"Salazar’s visit"

Local issues garner congressman’s attention

Editorial                                                                                                    Durango Herald

U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, is adept at gauging and responding to pressing issues in his district. On Wednesday the congressman held a series of meetings in Durango aimed at hearing residents' concerns about topics that are at the top of his constituents' minds and foremost among those were health care and television markets. Though widely divergent, the two issues share a common thread: elusive solutions. To his credit, Salazar is not ducking from finding them, though.

Lack of sufficient health care is certainly not an issue unique to La Plata County, and solving the problem in the long term will take more than local action. There has been much hand-wringing about Valley-Wide Health System's impending departure at the end of March at which time as many as 10,000 patients will be left without a primary-care physician. Many of these are Medicare patients - and the remaining primary-care clinics in Durango are not accepting new Medicare clients.

While part of the problem is the limited number of primary-care doctors, it is the underlying dysfunction of the Medicare program - specifically low reimbursements - that is doing much to drive that shortage. That is the salient issue to which Salazar can attend. He can also help La Plata County earn a federal designation as being medically underserved - a label that would bring federal money to subsidize qualifying clinics.

Salazar's commitment to understanding the issue, as evidence by the gathering of stakeholders invited to Wednesday's meeting, is a promising first step toward helping change course on health care here and across the country. Becoming a champion of this issue would serve the community and Salazar well, and may lead to meaningful - and desperately needed - improvements.

Though less consequential, Durango's placement in Albuquerque's television market is a vexing problem that raises the blood pressure of more than a few Southwest Colorado residents. Not only are Denver Broncos football games often bumped from the TV lineup, the election season leaves some voters stumped when the only campaign advertisements and information coming over the television airwaves are those of New Mexico candidates as well.

While the bureaucratic waters that created this situation - involving the Federal Communications Commission and Nielsen Media Research - have so far proven to be limited in their navigability, pressure from a U.S. congressman may help chart a course. Southwest Colorado residents deserve television that reflects the issues and interests of the state.

Sen. Wayne Allard has taken up the cause, and Salazar is right to join him. It shows responsiveness and concern.

Colorado's 3rd Congressional District is as wide-ranging as the issues that its residents face. As such, it is a challenging district for a congressman who wants to be an engaged and accessible representative. In seeking to hear his constituents' concerns throughout the district and aiming to address them meaningfully, Salazar has proven himself to be a good representative in every sense of the word. Wednesday's meetings about health care and designated television market areas exemplified that, and we are hopeful that Salazar will follow up with meaningful action.