The residents of Archuleta County could do better if we had our own public health agency.
We could educate the public about immune health, illness prevention, healthy lifestyles, early detection, treatment and therapeutics for disease; where to go and what to do when one is sick. We could educate business owners about how to stay compliant rather than threaten, punish and close them. We could offer informed consent and educational materials regarding risks of all vaccines and treatments offered as is required by federal law. We could be prepared with medical equipment and supplies on hand, arm health care givers with the protection they need to be able to provide home health care during an epidemic to avoid overloading the hospital. We could decide and provide what is best for our county and delegate our resources carefully.
We could remain constitutionally compliant meanwhile declaring mandates and rules as suggestions rather than freedom-destroying law directives. We could enhance support for our local medical workers and select and hire personnel who are sensitive to our county needs. We could require public health activities in the schools require absolute parental and school admin consent, choose the optional programs offered to the public (such as the JR HEROES program) and help prevent the indoctrination of our children with destructive political propaganda such as Critical Race Theory via illicit healthcare and educational partnerships.
We could keep complete and transparent records and be able and willing to report local services provided and associated costs to the residents of Archuleta County. We could track break-thru infections, vaccine adverse events and disease trends in the community honestly and responsibly. We could provide open communication between the agency and the residents of the county by returning emails and phone calls and offer free exchange of ideas, open dialogue and transparency with the public we serve. We could streamline the septic system process and reduce costs to homeowners. Importantly, we could improve the public’s faith and trust in their health department which could be life-saving during serious emergencies.
A vast majority of counties in Colorado operate their own public health agencies including small rural communities with similar populations. Few of them tax their residents for this service rather they operate with federal, state and county tax-payer dollars just like big bloated health districts who spend 80% of their $8.6 million budgets on payroll expenses.
This is not a list of “anti-public health extremist” ideas. This is just logical, fiscally conservative and reasonable thought assembled to solve a serious public problem. The only thing “extreme” is the probability we can start and operate our own public health agency and the likelihood we can do better.
Marybeth Snyder
Pagosa Springs
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