(JCPH) Order 21-006 Requiring Face Coverings for all Individuals Ages 3+

The Libertarian Party of Jefferson County strongly condemns Jefferson County Public Health
(JCPH) Order 21-006 Requiring Face Coverings for all Individuals Ages 3+ in all Public Indoor
Spaces.
According to the JCPH, the intent of this Order is to “slow the spread of COVID-19 to the
greatest extent possible in order to reduce unnecessary death and serious illness and to preserve
hospital capacity by ensuring that the maximum number of people wear Face Coverings in
Indoor Public Spaces”.
The Libertarian Party of Jefferson County disagrees that this Order will “preserve hospital
capacity”.
The Libertarian Party of Jefferson County believes the JCPH has a political agenda and misused
language and statistics to trick citizens in Jefferson County into a public order that has dangerous
economic and social implications.
According to Hospital Capacity in Jefferson and Surrounding Area, there are four hospitals in
Jefferson County:
Lutheran Medical Center, Centura Health, St. Anthony, OrthoColorado Hospital at St. Anthony
Medical Campus, and UC Health Broomfield.
UC Health Broomfield (UC Health), which has 37.7 beds available, has not reported any data
regarding its ICU capacity since July 31, 2020.
On November 12, 2021, 20.7 of the 27.7 UC Health inpatient beds were in use. However,
between November 5, 2021, and November 12, 2021, UC Health dropped its capacity of beds
from 48 to 37.7.
Therefore, the loss of hospital capacity at UC Health was not due to an increase in COVID cases.
OrthoColorado Hospital at St. Anthony Medical Campus (OrthoColorado) has not reported any
data regarding its ICU capacity since September 3, 2021.
On November 12, 2021, OrthoColorado showed that 15.1 beds of its 48 inpatient beds were
being used. This was the lowest bed use in a month for OrthoColorado.
Lutheran Medical Center (Lutheran) had alarming ICU statistics, showing that 41.1 of its 42.0
ICU beds were in use.
However, Lutheran decreased the amount of ICU beds after November 5, 2021.
On November 5, 2021, Lutheran had 74 ICU beds but on November 12, 2021, Lutheran reduced
its ICU beds to 42.
The loss of hospital capacity at Lutheran Medical Center was not caused by COVID cases.

Centura Health, St. Anthony (Centura) has the most shocking, yet baffling, statistics.
It shows that 220.4 of Centura’s 236 inpatient beds were in use on November 12, 2021. In
addition, 55.9 of its 60 ICU beds were being used.
Centura’s bed use was consistently high from September 10, 2021, to November 12, 2021.
However, Centura’s bed use was also uncommonly low from May 21, 2021, through August 27,
2021.
The Libertarian Party of Jefferson County believes the JCPH has a legal and moral obligation to
do exhaustive research and determine specifically why hospitals in Jefferson County are losing
the ability to serve the public before any mandates are placed on the public to “preserve hospital
capacity.”
Without this information, the public can only conclude the JCPH maliciously failed to
investigate glaring inconsistent data that might contradict a pre-determined political agenda and
that this political agenda represents interests outside Jefferson County.
The Libertarian Party of Jefferson County reminds the JCPH that it does not have the authority to
issue any public health order that preserves hospital capacity outside the borders of Jefferson
County.
The JCPH represents the citizens of Jefferson County only. Its Orders must reflect this.
The Libertarian Party of Jefferson County demands the JCPH suspend Order 21-006 Requiring
Face Coverings for all Individuals Ages 3+ in all Public Indoor Spaces until an independent
body, divorced of all association with JCPH and its members, can evaluate the medical data in
Jefferson County only to determine whether this order will in fact “preserve hospital capacity.”
The Libertarian Party of Jefferson County became an affiliate of the Libertarian Party of
Colorado on May 13, 2019. Ross Klopf serves as the Jefferson County Chair. Contact information is rklopf46@gmail.com.

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