William Wooddell for the Ark Valley Voice
How one Colorado county prioritized in-person learning in the face of COVID-19, while protecting its tourism-based economy.
Over the past year, Chaffee County, Colorado has managed to do something few outlying counties across this state or this country– have done: support in-person learning for its two school districts. As February fades into March, the roughly 2,246 children ages K-12 of this county, with only a few blips, have been educated in-person for the entire school year. How this county has accomplished this may be a lesson for all counties, no matter their size.
“We prioritized in-person learning; we made it our top priority,” said Chaffee County Director of Public Health Andrea Carlstrom. “After last spring, when everything shut down, we realized that getting our kids back in regular classrooms was critical. So as a county, and as a leadership roundtable, we worked together to get kids back to in-person classes in Au
Chaffee County Public Health, the town of Buena Vista and Sange de Cristo Electric Association combined resources to schedule Buena Vistaâs first mass vaccination clinic Feb. 16.
The following is a narrative timeline of the process for getting a handle on the chaos of uncertainty. The âorderâs-in waiting game, maybe it will, probably could, likely to happen, yes?â process by which vaccine doses trickle from the national pipeline to Chaffee County start with uncertainty and end with get jumpinâ urgency.
NOTIFICATION Feb. 9, 10:04 p.m. CPDHE automated email notifies Chaffee Health the order placed the previous Friday has been granted.
How a Small Colorado County Prioritized In-Person Learning in the Face of COVID-19, While Protecting its Tourism-based Economy
Over the past year, Chaffee County, Colorado has managed to do something few outlying counties across this state or this country– have done: support in-person learning for its two school districts. As February fades into March, the roughly 2,246 children ages K -12 of this county, with only a few blips, have been educated in-person for the entire school year. How this county has accomplished this may be a lesson for all counties, no matter their size.
“We prioritized in-person learning; we made it our top priority,” said Chaffee County Director of Public Health Andrea Carlstrom. “After last spring, when everything shut down, we realized that getting our kids back in regular classrooms was critical. So as a county, and as a leadership roundtable, we worked together to get kids back to in-person classes in August and to keep them there.”
Vaccinations will take place completely within each personâs vehicle.
Vehicles will enter through the main entrance of the Chaffee County Fairgrounds, and immediately be met at a checkpoint with further instructions.
Consent forms are required for vaccinations, and can be found on the online scheduler, as well as on HRRMCâs COVID-19 website at https://www.hrrmc.com/covid-19-updates/covid-19-vaccine/.
Printed forms will also be available at the main entrance of the hospital and all HRRMC clinics prior to Friday.
HRRMC asked that anyone who signs up please come prepared with this paperwork completed to ensure vehicle traffic is minimized.