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May 20, 2021
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 9 | VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12 | SPORTS: PAGE 23
VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 48
As counties lift restrictions, virus not done taking toll Local ‘dial’ limits fade, but hundreds more Colorado COVID deaths likely BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Dr. Brian Gillett, president of Health Scholars, echoed Putfark’s comments on the importance of staying ready to respond to lowfrequency situations. “Unless providers are practicing pediatric assessment frequently, the nuance and critical skills needed to effectively assess and treat a child will decay over time,” said Gillett in a statement. “This study marks an important effort to measure what happens when location, time and availability of inperson training for EMS providers are no longer challenges, thanks to the use of VR.” Putfark said that his team worked with Health Scholars to develop the environments and scenarios included in the training modules, which lead to the modules being set in homes to mimic lifelike emergency response situations. The response to the VR training has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Putfark.
The era of metro Denver residents talking about “the dial” might be over for good now that several metro counties have lifted local restrictions and moved to what they call “level clear,” with statewide coronavirus data looking tentatively optimistic. “We’re actually seeing some very promising trends over the past couple weeks based on cases and hospitalizations both starting to decrease,” said Andrea Buchwald, a research associate with the Colorado School of Public Health. Colorado’s color-coded COVID-19 dial was the set of restrictions counties had to follow based on the local spread of the virus. The system affected capacity at restaurants, other businesses, indoor and outdoor events, and other settings. Colorado originally implemented the dial last Sept. 15. Last month, when state officials stepped back and let local health agencies take the wheel on most coronavirus restrictions, health agencies in the Denver metro area extended the “dial” system locally as a rise in virus cases and the continued spread of COVID-19 variants kept health officials worried. As of May 16, several metro counties are now operating in what they call “level clear,” generally with no local restrictions — and that’s likely to continue unless things take a turn for the worse. In Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties, for example, level clear will continue unless hospitalizations trigger a “snapback provision,” where restrictions would return if a county exceeds 2 hospital admissions per 100,000
SEE VIRTUAL, P8
SEE COVID, P11
EMS Captain for Arvada Fire Protection District Robert Putfark demonstrating the use of AFPD’s virtual reality training simulation. PHOTO BY RYAN DUNN
Arvada Fire Protection District participates in virtual reality training study NIST-funded program brings Health Scholars VR tech to AFPD BY RYAN DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Health Scholars, a Denver-based virtual reality startup, launched a study in April to determine the efficacy of VR training for emergency medical services personnel in three Colorado fire districts, including the Arvada Fire Protection District. The study is funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and also includes the Los Pinos and Upper Pine River Fire Protection Districts. The AFPD has been using Health Scholars VR training modules since the end of 2018, according to EMS Captain Robert Putfark. The program began with Advanced Cardiac Life Support Training and expanded to include Pediatric
Emergency Assessment training earlier this year. About half of the AFPD’s 150 first responders have participated in the training. The training calls for the participant to wear a virtual reality headset, which shutters their vision from the outside world and features a screen that plays an interactive simulation. Trainees then use a microphone to respond to the scenario given by the simulation, giving commands and answering questions in order to resolve the situation. Putfark said the importance of the VR training — specifically the PEA module — is to prepare first responders for uniquely situations they may not get much practice dealing with. “Less than 10% of our calls are related to children,” said Putfark. “And most of those aren’t sick pediatrics, so there are times when paramedics or EMT’s don’t have a pediatric call for six months, nine months. The idea of being able to put on the headset is to jump in anytime.”