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Week of June 2, 2022
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
SouthPlatteIndependent.net
VOLUME 77 | ISSUE 30
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19
County jail sees high need for mental health care Steps being taken to address it BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Roughly 3 in 5 inmates at the Arapahoe County jail have a mental health
condition, according to recent data — and that number may be even higher when taking into account substance use problems, according to Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown. It’s an issue that Carl Anderson, a registered nurse who oversees medical and mental health at the Arapa-
hoe County jail, knows well. During one week alone in April, staff used medicine to reverse two overdoses at the jail, Anderson said. In March, 59% of the jail population was treated with some kind of psychotropic medication, according to Anderson. That can include anti-anxiety, anti-depressive
or anti-psychotic medications, or mood stabilizers. The jail also sees large numbers of people struggling with drug use. In March, 4% of the jail’s population was on medication-assisted treatment — and 21% were on other substance use disorder protocols, Anderson said. That number
includes opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder, Anderson said, calling it an “all encompassing” statistic. The inmates who are treated with mental health medications are not necessarily the same ones who experience substance use disorders. But there is SEE HEALTH, P7
Council eyes spending priorities, committee for sales tax funds Passage of 3A to bring in millions for infrastructure spending BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
pressure to succeed in America has mounted. Whether it is the need to live the clichéd American Dream or the requirements set by parents that children will succeed and follow the path laid out for them, kids are taught early on that they have to not only get a high school diploma but, to be
Littleton City Council, during a May 24 study session, discussed with city staff priorities for spending millions being brought in from the city’s new sales tax, the first in nearly 50 years. Voters approved the 0.75% tax hike, known as Ballot Issue 3A, which equates to an additional 75 cents on every $100 spent at stores and restaurants, during the November election. It passed with nearly 59% of the vote, signaling to council and staff voters’ trust in the city’s ability to make good on spending promises.
SEE PRESSURE, P8
SEE SALES TAX, P10
From school work, planning for college and all other activities, students feel more pressure today than ever before.
SHUTTERSTOCK
Pressure to succeed is costing kids their childhoods Expectations have shifted over the course of generations BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
As we forge forward through the 2020s, the pressure for youth to succeed is starting to impact
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kids as early as preschool and could be robbing of them of their childhood as societal demands create more pressure and anxiety than ever before. Over the last 100 years, the
UNEARTHLY MASTERMINDS Young chefs concoct out-of-this-world creations P16