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Alcohol suspected in rollover By NOELLE LEAVITT RILEY Daily Press Managing Editor
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not too cool for the pool Despite colder temperatures, the Craig summer hot spot is ready to go Page 10
charges filed against woman Arrest warrant alleges premeditated plan by Lisa Lesyshen Page 13
Taking aim at 4-h nationals Local girl representing Craig at archery event
DEAL of the week 5 Bags of Wood Pellets $57 for $95 value
By ANDIE TESSLER DAILY PRESS Writer
20970705
IT 970-824-7031
nate waggenspack/daily press
Officers responded to a one-car rollover crash Friday afternoon on U.S. Highway 40, near mile marker 78, west of Craig. The call for the accident came in at 2:19 p.m. As of 4 p.m., the crash still was under investigation and the driver had been removed from the car and taken to the hospital.
rolled multiple times, Craig Fire Chief Bill Johnston said. Craig Fire/Rescue, The Memorial Hospital ambu-
lance service, Moffat County Sheriff ’s Office deputies and Colorado State Patrol were on the scene.
Noelle Leavitt Riley can be reached at 970-875-1790 or by emailing nriley@ CraigDailyPress.com.
County explores health care options
Smokin’ Hot
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Craig — A New Mexico man, who is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol, flipped his Subaru station wagon Friday afternoon at mile marker 78 on U.S. Highway 40 west of Craig. Police and fire agencies on the scene removed the unidentified man from his vehicle with Jaws of Life, and he then was rushed by ambulance to The Memorial Hospital in Craig. The man is alive, but his condition was unknown as of press time. Officials were paged at 2:17 p.m. Friday for the one-car rollover accident. “Alcohol was suspected,” Colorado State Patrol Cpl. Rob Debelak said. “His license plate was from New Mexico, but we’re still unsure of his identity at this point.” No tire marks were present on the highway, he said. “If he was under the influence, he could’ve been speeding or just not paying attention, basically,” Debelak said. “We’re still investigating, so we’re not sure yet.” It appeared the car had
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Craig — The staff at The Memorial Hospital wants to keep people happy and healthy. So do leaders of Moffat County. The problem is that they each have different ideas about how that should be done. The county is exploring the option of opening a health care clinic specifically for Moffat County employees and their families, and next Tuesday the Moffat County Commissioners will hear a recommendation to approve the contract vendor that will supply staffing for the new facility. “When this whole idea came about, it was partly due to insurance because we were o n l i n e
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having some large claims in the county and found that it would be cheaper to go this route,” said County Commissioner Tom Mathers. “It’s something we’ve been working on for months and months now.” Currently, the county pays $140 to $200 for an office visit, with employees footing $35 copays. The commissioners are hoping that the clinic will drive down costs and improve medical care in the community by providing competition. The planned clinic is described as more of a “wellness center, as opposed to a physician’s office, and is geared toward preventative medicine and continuing care. The facility would be open on weekends in order to provide greater accessibility for w w w
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patients and create competition with clinics that close their doors for the weekend. The entire price tag for the project will be about $200,000, but taxpayers have nothing to fear, Commissioner John Kinkaid pointed out. “This will cost the people of Moffat County zero dollars in taxes. All of the money is coming out of our insurance fund,” he said. “If it wasn’t cheap, we wouldn’t be doing it.” Fears have circulated that local doctors and The Memorial Hospital will find themselves in a financial bind as patients turn elsewhere for medical care and pharmacies will lose business to the clinic dispensary. “TMH asks the county commissioners to work with the .
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local health care community to find an affordable, locally supported solution that will reduce the county’s cost to provide health care and improve employees’ overall health and wellness. The Memorial Hospital’s team has significant resources to offer and a desire for a true partnership that brings value to the county’s employees and their dependents and allows the Moffat County Commissioners to meet their fiduciary responsibility to its citizens,” hospital interim CEO Joyce Hein said in a statement to the Craig Daily Press. “This would be a totally new model of care for our area,” Dr. Pamela Kinder said. See clinic on page 2