by Mark Smiley | Dec 17, 2015 | Feature Story Middle Left
Primary Care, Urgent Care Or Emergency Room?
Choosing The Most Suitable Level Of Health Care
Is Key To Manage Your Health Care Costs
by Shideh Kerman, BS, MBA
Inappropriate use of health care raises medical costs for everyone. Many of us don’t know where to go for our health care needs. It is very common that people become confused with the difference of family practice, emergency rooms and urgent cares.
A study conducted by the National Center of Disease Control in 2011 found that 79.9 percent of adults visited the emergency room due to lack of access to other providers and not necessarily because of the medical emergent situation.
Anyone who has visited an emergency room knows that it can be very costly and it’s not always necessary to go to a ER. Walk-in clinics or urgent care clinics typically offer the equivalent medical attention in 30 to 60 minutes, while a hospital ER incurs a wait-time up to four hours. In addition the ER costs for the same procedure are about 4-5 times higher.
For example, the costs of being seen for an IV (intravenous) can vary widely, depending on where treatment is sought. The same diagnosis and treatment come with very different price tags (lab fees may be additional).
Typical family practices and convenience care clinics such as those at pharmacies cannot perform such procedures. Walk-in clinics offer these services for about $130-$195. In an urgent care the same procedure will cost $140-$250. If you choose to go to the ER, the cost will be highest at around $800-$1,200.
To clear up all of the confusion, here is an easy to follow guide that differentiates primary care provider office visits, urgent care visits and emergency room visits, so patients can be confident with the doctor visit they’ve chosen.
Primary Care Provider Office Visits
A primary care provider (PCP) is a family physician, who takes care of a patient’s basic needs across a wide continuum of different problems. He or she is the first point of contact for a person with a medical or health concern and gets to know the patient personally over time. The primary care provider cares about the patient’s whole health condition including aspects of preventative care such as immunizations, mammograms and colonoscopies. This provider makes sure the patient receives the proper care and coordinates with specialists as needed.
Primary care practices provide health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, counseling, patient education, diagnosis and treatment of chronic illnesses in a variety of health care settings such as office, inpatient, long-term care, home care, day care, etc,.
Primary care practices are usually not set up to see patients with acute illnesses or injuries, since most of them are not equipped with x-ray and in-house laboratory.
The copay of primary care provider visits are often the lowest copay defined on health plans. And that is why we encourage patients to visit their primary care provider if available. For some illnesses, if your symptoms come on gradually or you already know the diagnosis, such as a urinary tract infection, you may want to try to get a same day appointment with your primary care provider. While urgent care clinics or emergency rooms are always available, your primary care physician will have a better picture of your overall health for a more accurate diagnosis.
Urgent Care Visits
Urgent care clinics are walk-in clinics and can handle a variety of conditions that need to be treated right away but are not a life or limb threatening emergency.
“I can’t wait..it’s URGENT!”
An urgent care is an option for when primary care provider appointments are unavailable or if you need treatment outside of office hours. If you wait days or weeks for an appointment with your primary care physician, you run the risk of your condition getting worse and requiring more complex treatment.
In addition urgent care is also a good option for any acute illnesses and injuries since it offers x-ray and lab services in-house, which can provide the results within minutes and allow the provider to determine a more accurate diagnosis.
Urgent care bridges the gap between an injury that can’t wait for an appointment at the primary care physician and the life-threatening situation that calls for a trip to the emergency room. Built around patient convenience, urgent care clinics are often found with extended hours, and are sometimes even open on holidays. Although all clinics are different, you can sometimes find them where no appointment is necessary.
Some symptoms that can be treated at urgent care include:
- Fever without rash
- Minor trauma such as a common sprain
- Painful urination
- Persistent diarrhea
- Severe sore throat
- Vomiting
- Accidents and falls
- Sprains and strains
- Moderate back problems
- Breathing difficulties (i.e. mild to moderate asthma)
- Bleeding/cuts — not bleeding a lot but requiring stitches
- Diagnostic services, including X-rays and laboratory tests
- Eye irritation and redness
- Fever or flu
- Vomiting, diarrhea or dehydration
- Severe sore throat or cough
- Minor broken bones and fractures (i.e. fingers, toes)
- Urinary tract infections
Emergency Room Visits
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), “one in five Americans reports visiting an emergency room at least once in the past year.” Perhaps not surprisingly, the CDC points out that the most common reason for adults to visit the emergency room are injuries. This might explain why 35 percent of adult visits to the ER require x-rays.
Children, on the other hand, are more likely to make it to the emergency room as a result of cold symptoms. This is especially true in children under four years of age.
In general, an emergency condition is one that can permanently impair or endanger the life of an individual.
Some examples of most common conditions that require emergency medical care according to CDC include:
- Severe chest pain or difficulty breathing
- Compound fracture (bone protrudes through skin)
- Convulsions, seizures or loss of consciousness
- Fever in newborn (less than three months old)
- Heavy, uncontrollable bleeding
- Deep knife wounds or gunshot wounds
- Moderate to severe burns
- Severe abdominal pain
So when you’re sick or injured, deciding where to get care is the last thing you want to worry about. Understanding your options now will make decisions easier when you need care immediately.
by Mark Smiley | Dec 17, 2015 | Main Articles
Hundreds Of Millions In New Developments In Glendale And Denver
by Glen Richardson
After more than two decades of coasting in idle, the portion of Leetsdale Drive that is in Glendale has shifted into overdrive. Spurred by Glendale’s growth plans, plus several ambitious adjoining construction projects in Denver, this major Cherry Creek Valley roadway is undergoing an amazing redevelopment renaissance.
Growth along this highway corridor appears to have shot out of the blocks following the redevelopment of the old Cub Foods location at Leetsdale and South Cherry Street by King Soopers. The site stood vacant 
for over a half decade as the City of Glendale demanded a high end store and adjoining retail liquor establishment as a pre-condition to its approval of development plans. King Soopers unsuccessfully sued Glendale in Arapahoe County District Court prior to acceding to the city’s pre-conditions.
The highly successful new King Soopers store attracted other developers to the area. In mid-November Natural Grocers opened a new store at Alameda and Leetsdale at the old Gunther Toody’s location. Shortly thereafter the Greek Orthodox Church located at the intersection of Leetsdale and Alameda in Glendale agreed to a long-term land lease with the next- door JCC (Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center) for property a
long Leetsdale. That lease will allow the JCC (the J) to bulldoze its existing indoor tennis facility and rebuild it across Dahlia Street in Glendale.
With that lease agreement in place, the JCC is launching a $50 million three-to- four-year construction project with plans to build a half dozen new facilities. First to break ground will be a new Sturm Family Fitness Center along Leetsdale where the current tennis center is located. The 87,000-square-foot, three-story facility will be the largest in the metro area and will have two full size basketball courts plus an indoor running track. There will also be nine fitness studios for personal training, yoga, group exercise, CrossFit, Pilates and spinning. Also included will be a cardio room with mountain views plus a large weight room. In addition the project includes a café plus 
a 15,000 square foot outdoor field, lit for nighttime.
At virtually the same time period the 1.5 acres across Leetsdale that housed Four Mile Bar and a couple of homes was sold and redeveloped as a Rite Aid Pharmacy as well as a Noodles and Company restaurant.
Corridor Blossoms
With relocation of Natural Grocers to the Gunther Toody’s site in Glendale, the former location on Leetsdale Drive was purchased by Newberry Brothers for $2.4 million. The buyer has been in the greenhouse and florist business at 2nd Avenue and Garfield in Cherry Creek North for nearly 70 years. The company will use the 12,046-square-foot building on the site when it relocates to the 
Leetsdale location later this year. The floral business also purchased the strip center at 5301-5307 Leetsdale Drive, directly adjacent to the former Natural Grocers property for an undisclosed price. That site has a roomy 1.36-acre lot that could be used for building another structure or additional parking.
Paula Newberry-Arnold, daughter of Weldon and Elizabeth Newberry who started the firm, now co-owns the business with her son Kien. She has developed the business into one of the Valley’s top floral and décor shops specializing in a variety of large themed events along with daily custom floral designs.
Near the time period last year when the grocery property transactions took place, the Hilltop Retail Center at 5512 Leetsdale Drive sold for $7.05 million. Further east on the southwest corner of Leetsdale and Holly, the 4.42-acre Dillon Dairy site at 5512 Leetsdale Drive sold for $3,950,000. Southern Food Group’s Meadow Gold Dairy closed the milk processing, packaging and filling plant that once had annual revenue of more than $20 million and employed a staff of up to 40. Equipment in the plant was auctioned off in Sept. 2014. The unnamed buyer reportedly plans to redevelop that site into retail space and possibly add a self-storage facility. Current zoning and building codes allow for a three-story or 45-foot vertical structure.
Volley Of Growth
The JCC’s new year’s develo
pment plan is also a driving engine for growth along Leetsdale. The J revealed it will construct a new Tennis Center on the currently vacant Greek Church property along Leetsdale.
The new tennis center will be a climate controlled fabric and metal structure featuring six ATP-approved tennis courts plus a pro shop and locker rooms. There will also be a party deck and an indoor viewing area. Players and followers will have 100 dedicated parking spaces at the center across Dahlia Street.
The JCC also plans to build a functional, fun indoor-outdoor Aquatics Center. It will feature an “Outdoor Lazy River,” plus a zero entry pool with water slide. Also included will be an indoor family pool with water slide. An indoor six-lane lap pool plus a year-round outdoor four-lane lap pool will be included.
Family Focused
The JCC’s current Fitness Center will be changed into a Family Center allowing for increased children’s programming. It will feature a large gymnastics facility with raised viewing area. There will be two large rooms for celebrations and birthday parties plus eight summer camp rooms. Also planned is an Arts Center with designated space for pottery and other media. An indoor play area for children and two dance studios will also be added. The Mizel Arts & Culture Center currently located on the JCC campus will be renovated.
In addition a new Early Childhood Center — a key portion of the J’s business and mission — will be built. The new ECC will be constructed to licensing regulations and with best practices in mind. It will include 13 updated classrooms with a centralized and secure child drop-off area.
Among the final buildings set for construction is a two-story, 42,000-square-foot office building that will house the J’s administrative offices, JEWISHcolorado and other Valley Jewish agencies. This will allow for increased efficiencies, collaboration and economies between the organizations involved. The office building will house a parking garage for added accessibility. Also planned is a space for seniors to meet and socialize as well as a Beit Midrash (House of Study), accessible to the entire community for learning and meeting. The redeveloped property will add 250 wider parking spaces. Additionally, overflow parking for large events will be available across Dahlia at the new tennis facility. Information: 303-399-2660.
Traffic And Parking
As with new developments along Colorado Boulevard and Cherry Creek North the new Leetsdale projects bring into question traffic and parking concerns. Glendale has much higher parking requirements than Denver and Glendale is generally unwilling to compromise on those requirements. In addition Glendale does consider and attempt to address traffic concerns which Denver, as a matter of public policy, refuses to consider or address. Glendale, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, has demanded from developers land and easements to address concerns about traffic flow at the major intersection of Leetsdale Drive and South Cherry Street. To address general traffic levels on Leetsdale Drive as a whole will take Denver’s participation which at the present time Denver is not willing to undertake.
by Mark Smiley | Dec 17, 2015 | Editorials
The Denver Community Planning and Development Department under Brad Buchanan repeatedly has publicly declared that its overarching goal in planning and zoning for the City and County of Denver is “transparency, partnership and meaningful public involvement.”
Denver neighborhood leader and attorney Greg Kirwin, however, described what actually happens “as anyone with experience trying to shape their neighborhood knows, the land use process is primarily a collaboration between planning staff and consultants for the developers who cherry-pick language from Denver’s Plans and Zoning Code to build whatever kind of new development they want.” He went on to note, “The playing field is tilted in favor of developers throughout the planning process despite the illusion of ‘outreach’ to residents.”
Neighborhood activist Chris O’Connor was even more brutal declaring, “Mayor Hancock and his planners are trying to jam high-density, high-rise buildings into every Denver neighborhood without regard for thriving, existing communities and without adequate infrastructure . . . The entire process must be reformed.”
How does Mayor Hancock, Planning Director Brad Buchanan and the thoroughly compromised Denver Planning Board get away with such a perverted and corrupt system? First, of course, is the fact that the Denver City Council is also controlled by real estate developers and their friends. While three pro neighborhood candidates won this last election they are still only less than one-fourth of the entire 13 member council.
Another problem, of course, is that the paper of record for the city, The Denver Post, has generally buried the story of how real estate projects actually get approved and are helping to destroy the city’s neighborhoods in order to not anger the Hancock administration or its allies. Moreover the local state courts have refused to address concerns when presented with lawsuits by angry citizens. The local courts and judges similarly refused to address the brutality and corruption in the Denver Jail and City Attorney’s Office. Only when a courageous federal district court judge, John Kane, refused to look the other way were any reforms undertaken. Unfortunately, planning and zoning questions normally do not involve federal questions of law.
Finally, the zoning and planning process is highly complex and knowing how to reform the corrupt system is not easy. Fortunately, the Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) has set forth the principles for an honest system in a seven page “Platform for Denver Planning and Zoning,” which is available at the entity’s website. INC is the umbrella group for Denver’s myriad neighborhood groups called Registered Neighborhood Organizations or RNOs.
Many of the principles are just common sense and it is shocking that many of them are not included in the present broken system. The platform urges the mayor and other city officials to appoint representatives of RNOs to all city boards, commissions, advisory committees, etc. Presently only shills for developers need apply for positions on the Denver Planning Board or the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. At one time an appointment to one of these boards was a badge of honor while today it is a mark of shame. In many sections of the city if an individual has been appointed to either board by Mayor Hancock, he or she is highly unlikely to be able to successfully run for an elective office in the future.
INC’s Platform has many important provisions but perhaps its greatest guiding principle is that “higher density development, zoning or projects should not be approved unless it can be shown that adverse traffic and parking impacts on the neighborhood will not result or will be mitigated. Traffic and parking impacts can cause serious harm to the quality of life and economic vitality in a neighborhood.” Under the present system parking ratios have been steadily decreased and the city literally declares that it will not ever consider traffic impacts. It is not clear if any other major city in the country refuses to consider traffic impacts when approving major real estate projects.
City planners have publicly stated that they want to make Denver less automobile friendly and force residents to ride bikes and take public transportation. Unfortunately, the public transportation system in Denver generally stinks and while a single millennial might be happy to take a bike around town, a mother with three small children might find such a dictate from a planning official ludicrous, particularly during the winter season.
Any future candidate for City Council should be asked to adopt and approve INC’s Platform for Denver Planning and Zoning. Any candidate who does not is probably not someone one would want on the City Council. More boldly, neighborhood groups might want to ask existing city councilmembers if they will adopt the INC’s Platform. If they refuse, some may begin to wonder whether they want those persons on the City Council at all. The City Charter provides a method by which citizens can undertake to remove from office a person who ceases to represent their interests and that method, recall, is being increasingly used throughout Colorado by angry citizens of all different political stripes. No city councilmember has ever been recalled in the history of Denver, but there is always a first time for everything.
— Editorial Board
by Mark Smiley | Dec 17, 2015 | Feature Story Bottom Left
What is it with people these days? Have people lost their collective minds? Is anyone else out there experiencing an anything goes, holier than thou attitude from the people you’re dating?
I’m seeing a selfish trend from single people. Dating is a very important time that deserves time, consideration, foresight and patience. Dating isn’t an easy endeavor, but why date if you’re going to do it half-heartedly? Why waste your time or another person’s time if you’re just going to play games or be reckless with their lives?
Here are some things I’m noticing from this new culture of daters who are seemingly dating to just pass the time. I really can’t believe the gall that some people have so I am going to call them out and declare “Gall Wars!”
- Selfishness. I’m so tired of people being selfish so easily. I mean come on, you’re dating. You should be putting your best foot forward not displaying what a baby you can be if you don’t get your way. Being a selfish, self-centered person is such a turn off and it is a horrible quality to have as a human.
- Rude, Rude, Rude, Rude, Rude. Here is another one, just plain rude. Have people forgotten how to bite their lip or let something that irks them roll off their back? Be nice, smile. People don’t have to put up with your rudeness. In fact guys, if you want to find a quick way to get kicked to the curb go ahead and be a rude person. Ladies can get away with being rude a bit more than a guy depending on how hot she is, but in the long run, rudeness makes everyone ugly to the core.
- Entitlement. You are dating, you’re not entitled to anything yet! Put some work into making a relationship before you think you deserve something. You’re basically a stranger to the person you’re dating. Try earning a position into someone’s life instead of just acting entitled to access into someone’s life just because you’re dating them.
- Sensitivity. What is it with all of these thin-skinned people out there in the dating pool? There are more people out there who have no idea how to problem solve or have the ability to not let the smallest little obstacle turn into the most drama ever. Pull up your britches people and quit being so sensitive. Being an even-headed person is on the other hand very attractive.
- Inconsiderate. This one kills me. Again, you’re dating! Put your best foot forward. Be considerate of other people’s time. Showing up late to a date chronically shows just how little you care about someone else’s time. You should constantly be figuring out how to be aware and considerate to whomever you’re dating. Don’t be the double standard person who holds everyone else up to a standard that you can’t even manage yourself.
- Respect. Come on people let’s have some basic respect for each other. Have some boundaries and respect the person you’re dating. If they’re not worthy of your respect you should really just move on and find someone who does.
Let’s tighten things up in 2016. We need to be better to each other. We need to reintroduce standards of how we treat each other. We live in such a fast-paced impersonal world but that gives us no excuse for treating each other so poorly. Let’s make this new year one worth living!
Your pal, Sheik
by Mark Smiley | Dec 17, 2015 | Featured Stories & Advertisers
