County Vital Records Department Received Award on Perfect Performance

Harbert with Commissioners Cook, Grasmick and Buxton-Andrade

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) issues the Vital Records Five Star Award to counties that achieve 100% on audits, zero deficiencies, complete all required training, and have no customer complaints.  According to Megan Hillman, Prowers County Public Health Director, the county received the 2021 award recently and is one of just a few counties who achieved this degree of accuracy!

Gary Harbert is our registrar. He holds himself and his team to a high standard. Along with Belinda Pizarro and Jo Lynn Idler as Deputies Registrar, they have now received this award two years in a row.

Harbert, who is also the county’s VSO, Veteran’s Service Officer, Commissioners and various local representatives will be engaged in a campaign to keep the VA clinics in eastern Colorado open, including the clinic on South Main Street in Lamar.  This past March, VA Healthcare Director, Michael Kilmer, announced that clinics in Lamar, Burlington, La Junta and Salida have been recommended for closure by 2026 due, in part, to local veterans who have not registered with the VA to receive medical treatments.  Harbert had said earlier that about half the veterans in his coverage area have not registered.

Harbert’s monthly report indicates he is working with about 20 veterans now of which seven have recently registered and the remainder are waiting to see if their applications have been authorized.  Asked for an update on the closing news, Harbert told Commissioner Grasmick, “I was the guest speaker at the Wiley Lion’s Club meeting on Monday and explained the situation with the clinic.  I asked Lions members to write letters to their political representatives and passed around my business card to hand out to any veterans they may know to help spread the word.”  Harbert said work is underway to develop an informational banner to display at the Lamar VA clinic to help increase awareness of the need to register.

During their March 22^nd meeting, the Prowers County Commissioners approved letters of support for the clinics to be sent to Governor Jared Polis, Senator John Hickenlooper, Congressman Ken Buck and Senator Michael Bennet.
By Russ Baldwin