HEALTH

e o ces at 7000 Broadway in Denver and 1401 W. 122nd Ave in Westminster will host sexual health services.

e Westminster o ce will also be the location for immunization services.

“Investing in public health is not just a moral imperative, it is an investment in the future of our society,” said Executive Director Dr. Kelly Weidenbach.

“We are excited to launch this new department and are con dent it will have a positive impact on the health and well-being of our residents for decades to come.”

Specific needs e Adams County Board of Commission ended its partnership with TriCounty Health Department in October 2021 and began work designing a new health department to provide services

“ e sled dog engine – running 1,000 miles or 200 miles or 20 miles – is based on the dog’s pure joy, love, enthusiasm, the desire to run,” Land said.

Gearing up eir coats are another concern. ey don’t breed dogs with long fur coats but for excellent medium coats and dense undercoats. ey don’t want the dogs overheating when racing. to 520,000 residents and businesses in Adams.

Mushers have to stock up for their dogs, too, packing coats, leggings for deep snow and booties to protect their feet. e dog’s weight forces its feet to splay in the snow. Ice crystals can leave painful cuts in between the pads if the feet are not protected. It’s grueling for the mushers as well. When the dogs climb up a mountain, the musher must jump o the sled and run up the mountain with the dogs, hopping back on when they head back downhill.

Land said they always wear a rope around their wrist to stay connected to the sled. If they sled crashes or ips – which happens regularly – the wrist strap can be a lifesaver.

“ e rope is my safety,” she said.

“If I accidentally let go of the handlebars, I can drag from the rope instead. e golden rule on mushing is never to let go because if you let go the dogs could run o and could get lost. So you want to make sure you hold on at all costs,” Land said. e race continues from checkpoint to checkpoint, with the teams camping on the trails along the way. If the weather is severe, she digs a hole, lls it with straw and the team – the dogs and Land – sleep in the hole together.

“During the race, we run for six hours and rest for six hours and the dog are trained for this process,” Land said.

And while wild animals might seem like a concern, they are not. “Coyotes and elk run away. When the dogs are running, it’s silent so going around the corner and a moose is standing there, I carry a gun to make a big bang to get the animal to run in a di erent direction. But then you have 16 dogs that want to chase a moose, adding to the danger factor,” Land said.

“ is new structure will give us the opportunity to focus on the speci c needs of our community for our residents and invest dollars where we think we need it most,” Commission Chair Steve O’Dorisio said at the grand opening ceremony. “For too long, Adams County was part of a health department that was a one size ts all approach. Now we can conduct targeted outreach and education for our folks. We can invest in programs and services speci cally designed to address the health concerns of our community.” e department will focus on a wide range of public health issues, including disease prevention and control, maternal and child health, mental and behavioral health, food access and environmental health. e department will also work closely with community partners to address speci c health concerns and improve overall health outcomes for residents.