10 minute read
SEE HEALTH
Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin was the guest speaker at the special “Unmasked” event hosted by the City of Castle Pines and Mental Health Colorado on Sept. 10. PHOTOS BY THELMA GRIMES
Mental Health Colorado CEO Vincent Atchity. Castle Pines Mayor Tracy Engerman presents an award to Mike Waid of the Douglas County Community Foundation.
taking questions and talking about the struggles she had after entering the spotlight on the world’s largest sports stage at age 17.
Franklin, with fi ve gold medals in swimming, became famous in the 2012 Olympics when she was mostly unknown. She competed hard and became a U.S. legend.
Because of the early success, Franklin said she returned to the Rio Olympics in 2016 well known, with sponsors in place and a lot more pressure. That pressure turned into struggles, she explained. While her body was in great shape, Franklin said her spirit and mind were not cooperating.
Franklin described a “devastating” fi nish in the 2016 games. She described tough moments as the media followed her asking what was wrong.
“I went from being this 17-yearold that no one expected anything from to four years later having all these high expectations,” she said. “Then, I was this 21-year-old woman with 2 million people watching and trying to make them happy. But I was struggling.”
Following the Olympics, Franklin said she was diagnosed with a stress and anxiety disorder, an eating disorder and depression. Over the next few years, Franklin said she worked to address the issues, seeing a therapist regularly.
Now, Franklin said, strong family support and the community have helped her realize she is not alone.
“As hard as it was to talk about it, it was worth it,” she said. “Going through my mental health journey has been about fi guring out who I am and not who everyone thinks I should be.”
As part of the annual event, Castle Pines Mayor Tracy Engerman also gave a special award to the Douglas County Community Foundation.
Engerman said the foundation has committed to donating 80% of all 2022 grant funding to programs that prioritize mental health.
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Inspections underway
BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Douglas County Health Department is nearing completion after setting up its environmental health services at the start of the month.
These services include inspections of things like restaurants, septic tanks, tattoo parlors and child care centers.
“Our commitment is to make this a friendly, facilitative relationship where we are helping them, training them, helping them do a good job,” Public Health Director Michael Hill said. “Rather than coming in and smacking them if we think they are doing something wrong.”
The health department plans to use a softer touch for most minor infractions, Hill said. Major health concerns will still be punished, he said.
The department hopes to have a tool on its website that allows residents to fi le complaints and see health reports available soon.
The department has hired nine inspectors for the county, leased cars for their travel to facilities and purchased iPads to aid in their work.
Between these services and those already set up — vital statistics, disease surveillance and emergency preparedness — the department is about 85% complete. They will still work on setting up services for nutrition, tobacco education, maternal child education and some mental health supports.
The department is also working to hire a company to conduct clinical services such as vaccines, family planning and sexually trasnmitted disease protection.
Hill said the taxpayer cost is still set to be about the same as it was when using Tri-County Health Department, at about $2.5 million. The whole operation will cost about $5 million, with the remainder set to be paid for by grants.
The department is also in the process of hiring its medical offi cer. The deadline for applications is Sept. 15.
Michael Hill, the public health director for Douglas County’s new health department, moved to the job from his position with the San Luis Obipso Public Health Department in California.
PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLER
Old latex paint? Don’t flip out! Dry it out!
Have you been stockpiling cans of latex paint, waiting for the next Douglas County Household Chemical Roundup? Good news – latex paint is water-based and safe to throw away, if prepared properly. If the paint is completely dry, simply remove the lid and throw the can away. If there is still wet paint in the can, mix in some dirt or cat litter to fully absorb it. Once it is dry, throw it away. Save yourself a trip to the Roundup (and the $25 contribution) if you have water-based paint.
Remember, this only applies to water-based latex paint, and NO paint can be dumped in the gutter or thrown in the trash wet. Make a difference in keeping our waterways clean by practicing cost-effective ways to dispose of materials properly.
Local stormwater agencies are teaming together to bring you this message. We take this so seriously that we posted this ad rather than send you more garbage in the mail. One thing is clear: our creeks, rivers and lakes depend on you. THIS STORMWATER MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Visit onethingisclear.org to: • Report accidental and illegal dumping to your local agency • Search local volunteer events • Find more helpful tips
If you have leftover paint, recycle it! Visit PaintCare.org to find a drop-off site near you. PaintCare sites accept house paint, primers, stains, sealers and clear coatings for free!
Rocket gets a belly rub from Chloe Simpson and a treat from school resource o cer Luke Godfrey. PHOTOS BY NINA JOSS
Meet Rocket, a therapy dog that works with CRPD school resource o cer Luke Godfrey to serve students at Mesa Middle School.
Mesa Middle School introduces therapy dog
Rocket helps students feel sense of safety and happiness
BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
There’s a photo of a 1-year-old miniature husky in Chloe Simpson’s transparent phone case. But contrary to what one might expect, it’s not her dog.
And Simpson is not the only one toting around his image.
At Mesa Middle School, the black-and-white canine is a celebrity, confi dant and friend. In addition to carrying around his photo, students look for him between classes to give him head scratches and belly rubs. In return, he helps them feel safe and happy.
Rocket, a therapy dog from the Castle Rock Police Department, is part of a program that pairs school resource offi cers with therapy dogs to protect and serve students in the Douglas County School District. In August, Mesa became the second school in the district to have an SRO-therapy dog team.
The program started at Castle View High School in 2021 when the school introduced Buttercup.
According to Buttercup’s partner Scott Gillespie, she was the first SRO therapy dog in Colorado.
In addition to helping students who are upset, Gillespie said Buttercup de-escalates situations. He said his presence as a police offi cer can add stress to scenarios in which a student needs an advocate instead.
“They need somebody who’s approachable that they can talk to, that can help them through what they’re dealing with. She’s that bridge,” he said.
Gillepsie also said Buttercup helps him to learn about social confl icts and stressful situations going on in the school, which is information he can use to keep the students safer.
“When students pet her, they talk with me about all kinds of things. And so it ends up being an intelligence-gathering tool for me where I learn about problems before they happen,” he said.
Both of the CRPD teams graduated from a 40-hour program called Paws & Stripes College at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Offi ce in Florida, which trains law enforcement therapy dog teams.
SRO Luke Godfrey and Rocket also hold the Canine Good Citizen through the American Kennel Club and the Multi Discipline Therapy K-9 certifi cation through United K9s, according to the CRPD.
“The role of the school resource offi cer is to protect and educate,” said Godfrey. “And Rocket really helps me to improve my mission by being so approachable, by being present.”
As a therapy dog, Rocket helps kids who are struggling with mental health, problems at home or other emotional or mental crises, Godfrey said.
“What makes a dog so amazing is that the dog doesn’t have any kind of judgment. The dog doesn’t judge your situation; the dog just listens,” he said.
Godfrey said he has seen students who were upset or crying visibly calm down just from sitting with Rocket for a few minutes and petting him.
Mesa Principal Jarod Nicholson said he used to work at Ponderosa High School, where he witnessed the positive impact of a therapy dog that worked with a social worker. Because of this experience, he is excited to have a therapy dog at Mesa.
“When I met with Offi cer Godfrey, I gave him 100% support,” he said. “It just brings such a positive energy to the to the school and it’s incredible to see kids light up.”
According to Simpson, a love for Rocket is something that unites the student body.
“It’s where students can come together on one thing... That’s what we agree on, that’s one thing we can all agree on,” she said. “We all think he’s amazing.”
In Godfrey’s eyes, Rocket’s ability to cheer people up is something we could all learn from.
“He really makes their days just a little bit better,” he said. “And I think, as a community, if we can all strive to make each other’s lives a little bit better, we’ll all improve as a whole.”
Castle Rock/Franktown
WORLD MISSION CHURCH (KOREAN CHURCH)
7249 E. Park Dr. Franktown, CO TIME: 10:30 PM PHONE: 303-688-1004
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
To advertise your place of worship in this section,
Serving the southeast Denver call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email area eaddenbrooke@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com
Greenwood Village
Congregation Beth Shalom Parker
Sunday Services - 10:00 a.m. Meditation before service - 9:30 a.m. Cimarron Middle School
12130 Canterberry Pkwy, Parker, CO 80138 www.CSLParker.org • (303) 805-9890
