Hunger in Denver by George Cooper

I vividly recall an encounter I had a few weeks ago with a man battling hunger. As I exited a Safeway in a middle class neighborhood where I wouldn’t ever imagine residents coping with hunger, a man approached me asking for food. A bit caught off guard, I rummaged through my grocery bags looking for something to give him. I came up empty as my bags were primarily filled with soda and snack foods. Apologetic, I began to walk away. Then, in a moment of humanitarianism, I realized that the man was hungry – something that I have never experienced because frankly, when hunger strikes I can always use my parents’ debit card to shop for food. I turned around and returned to the man and give him a five-dollar bill. Surprised by my sudden change of heart, the man thanked me profusely and it dawned upon me that had I or another Good Samaritan not been so kind, the man may have gone through the day facing hunger.

While the fight against obesity is seen everyday in Denver and beyond through high-profile initiatives such as Michelle Obama’s Move Campaign, hunger has emerged as a nearly invisible but equally serious problem in our community. Just as our fast-paced fast food society gave birth to the obesity epidemic of recent years, a sour economy has served as the catalyst to today’s unprecedented hunger throughout our neighborhoods. We as Coloradoans must come together to eradicate the hunger enveloping the stomachs of the poorest in our state in order to strengthen the communities in which we live.

All too often, many in our community ignorantly assume that hunger is only the problem of the lazy and old. This is not the case given the recent recession that has thrown a broader segment of society into hunger’s unforgiving wrath. In fact, research conducted for the “Hunger in America” study indicates 1 in 8 people living in Colorado will experience the pain of hunger at some point in life. Alarmingly, 42% of these people are children. This grim fact was recently brought to light in a Denver Post editorial discussing the possibility of cutting free breakfast programs for thousands of students in Denver Public Schools. Without state subsidies, thousands of these hardworking students risk facing hunger which really goes to show that even the most innocent in our community aren’t immune to this horrific problem.

Sadly, beyond the numbers, thousands of real people like you and me face hunger on a regular basis. It’s not just the young, uneducated or unemployed that are facing a need for assistance. In fact, 23% of adults seeking food through Feed America have a college education and 36% of households have at least one employed individual. Hunger is no longer constrained to a particular demographic and can affect anybody.

Take the story of a Colorado resident named Jason. Jason seems to break every stereotype of those in need, even having gone on to complete his MBA. However, ever since being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Jason has faced continual struggle. Four years ago, the disease became too much and he was forced to leave the workforce. Even with a wife who is employed, raising three children on one income has become an intense hardship. Facing huge medical bills and the expense of raising a family, Jason sometimes relies on meals from the Marian House Soup Kitchen. Without community support of such programs, Jason’s life might be much different than it is today. His next meal would always be an uncertainty and he wouldn’t be able to focus on what he has now devoted his life to – spreading awareness of MS in the community. Beyond the nutrition packed meals that the non-profit provides, Jason also receives a greater sense of community support through the relationships that have stemmed from the Marian House. Bringing together people facing similar predicaments, Marian House has become just as much a support group as a soup kitchen.

While education, healthcare and police services are crucial for creating a strong community, it is truly imperative that in the richest nation in the world everyone be given an opportunity to eat. Such a basic element of life is often overlooked because the vast majority of us are able to afford a trip to the grocery store. However, for those who cannot, the effects can be devastating. Generally harder to spot than homelessness and obesity, hunger can still be witnessed on a daily basis throughout the community.

Ultimately, there must be a governmental policy solution to bringing food within reach of even the poorest Americans. In the meantime, it’s the peoples’ responsibility to make sure that no one goes hungry. This can be done through increased support of food banks that have now become a lifeline of sorts for those who would otherwise be hungry. Even during this period of economic recession, it is more critical than ever that those who are able to support such non-profits continue to do so. One less Venti Caramel Latte a week could mark the start of a regular canned food donation to help those in need.

Admittedly, there doesn’t seem to be a cure all for the overarching problem of economic inequality in our capitalistic society. With that being said, contributing to the wellness of the less fortunate one small contribution at a time is the best way to combat hunger and strengthen our community little by little. The human cost of doing nothing to alleviate hunger in our great community is too great.

Obesity in the Healthiest State By Skylar Anderson

Allison was my best friend in elementary school. She was shy but a spectacularly considerate person. She struggled with a low self esteem because people made fun of her weight. Despite dieting and exercising regularly, she could not seem to lose weight. Obesity can be genetic: some people just have an incredibly slow metabolism and gain weight easily. One day in gym class we were playing a healthy game of Chinese Freeze Tag when Allison suddenly fell from her frozen temple position and crashed to the floor, unconscious. I watched her fall and immediately ran to her side. As a fourth grader, watching my best friend fall the ground, I assumed she was dead and I broke down and panicked. The good news: Allison was not dead. She, in fact, woke up in the hospital. The bad news: She was diagnosed with diabetes, which restricted her diet and exercise, preventing her from easily losing weight for the rest of her life.

Historically, Colorado has been one of the healthiest states in the Union. It seems that Coloradan's access to the outdoors encourages healthier exercise-full lifestyles. Despite the fact that Colorado is deemed as very healthy, there is still a large population of citizens that are in the zone of obesity. So why is it, exactly, that obesity happens even in the healthiest state? What are some of the health risks of living with obesity? Are any of those health risks eliminated by living in Colorado? The counter argument would say that obesity is a choice. But whether or not obesity is a ‘choice,’ there are still major health risks involved. Those who are in the obese range are highly likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, trouble with pregnancy, and experience premature death: up to ten years. Issues such as fast food consumption, poverty, stress and access to places to be active all contribute to why people remain obese and why Colorado ranks the lowest on the obesity scale.

Miranda Hitti of Health News feels that Colorado has collective cohesiveness as a community concerned with eating and living healthy. So people feel a sense of belonging when joining a community of people living a healthy lifestyle: and this happens commonly in Colorado. If only all communities could be so concerned with eating and living healthy, the obesity rates would be lower everywhere. But despite the fact that Colorado has the lowest amount of people living within the obesity range, the percent of obese people is still existent, and its existence at all suggests a problem. When volunteers helped save animals when the last oil spill happened, they did not stop saving animals just because a few animals were saved: they continued until all animals had been cleaned and set free. Just because the group of people living over the overweight mark is low, does not mean that this is a problem that should be overlooked. Eating an unhealthy diet not only isolates people from belonging to live-healthy communities, it also contributes to obesity and the health risks involved.

Imagine living below the poverty line, and trying to decide whether to go hungry or live off of fast food (because fast food is cheaper than healthy food.) You cannot let your children go hungry, so you turn to fast food. Research shows that those who are living under the poverty line are more likely to either go hungry or spend what money they do have on fast food. If you were to purchase a large Coca Cola (310 calories), a Big Mac (570 calories) and a large French Fry (540 calories) from McDonald’s, you would be taking in about 1420 calories, when the normal person should only take in 2000 calories a day. A combination between excessive caloric intake and the percent of harmful fats in those calories is one factor that can lead to obesity. This can also lead to plaque buildup in arteries, which causes heart attacks. So the next question is, which states have the highest concentration of fast food restaurants per capita, and is Colorado low on the list?

According to Gloria McVeigh, a nutritionist, there are 7.6 fast food restaurants per 100,000 people, compared to 16.5 percent of people in Colorado living over the obese mark. Compared to many of the southern states like Alabama and Mississippi—where there are up to 12 fast food restaurants per 100,000 people, and over 29% of people are obese--Colorado has fewer fast food restaurants per person and fewer overweight people: 16.5%. So therefore, in Colorado the temptation to eat fatty foods is lesser, given that there are fewer fast food restaurants to choose from. But let us not forget that many people turn to fast food because of the affordable prices.

Given that people functioning below the poverty line often turn to fast food because of cheap prices, it makes sense to examine poverty rates in Colorado compared to other states with high percentages of obesity. According to data from the American Community Survey from 2010, Colorado ranked as a state with relatively few residents living in poverty (between 11 and 12.9%), compared to a state with a high level of obesity, such as Mississippi where 16% or more of the total population lives below the poverty level. Colorado once again prevails, as more people live above the poverty line, and can therefore afford to purchase healthy foods. But when 12% of the people are poor, all of these people are left to live off of fast food and other unhealthy foods. These are the people at risk of becoming obese. It is truly a shame that living healthy has to depend so heavily on affordability.

When households struggle to make ends meet, the stress levels skyrocket. So assuming that stress levels are higher when households go through tough financial times, it is clear that states with lower levels of poverty should have lower levels of obesity. Poverty is a feature that remains out of the control of households, and stress, therefore, cannot always be prevented. In this way, obesity could easily be something that a person has no control over. Accessibility to the means to be healthy is often out of the hands of households as well. Gym memberships are costly, where 24 Hour Fitness charges $152 upfront, and $75 a month after that for an all access membership. I know that I certainly cannot afford that gym membership, and in urban environments, it can be unhealthier to exercise on polluted streets than to just stay at home. In Colorado, pollution levels remain low in state parks and other wilderness areas that everyone has access to for free. Since the means to be active is everywhere in Colorado, even those in poverty can easily be active and stay fit.

So let us tackle the problem at the root: accessibility. Poverty prevents the vast majority of people from being able to afford healthy food and gym memberships. So we should advocate for tax reductions for buying healthy food, or require fast food restaurants to offer salads or healthier foods for the same prices. Advocating for making public access gyms would also draw people that could not afford a costly gym membership. When parents eat healthy, then children can eat healthy too. Walking your children to school instead of driving also keeps everyone active. Creating a strong support group for the obese is probably the most important solution. Sadly, bullying and ridicule shattered my friend Allison’s self-esteem, and when she was upset, food was her outlet. To her, food was her safe haven: it would not make fun of her or judge her. So every mean look or remark about someone’s weight can only make the eating worse. Support those who are obese and trying to lose weight. Remind these people how proud you are and that you will support them always. It is not hard to flash someone a smile or a kind remark, so smile away, eat an apple a day, and know that you are making a difference to tackle this issue at the root.

Needle Exchange Programs Saving Money and Lives by Lauren Rice

A 20 year old girl who was first introduced to drugs when she was only 14, just on the brink of entering the world of opportunity in one of the richest nations in the world, was exposed to Hepatitis C after sharing a dirty syringe to inject heroine. Instead of entering the world as a young person with a bright future that could have made a difference, she died at age 22 after a long struggle with the disease. While her drug abuse was in issue, life potential was lost because she did not have access to clean syringes.

On the other side of the country, the wife of an American soldier buried the love of her life, not from death in combat, but from HIV. He contracted HIV from a shared needle after he fell into addiction to cope with posttraumatic stress disorder.

This nation’s young, this nation’s heroes and this nation’s citizens are suffering. It is not debatable that this nation has a drug problem. And Colorado, while at the top of the list for healthiest states, is not immune. We, like the rest of the nation are loosing our nation’s brave and the innovators of tomorrow through something that can be prevented, diseases spread through needle sharing. Amidst talks of budget cuts within city and statewide legislatures, this is one program that should be left untouched and even expanded to improve public health as a whole.

Colorado is one of the healthiest states in this nation. Congratulations fellow Colorado residents, we have made it to the top. However, while we sit at the top of the heath list, we must not forget to take a look at those at the bottom of the health ladder. 80,000 Colorado residents are infected with Hepatitis C and an estimated 70 percent of Hepatitis C cases and 35 percent of AIDS cases are caused by sharing needles with another infected person. While we are one of the healthiest states in this nation, how can we stand idle and watch as preventable diseases are spread through our state?

An underground needle exchange program in Denver has emerged and is fighting to provide clean needles to those who cannot afford them as an alternative to sharing used syringes and spreading disease. Denver is among 186-needle exchange programs in the United States.

SB 189 passed through the State Health and Human Services Committee on April 14, 2010 in a 5-2 vote. Later in 2010, the bill passed through the state Senate and Colorado became the 36^th state in the Union to make these programs legal. It took over a decade of pushing legislation for this bill to finally pass. Colorado is a state, which is relatively progressive in legislation. While we have lead the country in legislation such as legalizing medical marijuana, it seems as though we are almost behind the curve on this one, being almost a decade behind a majority of the country in passing SB 189.

In order to keep these programs running the government must fund them. Fifty percent of these programs around the nation are supported 87% by government finding. This is where the controversy comes into play. Whether the government should one, make this type of program legal, and two, if hard-earned tax dollars should support such a thing.

Skeptics of these programs may be concerned that by providing clean needles, the drug problem will increase. However, studies have shown that these programs do not affect drug usage. If anything, the trend is a decrease in drug use due to access to other resources. A study conducted in 1999 yielded results that those drug users exposed to programs such as these were three times more likely to seek treatment to end their drug use than those who had no exposure to these programs . What these programs have been shown to do is significantly decrease the amount of “dirty needles” on the street and therefore, decrease the spread of diseases among drug addicts in this nation.

I imagine opponents to these programs are worried that that tax dollars may be going to feed the addiction of drug users. However, it is actually saving taxpayers money in the long run. Dr. Mark Thrun, an advocate for these programs, says that one-year worth of Hepatitis C treatment costs on average $30,000. Along side this cost, the average cost of treatment over a lifetime for an HIV patient begins at $119,000 not counting the unpredictable health costs stemming from this disease . For someone on a social medical care system or those using the emergency rooms, this is costing a lot of money.

Not only will these programs save the taxpayers money, but also it will decrease the rates of Hepatitis C and HIV in the state of Colorado, and increase the general health of this state. In a study conducted in 2003, researchers compared 99 cities around the world with and without needle exchange programs. They found that the prevalence of HIV among drug addicts in the cities with these programs fell by 18.6 percent while the cities without these programs saw an average increase in HIV cases among drug addicts of 8.1 percent. Simply put, these programs are working.

These programs are new and will remain in controversy for some time. It is our responsibility as citizens to keep an open mind to these programs and get involved in promoting a healthier community for Denver as a whole. So amidst budget cuts, lets look to the run and leave these programs alone. In time, they will save money and lives.