“How we use and communicate science during crises can either magnify our helplessness and take away our power, or motivate us…”
Author: Chandler Griffin
Chandler Griffin is Communications Director for San Juan Basin Public Health District. SJBPH is a local public health agency, governed by a seven-member local Board of Health, serving all residents of La Plata and Archuleta counties.
Archuleta, La Plata Counties Moved to COVID Level ‘Medium’ by CDC
SJBPH’s recently amended local Public Health Advisory mirrors the CDC guidance based on the COVID-19 Community Level for La Plata and Archuleta counties…
San Juan Basin Public Health Amends Local Public Health Advisory
With COVID-19 cases declining nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance this past Friday outlining prevention steps…
Free At-Home Rapid COVID-19 Tests Available at SJBPH Offices
The rapid tests utilize a self-collected, lower nasal swab. Adults can collect a sample from younger patients if needed…
Free KN95 Masks Available in Pagosa Springs and Durango
Face coverings continue to be strongly recommended for all individuals ages two and up in public indoor settings, businesses, and workplaces…
Community Partners Call for Continued COVID Precautions
To preserve health care capacity and resources, support in-person learning, and maintain essential government services, the public is strongly urged to commit to precautions…
Omicron Variant Spreading in La Plata and Archuleta Counties
Questions remain about Omicron’s severity, and the impact on local COVID-19 hospitalizations will become clearer in the coming days and weeks…
Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Expanded in Pagosa Springs, Extended in Durango
The treatment is free, no referral is required, and is available to people regardless of vaccination status…
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Confirmed in La Plata County
According to the CDC, RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes mild, cold-like symptoms in most people…
SJBPH Urges Booster Shots
According to State of Colorado data, people who are fully vaccinated and receive a booster are 48 times less likely to be hospitalized than someone who is unvaccinated…
SJBPH Announces Increased Access to Monoclonal Antibody Treatments for COVID-19
CDPHE recently launched several mobile units that will travel across Colorado to increase access and supplement monoclonal antibody treatments…
SJBPH Shares COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Research
Between October 19 and 21, RBI Strategies and Research gathered surveys from 501 unvaccinated residents across the Western Slope and Southwest Colorado generating a poll with a 4.4% margin of error…
SJBPH to Host COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A Session for Archuleta County Parents
As of November 2, 2021, children who are 5 years or older are eligible for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine…
SJBPH Updates Local Public Health Advisory, Calls for Statewide Mask Order
“The entire state of Colorado has been formally declared a high-risk, high-transmission area, therefore SJBPH calls on the State of Colorado to enact a statewide mask order…”
SJBPH to Host Public Health Resource Series in Archuleta County
“This series will allow residents to meet with the public health workers serving their community, to ask questions and find out more about the programs available…”
SJBPH Will Begin Administering Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Booster Doses Starting Today, Oct. 22
The FDA and CDC now approve eligible individuals to “mix and match” and get a different vaccine type for their booster than the vaccine they originally received…
Significant Increase in Sexually Transmitted Infections Detected in La Plata County
In SJBPH’s jurisdiction, cases of syphilis were four times higher in 2020 than in 2019, with the trend continuing to increase in 2021…
Rise Above Colorado Leads Five-County Mural Initiative Celebrating Youth Resilience
“After a challenging year, we hope these murals provide an outlet for youth to interpret what resilience means to them…”