Should Denver Open Emergency Warming Shelters Sooner?

Cold weather is a fact of life up here in Mile High. But current city policy says that Denver’s emergency warming centers should only open after temperatures dip down to 20 degrees — well below the point when the human body can experience hypothermia. Recently, Dr. Joshua Barocas, a medical doctor and associate professor at the CU School for Medicine, made a presentation to City Council arguing for a simple change to Denver’s approach to keeping people warm. Dr. Barocas joins host Bree Davies to explain why opening our warming centers before Denver gets too cold can save lives — and also save the city money.

The proposal to change temperature thresholds for Denver’s warming centers goes before the City Council’s Safety Committee December 20 as part of a cold weather shelter plan; if it passes, all of council may vote on the issue in January.

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