Colorado
Nurses at Rocky Mountain VA rally for more staffing to serve Colorado veterans
For Colorado ICU nurse Jordan LeBlanc, working at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center has been a rewarding experience because of his daily interaction with the veteran population.
“What could be greater than our veterans. They’re funny. They’re kind. They’re forgiving. They think that we know best, even when we don’t, but most of all they trust us,” said LeBlanc.
It is that trust that nurses say they are pushing to protect, in the wake of what they say has been an ongoing hiring freeze from nationwide budget cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“We have 57 open vacancies that are frontline,” said Sharda Fornnarino, who is the director of the local National Nurses United at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA. “That basically entails the ICU, med surge, the OR, some of our surgical areas as far as the outpatient surgeries, SCI and our mental health area.”
On Thursday, nurses from the medical center rallied across the street from the building in Aurora to raise awareness about their existing staffing shortages and the challenges they have faced being able to serve the veteran population because of this shortage.
LeBlanc says often nurses like him now have to take on a greater patient workload and sometimes work more hours to do so.
“Our ICU specifically has been staffed at less than 85% of its functional capacity,” he said. “Right now, we’re at 18 bed ICU that only 12 of the beds are open. They’ve closed six beds because of staffing levels.”
Nurses say the staffing challenges does not just affect their morale, but it can also compromise the relationship they have with each patient.
“Any veteran or any patient within our system will get less than they deserve, less than the total dignity that each individual really deserves to be provided,” he said.
VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes responded to nurses rallying across the country, saying there is no freeze on hiring nurses and they are continuing to hire nurses needed across the country. Hayes’s complete statement is as follows:
VA’s top priority is providing the world-class care that Veterans deserve, and we are committed to making sure we have nursing staff we need to deliver the soonest and best care to Veterans.
There is no nationwide hiring freeze on VA nurses, and we are continuing to hire nurses, as needed, across the country to ensure that we can deliver world-class care to Veterans. Over the past 3 years, VA has aggressively hired nurses nationwide – increasing our nursing workforce by 14,000 nurses to a total of 122,000 nurses, the largest nursing workforce in the country and in the history of VA. VA is also retaining our great nurses, with turnover rates currently at 3.4% – far outperforming the private sector. There are also locations where we need to continue hiring nurses, and we are doing that – as demonstrated by the below hiring numbers.
Partly as a result of these hiring efforts and our great nurses, VA is currently delivering more care to more Veterans than ever before, outperforming non-VA care, and Veterans trust VA care at all-time record rates.
The VA’s office went on to share statistics on what they say have been all time high rates of veteran trust in VA care and decreasing wait times. However, Fornnarino says any hiring has been to fill strategic positions, where in reality all vacancies need to be filled.
“I haven’t seen more of those hires come to the bed side,” she said.
Nurses also worry the VA will become more privatized if staffing needs are not met.
“When we don’t have the staffing, we have these beds shut down,” said leBlanc. “That means that our veterans go to community care, and they’re not set up to provide veteran served ethical care.”
Colorado
Watch CBS Colorado’s GOP Governor Primary Debate
Colorado
Colorado Springs youth hockey coach arrested in Douglas County child sex-crimes investigation
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) is seeking potential additional victims after a youth hockey coach who lives in Colorado Springs was arrested for child sex crimes.
The sheriff’s office said Colorado Springs resident 40-year-old Rory Nathaniel Mushlin was arrested Thursday following a tip that he was engaged in inappropriate behavior with minors.
According to deputies, Mushlin is being held on suspicion of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, unlawful electronic sexual communication – person of trust, obscenity and internet sexual exploitation of a child.
Deputies said he has been employed as a youth hockey coach at South Suburban Sports Complex in Highlands Ranch since January 2023. They said the team he coached would practice at the Parker Field House and the Family Sports Center in Arapahoe County.
DCSO says multiple underage victims have been identified.
“Because of the suspect’s coaching position and regular interaction with youth sports programs, investigators are working to ensure all potential victims are identified and provided with support‚” the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Mushlin is being held at the Douglas County Detention Facility on a $75,000 bond.
If you have any information about this case or think that a child you know may have had inappropriate contact with the suspect, you are urged to reach out to Douglas County Detective Clay at sclay@dcsheriff.net.
Copyright 2026 KKTV. All rights reserved.
Colorado
Imagine a world where the Colorado gas pump knows your credit score (Letters)
Imagine a world where the gas pump knows your credit score
Re: “Polis vetoes ‘surveillance pricing’ bill,” June 3 news story
Gov. Jared Polis’ veto of the anti-surveillance pricing bill proves once again he’s just a Republican wearing a liberal costume. His excuse? The bill, which would have banned companies from using AI and “big data” to manipulate prices and wages based on your personal circumstances, might “interfere with the free functioning of markets.”
Sure. Because nothing says “free market” like corporate algorithms tracking your every vulnerability to extract maximum blood from your stone. This isn’t capitalism; it’s corporate sharecropping scaled to the state level.
Consider this hypothetical: A software engineer gets laid off but has some savings. On the way to a job interview, he pulls up to a gas pump. Between inserting his card and pumping, the oil company runs an instant “wealth check.” Seeing his healthy savings balance, the algorithm spikes his price per gallon.
He arrives at the interview. Instead of offering a salary based on market value and experience, the employer scrapes data on his time out of work, his dwindling savings, and his chronic illness. They craft an offer just high enough to keep him from drowning, complete with a health plan that conveniently excludes his condition.
Is this the “free functioning of markets?” No. It’s an asymmetric data war where citizens are completely outgunned. But hey, as long as Gov. Polis can keep defending the “freedom” of monopolies to pickpocket your data, who cares about the actual people?
For someone who just moved from Florida in part to escape this nonsense, Polis disappoints.
Tom Gawronski, Evergreen
Climate crisis is front-page news
Re: “U.N.: Next five years could smash temperature records,” May 29 news story
Banging the climate crisis drum: Last Friday, The Denver Post relegated a major U.N. climate report to page 12. Ho-hum, the world scientific community keeps banging that old drum about the climate. No big deal. We haven’t gone off the cliff — yet.
But there is a cliff there. Scientists just don’t know when the edge — the tipping point — will be reached.
Have you noticed all the floods, droughts and temperature records we are experiencing (again) this year? Are you concerned about this being a really bad fire year? Drill, baby drill continues as President Trump says we have to produce more oil, while the report concludes that oil and gas is the major contributor to the issue. Ho-hum.
As a committed climate activist, I plan to keep banging that old drum and supporting the rapid transition away from oil and gas to renewable energy.
Marc Alston, Denver
Sarah Woodson for House District 42
Sarah Woodson is a breath of fresh air for the residents of House District 42. A new voice of reason and common sense for everyday Aurorans stressed out by politicians on the far right and left who only support special agendas, not their constituents.
It was 40 years ago that Aurorans trusted another homegrown centrist political newcomer who went door to door to listen to his neighbors and represent them, not the special interest lobbyists that swarm over our Capitol like the miller moths and locusts of summer.
It takes a strong voice from a future leader like Sarah Woodson who listens first to the people and serves them, and not the special political insects. Too many people are again suffering real economic hardships, like how to simply pay for this week’s groceries, while the politicians of the far right and left play off one another and do nothing to help the common people.
It is time again to support a homegrown political newcomer who will serve us, the people, not them, the special interests.
Steve Ruddick, Aurora
Editor’s note: Ruddick is a former Aurora state representative.
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