Northglenn thornton sentinel 0320

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March 20, 2014

50 cents Adams County, Colorado | Volume 50, Issue 31 A publication of

northglenn-thorntonsentinel.com

Board approves changes to park rental policy Camping costs increase; fee waivers eliminated at fairgrounds By Tammy Kranz

tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Camping prices are increasing at the Adams County Regional Park, and there will be no more rental fee waivers for noncounty events. Adams County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution that made several changes to the rental policy of the Regional Park Complex and picnic grounds during its March 10 regular meeting. Camping rates will increase by $5 starting this year for its service sites. Campers wanting electrical and/or water services will be charged $20 per night, and those “dry” camping will be charged $15 per night. Several of the policy changes deals with the Regional Park being used by county offices and departments. Rick Anderson, parks and community resources director, said one of the more significant changes includes eliminating the surcharge fee.

According to a staff report, the fee was developed in 2007 as a way to recoup costs associated with utilities as well as staff time to set up and tear down. The Regional Parks will lose approximately $10,000 in revenue by eliminating this charge. Other changes include limiting county department and office events to Monday through Thursday with all events concluding by 10 p.m., Anderson said, “Any county department or office wanting to use the regional park on high demand days, those are Friday through Sunday, will be subject to the lowest nonprofit rate.” These county government events will be scheduled in the Rendezvous Rooms, FRC Building and Parks Administration Building, when possible. The policy changes include eliminating rental fee waivers, even for political events. “Currently policy allows only the board of county commissioners to waive facility rental fees for non-county events,” Anderson said before the board vote. “Parks is recommending eliminating this option and not offering any fee waivers in the future. Current policy also allows each major registered political party two fee-waived events per year. Parks is proposing political parties be assessed the appropriated nonprofit rates and fees.”

A 2005 aerial view of the Adams County Regional Park, 9755 Henderson Road in Brighton, which is 1,150 acres and includes golf courses, fishing lakes and trails. The Board of Commissioners recently approved rental policy changes and increased camping fees at the park. Photo courtesy of Adams County The policy is also changing the flat rate fee it charges the Colorado State University Extension. “4H and CSU host roughly 600 events at the Regional Park annually,” he said. “Currently, CSU Extension is assessed a flat rate fee of $3,000 per year and we’d like to increase that to $5,000.According to the staff memo, the park will increase

CSU Extension flat rate over a period of a few years. In 2015, CSU Extension’s flat rate fee will be $3,500; $4,000 in 2016, $4,500 in 2017 and $5,000 in 2018. The Regional Park, 9755 Henderson Road in Brighton, hosts more than 1,200 events annually — including the Adams County Fair.

One stop shop for most health needs Clinica expands facility, offers primary care to low-income residents By Tammy Kranz

tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Clinica Family Health Services in Thornton is a busy facility, providing care to 5,000 to 6,000 patients annually. The federally-qualified community health center provides primary care to low-income residents and has been at its 8990 N. Washington St. (actually east of Washington but off Russell Boulevard) site since 2001. Thanks to the Affordable Health Care Act, Clinica expects to see a significant increase in patients and underwent a $4.3 million expansion to double its size. It now can accommodate up to 13,000 patients. “Every day I see in the clinic at least one person who never had health insurance before, which is phenomenal,” Ed Farrell, the clinic’s medical director said. More than 4,000 current Clinica patients (across five locations in the state) got on Medicaid this year, which was possible because of the new federal law, said Holly Escudero, the clinic’s director. “A lot of our patients were on CICP and became eligible to be on Medicaid,” she said.

Dental assistant Camilo Quezada takes X-rays of a patient’s teeth during a check-up last week at Clinica Family Health Services in Thornton. The new renovations at the facility tripled the size of its dental area. Photo by Tammy Kranz CICP is the Colorado Indigent Care Program, which is a subsidy for low-income residents who don’t qualify for Medicaid. In addition to CICP and Medicaid, Clinica also accepts Child Health

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Plan Plus (CHP+) and Medicare. It also provides a sliding payment scale for those who are not insured. The Thornton site offers comprehensive medical services, mi-

nor surgical procedures, behavioral health services, nutrition services, group visits, case management services, dental care and a pharmacy outlet. “It takes a whole team,” Farrell

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said. In order to make Clinica’s facility not feel so large and overwhelming (the building use to be a former Safeway store built in the early 1950s), the space is divided into five sections known as “pods.” Four pods are color coded — orange, yellow, teal and purple — and feature their own receptionist station, cubicles for its health care providers and three exam rooms. Susan Wortman, development director for Clinica, said that having the various services in one building help cut down the stress of a doctor’s visit. “You don’t have to go to another building. You don’t have to make another phone call. You don’t have to tell them your story again. You don’t have to make another copay,” she said. Farrell said the goal is for a patient to have the same primary care provider for 70 percent of their visits and to stay in the same pod during 90 percent of their visits. This helps foster relationships, he added. “All healing occurs in the context of personal relationships,” he said. “That’s the key to people’s health outcome being better. Thornton Mayor Heidi Williams toured the facility last month and praised the “fresh, updated look.” “It is very clear that they hold their patient’s in high regard,

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Health continues on Page 14

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