It seems we won’t have to worry about that happening.Īll of this is to say, things aren’t as bad as you often hear or read about in the news. Defaulting on our debt would have caused an economic meltdown like this country has never seen. Next year, projects funded through this important legislation will start rolling out and long overdue improvements to our roads, bridges and broadband infrastructure will begin.įurthermore, Democrats and Republicans came together to clear the way for the U.S. It may seem like nothing is getting done in Congress, but important things have been happening.įirst, the bipartisan infrastructure has been passed and signed. We still need to be cautious and scientists are collecting more data, but so far no one has died with this variant that we know of. Omicron, also may be less severe than delta. However, those vaccines, especially with a booster shot, have proven highly effective against omicron. Researchers had worried that it could evade COVID-19 vaccines. Now, after a few weeks of watching, it appears that omicron isn’t the raging monster mutant that everyone feared it would be. There was speculation that it could be even more transmissible than delta and possibly cause more severe illness. We move forward despite extraordinary challenges, no matter who is in control in Washington.Ī few weeks ago the news of the rise of the omicron variant was everywhere. A survey of large employers found that pay could increase by an average of 3.9% next year.Įconomists are also projecting that inflation will ease next year as supply chain issues are resolved.Īll of this shows the strength and resiliency of the American economy. The Labor Department announced that weekly claims for unemployment benefits hit a 52-year low this week. Still Americans’ disposable income grew 3% (after inflation) through October, according to economic consultant Robert J. Wages have also grown during this period, though not quite as fast as inflation has risen. Real GDP growth hasn’t grown more than 3% in this country in the past 20 years. The Federal Reserve is projecting the economy to grow 5.9 percent for 2021 and 3.8 percent in 2022. But the inflation increase, which is a concern, comes with incredible economic growth. Perhaps shining a light on the pain - clearly spelled out in black and white news reporting - will deliver overdue change.This is all causing anxiety for consumers as their budgets are stretched thin during the holidays. These frustrations have been felt by these communities for years. For a CEO who makes $312,331 and can’t answer basic questions from county leaders on how much taxpayer money they receive and how and where it is spent, that’s too late. We deserve to know where things have gone wrong. If that’s the case, the state and federal government need to launch investigations into this organization. Leaders across the Western Slope have said getting information out of Mind Springs on how it handles its finances has been impossible. Point is, we should not be expected to duplicate services Mind Springs is paid to provide. Mind Springs receives federal and state funding, so it’s completely unacceptable that several Western Slope counties have to essentially double-pay for vital mental health services through local taxes to make up for Mind Springs’ deficiencies.Įagle, Summit and Pitkin can afford it. ![]() The needs here remain unmet, and Mind Springs’ Raggio claims it can’t determine how much it spends on services by county. We definitely are looking at creating some programs - maybe detox, maybe crisis care - that would meet the need that remains unmet,” Rowland said. “We’re trying to determine which is the best path forward. Here in Mesa County, County Commissioner Janet Rowland said they are researching ways to possibly end some of Mind Springs’ contracts. Several counties in Mind Springs’ service area are going through a “divorce” with Mind Springs and paying, through local taxes, to provide those services themselves. According to Greene’s reporting, it is one of 17 regional “community mental health centers” statewide that long have been responsible for inpatient hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment, outpatient psychiatric care, counseling and other forms of treatment for Coloradans on Medicaid or who are indigent, underinsured or in crisis. Mind Springs Health, led by CEO and president Sharon Raggio and headquartered in Grand Junction, is the private, tax-exempt organization responsible for providing behavioral health safety-net services in 10 Western Slope counties: Summit, Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Mesa, Moffat, Pitkin, Rio Blanco and Routt.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |