Colorado’s health department is bracing for several layoffs early next month for workers focused on cancer and heart disease prevention, thanks to the apparent loss of nearly $2 million in federal grant funding and the state’s own bleak fiscal outlook.

The Department of Public Health and Environment initially said 11 positions would be eliminated through layoffs in its health data and prevention services divisions “because of delays and uncertainty” related to funding for the jobs. Federal money underwriting the positions hadn’t been released, CDPHE spokeswoman Vanessa Bernal said, and the layoffs will become effective on July 8.

Colorado WINS, the state employees’ union, said it had also received notification of another imminent layoff in the state Department of Agriculture. The agency did not respond to an email seeking comment Friday afternoon.

Bernal said some of the money — related to diabetes prevention — had been released earlier this week, but the terms attached to the grant were under legal review by the state. Still, if the money does become available, that would mean the state receives $850,000 in funding that it was otherwise set to lose. That funding would save two of the 11 positions slated for elimination in the health department.

The state is still expecting to initiate layoffs for programs in cardiovascular health, colorectal cancer screening, and a broader one for cancer prevention and control, amounting to nearly $1.9 million in total. Some of the state employees in those positions may be moved elsewhere in state government.

“If the federal funding does not come through, Colorado will lose critical staff and services that prevent disease and reduce long-term health care costs,” Bernal said in an email. “This is about uncertain federal funding — not the value of our employees. We are doing everything in our power to minimize workforce impacts. But these changes, if required, won’t just affect our staff — they will affect the health of people across Colorado.”

The cardiovascular funding supported a program that trains pharmacists to deliver “disease management programming,” and it provided training so community health workers could help people with chronic disease. The colorectal cancer fund helped screen older adults for the illness, and the broader cancer program promoted health choices that lowered the risk of illness and improved early detection.

Cancer and heart disease were the state’s leading causes of death in 2023, Bernal said.

Though the money represents a relatively small amount in a $16.7 billion general fund budget, the state couldn’t afford to backfill it, Bernal said. Colorado budget writers trimmed spending by $1.2 billion earlier this year and are already bracing for more reductions next year.

That outlook could worsen still — including for the state’s health programs — if federal cuts to Medicaid and food assistance are signed into law.

A controversial pedestrian bridge to celebrate Colorado’s 150th birthday in Denver has cleared its first hurdle.

 The Capitol Building Advisory Committee agreed in an 8-4 vote to refer the project to the legislature’s Capitol Development Committee.

The walkway is expected to cost up to $28 million. It will stretch 11,000 square feet from the west steps of the Capitol, across Lincoln Street, to the far side of Veterans’ Park, and it will incorporate works by local artists that highlight Colorado’s history.

Gov. Jared Polis plans to use discretionary federal dollars the state received during the COVID-19 pandemic to fund some of it. The rest will come from donations.

Money is just one of the concerns opponents raised during a hearing before the advisory committee.

“It’s ugly and I hate it,” said Sue Glasmacher, who wondered how many people would use the walkway. “Because it’s twice the amount of time as going across the street. The distance is so much more.”

Maggie Shaver had a different take. “This project, it think, is beautiful,” she said. 

Shaver, who is an educator, says the bridge will make crossing Lincoln much safer for school kids on field trips to the Capitol (buses park along Broadway).

Shaver says it will also make the Capitol more accessible for those in wheelchairs.

“As someone whose had to take kids through the back door because there isn’t an accessible way to get into the building, it’s slightly heartbreaking,” Shaver said. 

The bridge has a snakelike design that its creators say not only avoids trees in the park but avoids a steep slope.

Another supporter in a wheelchair said the design is intentionally inclusive of people like him.

“I’ve been in this wheelchair for 44 years, and ramps have been the lifeline, the lifeblood of how I get back and forth,” the public speaker said before the committee. “For me, I see nothing but positivity and a gain for this because you’re including me intentionally.”

Opponents say there are other ways of improving accessibility.

They say the project is unnecessary, impractical and “visual clutter” in an area designated as a national historic landmark.

“The proposed overpass is a monstrous intrusion on both the Capitol grounds and Lincoln Park,” Joseph Halpern said.

Scott Holder also criticized the design.

“If the city wanted a glorified skateboard path, I’m sure the theme park urbanists that control the decision making here could find funds for it,” Holder said. 

Committee members also raised concerns about costs related to maintenance and security. Some worried the bridge would result in more problems for Colorado State Patrol as well, but, ultimately, they voted to move it forward.

Committee Chair Lois Court — a former state lawmaker — said, “I have great faith in the people in this building to listen and to create a design that ultimately does what we will all be proud of.” 

The project will now go before the legislature’s Capitol Development Committee, which will decide whether to refer it to the full House and Senate for a vote.

The city of Denver will also need to approve permits for it.

The design team says it doesn’t expect construction to start until next spring. It hopes to finish the walkway and art installation in time for Colorado’s 150th birthday next summer.