jones to pay $965 million to Sandy Hook victims’ families – Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist who founded the Infowars website, was ordered in court to pay $965 million in damages after claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. Family members of victims said Jones’ misinformation led to harassment and death threats. In 2012, 20 children and six adults were killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

Los Angeles City Council president resigns – Nury Martinez, a city councilmember in Los Angeles, resigned from her position after she was recorded making racist statements with other city lawmakers. In the recording, Martinez is heard using a Spanish term to compare a councilmember’s adopted Black son to an animal. President Joe Biden and other Democrats had called for Martinez to resign.

Russia appears to be on the losing end of the war

Ernest Gurulé
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Russia appears to be on the losing end of the war

Prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, Russian President Vladimir Putin had clum- sily denied that he was ready to wage a war on Ukraine. His denials coincided with massive troop and weapons buildups along the Ukrainian border as early as Fall of 2021 and into early 2022. They were, he said, only ‘military exercises,’ preparedness in the event of a potential invasion by NATO forces.

Despite phone calls from President Joe Biden to Putin urging a cool down and rethinking of a military conflict, on February 24th Russia launched a full-scale attack on its western neighbor. Putin’s justification, explained in a nationwide address coinciding with the start of the war, was equal parts fanciful and falsehood, a projection of surreal possibilities.

His speech was rife with strawman rationale, ranging from the imposition of western values on Russia, including an acceptance of more tolerance of LGBQT people, to genocide and Naziism in Donbass, a region of Ukraine. Another Russian objective, he said, was “to protect people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime,” adding “we will seek to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.”

While Putin may have expected a quick-strike operation and surrender by a much smaller country, the reality has been just the opposite. “I think everyone but the Ukrainians are surprised,” said Russia expert and Metropolitan State University-Denver’s Dr. Sheila Rucki. “I don’t think anyone expected them (the Russian army) to perform as poorly as they have.” Rucki, who has kept up on the war via Twitter and a voracious consumption of news, both foreign and domestic, says, like Russia, the world expected a world-class prosecution from a superpower. Instead, Russia has absorbed as many as “70,000-80,000 killed or wounded,” according to the Pentagon.

It has also lost perhaps as many as a dozen or more general officers, an unusually high number in such a relatively short period of time. “Maybe poor planning,” said the MSU-D scholar. “Those generals were probably sent out to resuscitate Russian advances…you don’t expect to see that.”

This war has also proven that its spoils are not unlike wars throughout history. Each side has accused the other of war crimes. United Nations inspectors say they have discovered evidence of extreme barbarity by Russian forces, against both civilian and military targets. The head of the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine says his investigators have witnessed “sites of destruction, graves, places of detention and torture.” The executions of both soldiers and civilians have been common, along with evidence of rapes and victimization of individuals ranging from young children to the elderly.

Likewise, U.N. investigators have also documented barbarous acts of violence against captured Russian soldiers. There have also been corroborated reports of Ukrainian forces executing captured Russian soldiers in a village west of Kyiv. One of the victims’ hands were tied behind him.

News crews that have been on the ground since before the fighting began have also documented military strikes on schools, churches and hospitals in cities across Ukraine.

With a plan for a quick-in, quick-out victory gone awry, there are now threats from Putin on the possible use of nuclear weapons. At a recent Washington reception, President Biden called the possible use of these weapons the highest risk the world has faced since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The White House has since downplayed the threat as not imminent.

The nuclear weapons under discussion would not be in the same class as those used in World War II or in sub- sequent tests over the years but in a class of dramatically smaller tactical weapons capable of taking out large buildings but not entire towns. Nonetheless, their residue or fallout would still be dangerous and to both sides, depending on the direction of the winds.

With Putin’s prosecution of this now seven-month war clearly going in the wrong direction and losses piling up, the Russian president has ordered the conscription of approximately 300,000 men. This call-up has resulted in a mad dash for the border, full bookings out of the country by car, rail and air. Experts say the call up, while not what Putin had ever expected to be doing, may amount to little more than an admission of a war in disarray. It would still take months to train the new conscripts before they would be battle-fit.

Another sign that Putin’s war is an unexpected disaster is criticism coming from Russian officials who are making their feelings known on camera, a heretofore act of treason. There have also been mass arrests of anti-war protesters across Russian. “I think things are going to get worse,” said Rucki. “It’s telling that when he announced the mobilization that men just fled. It tells us about the real support of the war at home.”

This is not the first time Russia has been the victim of its own aggression. It went into Afghanistan in 1979 and remained there fighting for a decade until mounting losses, a hemorrhaging economy and anger at home forced the decision to simply pull out. Internationally, its prestige also suffered and, perhaps worst of all, the Soviet Union also later collapsed.

Like all wars, including Russia’s war in Afghanistan, this gambit into Ukraine also proved to reenforce the law of unintended consequences. In the Russia-Afghanistan war, waged during the Cold War, the United States did whatever it could to fund Russia’s enemy. America supported the Islamist mujahideen with arms and money. President Reagan even hosted Afghan freedom fighters in the White House. The unintended consequences? Those Afghan fighters became known not only as victors but, perhaps even better known as the Taliban.

Boxing icon Ernest “Red” Martinez still active at 92

Joseph Rios
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Boxing icon Ernest “Red” Martinez still active at 92

From the Publisher: In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, La Voz will highlight organizations or individuals that have been instrumental in improving the state of Colorado. For the next five weeks, Citywide Banks, a Division of HTLF Bank, is the sponsor of the 5-week series.
HISPANIC HERITAGE SERIES – PART IV

You can’t tell the story of Denver’s boxing history without mentioning Ernest “Red” Martinez.

When Martinez was only 15, he met Rudolfo “Corky” Gonzales at the Epworth Community Center and the two began training together. Fast forward years later, and Martinez stepped into the national spotlight after winning a unanimous 10-round decision against Pappy Gault. That fight caught the eye of Al Weill, a well-known boxing manager and earned Martinez a three-year contract with him. He became a stablemate of heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano’s and posted a 32-12-4 professional record, including 17 knockouts.

“He’s a living legend. I have pictures of him with Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Lewis (and others),” said Alfred DeLeon, Martinez’s neighbor and friend who has known him for 40 years. “The only reason Red didn’t get a world title is because all of the champions who fought, Red already beat them.”

After retiring from boxing after a fight with Jesse Mongia in 1955, Martinez served in the U.S. Army. When he came back from serving, Martinez made a return to the ring, this time as a trainer and manager.

His star pupil, Felipe Garcia — known as the “Master of Disaster” in the ring — won three world kickboxing championships while Martinez was his trainer. He also trained other Denver area boxers and would bring Garcia to spar with lighter weight fighters like DeLeon.

“Martinez is the nicest guy you can ever meet. He would give you the shirt off your back if you needed it,” said DeLeon. “We go to the same church together, and everybody that meets him always says he’s very sharp. We just had his birthday party. I said champ, your picture is on that cake, and he said it’s not going to make it any sweeter.”

Martinez just celebrated his 92nd birthday and has lived in north Denver for decades. He worked for the City of Denver as a sign setter in the past and was inducted into the Colorado Golden Gloves Hall of Fame in 2014.

“His favorite sign is don’t turn on red,” joked DeLeon. After attending Cole Junior High School in Denver, Martinez stopped going to school so that he could work to support his family in 1945, during a time when World War II had just ended and while many people were still trying to recover from the Great Depression. Today, Martinez still lives in north Denver and has a son and three daughters.

As La Voz continues to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, honoring Hispanics who have had a profound impact on their communities — like Martinez. His con- tributions to the boxing community in the Denver area cannot be overstated, and his story provides a glimpse into what it was like to be a winning fighter in Denver decades ago.

Asked what his boxing experience and career taught him, “Red” said, “I took care of myself, made lots of friends, and taught other boxers to fight world champions.”

The Avs set to kick off the regular season this week

Brandon Rivera
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The Avs set to kick off the regular season this week
Photo courtesy: Colorado Avalanche Facebook

The Avalanche (Avs) played in six preseason games, that included two with the Las Vegas Golden Knights, two with the Minnesota Wild and two with the Dallas Stars. While the preseason in the NHL is less exciting than say the preseason in the NFL, the fact that Denver’s one modern championship team is back, has many Colorado sports fans offering a collective sigh of relief.

This week (Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.) the Avs kick off the 2022-2023 season at home against the Blackhawks before heading to Calgary to face the Flames on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Over the summer Avs fans got to experience through social media posts, many days with the cup from eating ice cream out of Sir Stanley to summer fun on the slip-n-slide. The Cup of course is now the standard for Avs fans across the globe and nothing less.

On Monday the final cherry on top of the icing on the cake was when Avalanche players finally received their championship rings, which features nearly 700 diamonds, 42 rubies, and 20 sapphires inlayed to create the Avs logo, players number and names. The creator of the ring, Josten’s, is releasing 72 limited edition rings for fans, coming in the lofty price of $11,119.

In other sports the Denver Nuggets played their third preseason game Monday night at Ball Arena against the Phoenix Suns. Ish Smith and Nah’Shon ‘Bones’ Hyland led all Nuggets with a combined 33 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds. Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan recorded 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 7 points helped put the Nuggets over the Suns 107-105.

Only two remaining games are left in the preseason for the Nuggets both road games in L.A. to face the Clippers and in the Bay Area to face the Golden State Warriors. Next Wednesday the Nuggets will begin their regular season against the Utah Jazz in Utah at 7 p.m.

The Denver Broncos fell to 2-3 last week against the Indianapolis Colts. Thursday night’s game was another primetime game for the Broncos with only four days of rest from their loss to the Raiders. Fortunately for Denver fans the Broncos have nearly two weeks to prepare for their game against division opponents, the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night (another primetime game).

The Broncos are currently 6-point underdogs to the Chargers after they beat the Cleveland Browns 38-10 this past Sunday. The Chargers have beaten the Las Vegas Raiders and nearly defeated the Chiefs in mid-September, before getting demolished by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sunday’s matchup in L.A. will be the game many hope the Broncos will turn things around, but the team currently has the most players on injured reserve (IR) with a total of 12 including 5 starters three of which are lost to the season in Garret Boles, Javonte Williams, and Tim Patrick. Quarterback Russell Wilson also sustained an injury during Denver’s loss to the Raiders however; he’s managed to play through the pain and was in L.A. last week to get treatment for his shoulder injury.

Power of women emerges in american life

David Conde
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Power of women emerges in american life
David Conde, Senior Consultant for International Programs

I first saw my mother as a community leader in the migrant farmworker community that traveled around the country cultivating and harvesting crops. As an example, at the age of 19, she had the powerful responsibility of managing the scales that weighed the sacks full of cotton that determined the pay for the laborers in the field.

She also could preach the gospel with the best of them during church services. Her ability to inspire and move the congregation with those sermons made me think of her as more than just my mother.

It did not matter that, according to a lot of people, women were not supposed to take the pulpit and act as a minister. She moved in the world of men and found a way to manage and be successful.

Mom’s leadership and drive became a legend in the farmworker community because of what she did for people and the seemingly complicated issues she found a way to resolve. The highlight of her work was providing leadership in navigating sexism, racism and discrimination in restaurants and other public establishment and most of all, at home.

To me she is an example of the emerging power of women in American life. She was a patriot fighting to right a wrong in a different battlefield.

As I look around the political landscape of America today, I find women with an edge, with an attitude, looking to overcome the last major hurdles to achieve the space men have taken for granted. Roe v. Wade shows that there is still a ways to go to achieve that space.

The mobilization of women for the 2022 election campaigns shows that they have learned that the place to change their condition is in the public arena and through political action. The movement for change in status goes hand in hand with the current effort to make democracy the centerpiece of this election.

This reminds me of when my mother weighed in on the Federico Pena campaign for Mayor in 1983 by going into the neighborhoods to find votes for the candidate. The theme of Pena’s candidacy and the “Si se puede” attitude of everyone around him led to a runoff vote against Mayor McNichols who was going for another term.

Before the runoff, there was a small window of time available to register more voters. This led to a funny moment at the voter registration desk downtown when a woman who had never registered or voted before was asked about her party affiliation. She proudly answered, “Federico Pena.” As it turned out, the five thousand registrations my mother helped to gather was the difference in Pena’s victory over the incumbent.

The development of the American character is based in part on principles like individual self-reliance and pride in accomplishments that serve to differentiate one from another. Unfortunately, the opportunity to be that individual has historically not been extended to women. America is in the process of turning an important corner with regard to this theme as it seeks to revitalize its status in its civilization. The process envisions a prominent role for women and the emerging minority-majority demographic structure in the country.

The gradual change in the last half of the 20th Century is turning into a fierce political competition. Those that want to hold on to the status quo are fighting back with everything they have.

Women as political warriors are slowly gaining the upper hand. Their issues will be the country’s themes in time.

The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of la Voz bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.

Sweet Ella’s Pueblo’s ‘sweet truth’ for your sweet tooth

Ernest Gurulé
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Sweet Ella’s Pueblo’s ‘sweet truth’ for your sweet tooth
Image courtesy: Sweet Ella’s Facebook

If you ever find yourself on Pueblo’s historic Union Avenue and have a craving for something sweet, head straight to—where else—Sweet Ella’s. It’s where you’ll find a selection of bakery items that will satisfy just about any desire you might have. Better yet! Whatever you choose, just might be the healthiest sweet treat you’ve ever tasted.

Sweet Ella’s came to fruition from the unlikeliest of realities, say owners Estrella and Andrew Vigil. In fact, except for the success of their little sweet shop, the whole thing came about from a moment of just bad luck, what no parent would want.

When their daughter, Ella, now seven, was two and a half, she suddenly began experiencing a swelling in her knee. “I took her to the ER,” said Estrella, “because it (the swelling) wasn’t going down.” The doctors told the Vigils “It was inflammation,” and sent them home. That was just the start of an odyssey that wouldn’t end.

Within a few days, Ella’s whole body was in a fight with itself. “It spread,” said Estrella. There was severe stiffness, she said. “She was in pain all over.” There was also a rash all over the little girl’s body. None of the doctors the Vigils consulted seemed to have an answer.

“We made multiple trips to Children’s Hospital in Denver and Colorado Springs,” said husband, Andrew. Finally, one of the doctors told the Vigils that their daughter had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or JRA, a disease that affects less than 200,000 young people each year. Its symptoms were consistent with what Ella had been showing but that no one seemed to diagnose.

There is no known cure for JRA, but it can be managed. But the method of managing Ella’s and the one doctors were suggesting, said the Vigils, wasn’t what they wanted for their Ella. “They wanted to inject her,” said Andrew, “and wanted to do it weekly or monthly.” But after a lot of research and learning of its potential risks, the Vigils said ‘no.’ “If you read the data,” on the side effects of what doctors were recommending, he said, the cure might be worse than the illness. Injections, the data show, also carry a host of other potential side effects, ranging from Lupus-like syndrome to malignant lymphoma to long term skin rash.

Not long after, they found a naturopathic doctor. “He suggested we look at diet,” said Andrew. “That was some- thing we never considered.” Up to that point, the Vigils thought their own organic diet was healthy. It might have been but still rife with a lot of hidden ingredients including excessive amounts of sugar, sodium, processed flour and a variety of ‘unpronounceables.’ “We got home that afternoon and literally threw out everything in the pantry and fridge,” he said. Ella’s condition, said Andrew, improved almost immediately. It was an epiphany and beginning of a journey to wellness and entrepreneurship.

In short order, they began researching and fine-tuning healthy recipes. The research and development produced results. It also marked an ‘alpha-omega’ moment for Andrew.

He left his job in the car business—he was a store manager—and dove into the new world of nutrition. While he still thinks of himself as a ‘car guy,’ everything in his and his wife’s new turn has worked out. Their first on-line sales went well and this past July 8th, the couple opened ‘Sweet Ella’s,’ on Union. It’s a block away from the city’s River Walk and a perfect complement to the ice cream shops and antique stores that line the street.

The store’s fares, said Andrew, contain “no gluten, dairy and no nitrates.” Still, he promises they’re as good or better than anything sold in a traditional bake shop. Their cookies, muffins, bagels—everything you see—is baked from nature. Everything is natural. No processed flour; it’s oat. No sugar, instead, honey. Andrew, who does most of the baking, says the chocolate chip cookies they sell are not just as good as any you’ll find in a traditional bake shop but better and healthier!

It’s a team effort at Sweet Ella’s they say. Andrew mixes, bakes and fills the display. Estrella works the front of the store. Ella, she does her part, as well. “She’s not your average child,” said Andrew. She talks with the customers and makes suggestions.

They’re also confident that Ella understands her condition and aren’t worried that the peer pressure to slip up and snack on something that’s not good for her, isn’t going to happen. “She knows the consequences,” Andrew says. “She knows that a small treat is not worth the effects it may cause.”

The Vigils are certainly not your average family. They’ve taken a potential life changing moment and turned it into a whole new journey. It’s transformed what may have been a long-term health issue for their little girl into an opportunity to not only add quality to their lives, but to add the same to their customers.

An added plus is how Ella’s and their new approach to nutrition has worked out for extended family. “They’ve learned a lot from us,” she said. Family gatherings and potlucks still have a lot of the same foods, they’re just made a bit different, a little healthier but still delicious.

Sweet Ella’s hours are 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday. Its Saturday hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. More information can also be found at sweetellasco.com.

CDPHE delivered nearly 1 million meals to seniors during pandemic

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CDPHE delivered nearly 1 million meals to seniors during pandemic

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and adult day care facilities across the state partnered to deliver nearly 1 million meals to seniors during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic from April 2020 to December 2021, according to new data released by the department today.

“Seniors often face physical or health-related issues that affect their nutritional needs,” said Naomi Steenson, CDPHE Child and Adult Care Food Program director. “We are extremely proud to have been a part of this community effort to support the state’s seniors during this unprece- dented time.”

The Child and Adult Care Food Program reimburses participating child care centers, homes, and adult day care centers for nutritious meals and snacks served to children and adults. One of the program’s goals is to make it more likely that seniors—especially those with limited incomes—will have access to healthy meals to help maintain their health and prevent or delay assisted living and nursing home placements. Because many of those adult day care centers closed their doors for fear of spreading the virus following the pandemic’s start, many adults who would normally be served by those centers could not access those meals.

To avoid cutting people’s access to healthy meals, CDPHE and participating Child and Adult Care Food Program adult day care centers moved quickly to take advantage of federal waivers allowing for the delivery of meals outside of the centers. Temporarily switching to a delivery model allowed participating Child and Adult Care Food Program

La Voz Bilingüe

centers to increase the number of people they served, with an average of 47,574 meals served every month between April 2020-December 2021, an increase of 15 percent over the pre-pandemic average.

The United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services funds the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Nutrition Services Branch administers the program. Child and Adult Care Food Program adult day care centers follow USDA-FNS meal standards, which include milk, fruits, vegetables, grains and meat/meat alternatives. The meal standards allow for a wide variety of culturally sensitive foods, and participants have the opportunity to choose from a selection of foods at each meal.

While federal waivers allowing for food delivery during the pandemic expired at the end of June 2022, participating adult day care centers report sustained increases in the number of meals served every month. Adult day care centers in Colorado can learn more about the program and opt-in by calling 303-692-2330 or visiting cdphe.colorado.gov/CACFP.

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