March 6, 2014 Jefferson County, Colorado | Volume 90, Issue 29 A publication of
lakewoodsentinel.com
Veterans outpatient clinic opens Facility offers medical services, compensation exams By Amy Woodward
awoodward@ coloradocommunitymedia.com With the opening of the newest veteran’s outpatient clinic in Golden, about 42,000 Jeffco veterans will now have a more spacious facility that offers a spread of medical services along with compensation and pension exams. The Golden clinic located at 1020 Johnson Road is a brand new two-story 39,634-square-feet building that replaces the Lakewood VA Clinic at the Denver VA Regional Office on Van Gordon Street. The Lakewood location was considerably smaller than the Golden clinic at approximately 2,000 square feet in size. “We’re the third largest county for veterans’ population in the state of Colorado,” said Peter Mortaro, veterans service officer at Jeffco Human services. We’re second to Arapahoe County which has about 800 more veterans than we do,” he said. As the Jefferson County Veterans Service Officer, Mortaro’s job is to provide assis-
tance for the filing of claims for veterans injured while on active duty. Mortaro can also assist with state benefits including service connected compensation, none service connected pension, Survivors Pension, burial benefits, educational benefits such as the GI Bill and enrollment in the VA Health Care System, he said. Patients can expect a wide range of services to be available at the Golden facility including primary care, mental health, Xray, physical therapy and labs. Services for compensation and pension exams have been consolidated to one location contributing to a more comprehensive service center for veterans. “It is going to be great for the veterans and families to get to with the light rail just up the street from the building,” County Commissioner Faye Griffin said. “It is also close to the County’s Veteran Services,” she said. “I was so glad there were a large number of veterans who attended this grand opening.” Jeff Birdwell, U.S. Army veteran and adjutant for Chapter 1041 for the Military Order of the Purple Heart in Arvada, said the new facility will help tremendously by relieving the large case load from the main hospital. “It’s great, the more clinics they
The new veteran’s outpatient clinic in Golden opened Friday, Feb. 21. The new facility is a two-story, 39,634 square feet facility will provide many medical services including compensation and pension exams. Photo by Shawn Fury open the more veterans they can serve the better,” he said. The Military Order of the Purple Heart is a volunteered based organization run by veterans who are dedicated to working on community based projects including providing funds to VA hospitals. Birdwell,
Heavenly Paradise on earth
a Purple Heart recipient after his military experience in Vietnam, hopes to open up a coffee and popcorn kiosk at the outpatient clinic. For more information on services visit: www.denver.va.gov/locations/Lakewood. asp.
Town hall examines election reform Pam Anderson speaks about access, integrity By Clarke Reader
creader@ coloradocommunitymedia.com
Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy with Debbie Baker, the owner of Heavenly Paradise, upon being inducted into the city’s historic society. Courtesy photos
Historic society adds 20tH landmark By Clarke Reader
creader@ colorado communitymedia.com For Debbie Baker, paradise is a 1.2 acre home in Lakewood, built by her grandfather. Thanks to the efforts of Debbie, her husband David Young and the Lakewood Historic Society, her home — which she named Heavenly Paradise — will be part of the city’s history forever. Heavenly Paradise, located at 975 Reed St., was entered into the historical society’s Register of Historic Landmarks in February and on
Feb. 8 Baker was presented with a bronze plaque recognizing the home’s history status. “I thought the name suited the property here, and it was really in honor of my grandparents and parents,” Debbie said. “This house is a legacy, one of a kind. You don’t see many homes built like this anymore.” The home is a SwedishCope real log home built by Debbie’s grandfather, Jim Stage. Stage and his wife, Amelia Baker, purchased the land in 1946, and he planned
Paradise continues on Page 9
Attendees at the March legislative town hall discussed election reforms with Pam Anderson, clerk and recorder for Jefferson County. “We run a great elections system here in Jefferson County,” Rep. Max Tyler (D) said. “The elections reforms that we passed last year will help to keep our system fair.” Anderson, a Republican, focused her discussion on the changes made by the Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act that was passed last year, which provides a ballot by mail to every state voter, allows vote centers for residents who don’t use the mail ballot and allow people to register and vote on Election Day. “For us it’s a matter of finding the balance between making sure everyone has access to their Constitutional right and providing integrity to the system,” she said. “We have some of the best elections in the county, and we’re always looking at ways to make it better.” Anderson said that since Jeffco is a swing county in what has become an increasingly important swing state, a lot of attention is paid to the election processes. “We have the highest percentage of active voters in the state, and in 2012 82 percent of our voters switched to permanent mail ballots,” she said. Election continues on Page 9
The family room in Heavenly Paradise, complete with a massive stone fireplace.
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.