Support for our Larimer County Health Team
Cathy Kipp
Dear Larimer County Commissioners,
As your elected colleagues, we want you to know we are incredibly grateful for the leadership of Larimer County Health Director Tom Gonzales, his team at the Larimer County Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Larimer County Health Board. They have done so much to keep us all safe and healthy - especially during the last 20 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. This global pandemic has been challenging for everyone, but even more so for our Larimer County Health team who have been on the front lines of managing and mitigating this ongoing crisis. The science is clear - not only is the COVID-19 vaccine the most safe and effective tool we have in order to fight this deadly virus, but masking is also necessary when infection rates continue to climb and our hospital systems continue to be strained. These are simple measures that we can all take in order to keep our community safe.
We understand that some of our colleagues in the state legislature have called upon you to retaliate against our Larimer County Health Director for following the science and for taking the necessary and prudent steps needed to keep the residents of Larimer County safe. We believe you should instead applaud the efforts of Tom Gonzales and our Larimer County Health team for doing this hard work to protect the health of our community.
It is unfortunate that an extremely vocal minority of people have made public health so divisive. But they are just that - a small number of people, many of whom are not residents of our county, who either don't believe in science or refuse to trust peer-reviewed credible information.
The majority of us support our Larimer County Health team and the work they have done and continue to do to keep us all safe. The majority of our community, including our constituents, have been asking for a mask order to relieve the burden on our hospital systems and healthcare workers. Public health professionals should be lauded more often for the great work they do. They generally do it so well that people continue to go about their business without ever knowing they are there, working behind the scenes, protecting and improving our health and that of our entire community. Public health should not be a partisan issue.
We want to take this opportunity to publicly thank Director Tom Gonzales and our Larimer County Health team for their continued work to keep us all safe and healthy despite the attacks and misinformation they continue to face. Please know that there are many of us who appreciate and value the work they do, and who firmly believe that the latest public health order will indeed save lives. We hope you, our Larimer County Commissioners, will take this opportunity to express your support of our excellent Larimer County Health team as well.
Best regards,
State Senator Joann Ginal
State Representative Cathy Kipp
State Representative Andrew Boesenecker