Colorado
New Colorado law will increase accessibility to medication for the visually impaired
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A new Colorado law was passed that now requires pharmacies in the state to offer prescription drug labels in braille, audio devices, or other requested formats.
Many who are visually impaired have had to rely on other people or special phone apps to read their medication. A braille teacher at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind said that she often worries she could be given the wrong medication, as someone who is blind herself.
Braille Instructor Marty Rahn said,” I have a friend who overdosed actually a couple of years ago and it wasn’t even her fault. They gave her the wrong medication and they gave her the wrong milligram dosage, even when she thought the tablets felt different. She called and said to the pharmacist ‘Do I have the right meds’ and they were like ‘Yeah we just changed the tablets’ which happens all the time. But as a result of that, she’s dealing with all kinds of medical issues so it really is a very serious thing.”
Previously, to get these accommodations some pharmacies had to refer to larger regional stores for people to get the proper equipment.
“One store in every kind of geographic region would refer patients that have this special equipment. Just kinda get it on demand, if they had somebody who requested this they go out and get it. Some pharmacies have gone decades without anyone ever requesting it,” said Pharmacist, Ky Davis, with Harris Pharmacy.
State Representative Mary Young was a sponsor of this bill and said she wanted to ensure those with a visual disability could always have the resources they need.
“This is 30 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act where we committed to people that we would provide them access, so they could live independently in communities. For me, this was a critical issue that needed to be addressed,” said Rep. Young.
For smaller pharmacies that may not have the budget to make all these formats of labels, they will be given a grant paid over 2 years to fund these requests. For other formats a pharmacy may not have, they will be given 28 days to make that accommodation.
The law will officially take effect in 2025.
Copyright 2024 KKTV. All rights reserved.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Colorado Springs police arrested a suspect late Thursday night after he was suspected of starting a vehicle fire.
Colorado Springs police said at about 12:15 p.m., officers were called to the 2100 block of Vickers Drive, near North Academy Boulevard, to assist Colorado Springs firefighters with a vehicle fire.
During the investigation, police said officers learned that the suspect broke the front window and threw a lit object into the cab of the vehicle.
The vehicle was then engulfed in flames and was a complete loss, police said.
No one was in the parked vehicle at the time of the fire, police said.
At about 11 p.m., police said officers located and arrested the suspect, identified as 32-year-old Graison Dortch in the 4300 block of N Chestnut Street, near I-25 and Garden of the Gods Road.
Dortch was booked into the El Paso County Jail on charges of second-degree arson and use of an incendiary device, police said. Officers said both are class five felonies.
According to court records, as of Friday morning, Dortch is being held on no bond.
Copyright 2026 KKTV. All rights reserved.
-
New Jersey3 minutes agoMikie Sherrill welcomes July 4 tall ships to NJ at Sandy Hook
-
New Mexico8 minutes agoWildfire smoke moves through Taos Valley, Northern New Mexico
-
North Carolina15 minutes ago
More than 60 North Carolina cases tied to parasite behind ‘explosive diarrhea’
-
North Dakota18 minutes agoPembina bridge closure, causing headaches for community members, close to short-term solution
-
Ohio23 minutes agoWhere and when to see fireworks in Central Ohio
-
Oklahoma30 minutes agoThe Under-the-Radar Oklahoma State Football Transfer Generating Preseason Buzz
-
Oregon33 minutes agoOregon lawmakers pushed to secure sensitive data from ICE. How does the law work?
-
Pennsylvania38 minutes agoA rare albino bird was found in Pennsylvania. It was a
