Boulder “affordable” apartments would rent for $2,500 a month

Affordable housing plan in Boulder laughable

Re: “Boulder City Council approves efficiency apartments on Pearl St.,” Sept. 10 article

I had to chuckle at the article that summarized the decision by the Boulder City Council to approve the building of “affordable” housing on Pearl Street in Boulder. What does “affordable” housing look like in Boulder?” How about 300 square feet on a major city artery with limited parking at a cost of $2,500 per month? Come on, Boulder, get serious.

Why is this “transient” and “entitled” population so guilt-ridden that they must pretend that Boulder is some diverse community that welcomes one and all. Diversity in Boulder is distinguished by how diverse your portfolio is in comparison to the other “trust fund” inhabitants of Boulder. The city should just become a gated community and not try to pretend you are interested or need to design and build affordable housing. Your city slogan should read, “You can’t afford to live here, so quit whining.”

Greg Wells, Fort Collins

Cancer screenings need to be accessible

You may have seen artificial intelligence (AI) dominating the headlines recently – and for good reason. AI has the potential to transform not just how we live and work but also how we receive health care. Today, AI-enabled medical devices are helping health care professionals swiftly analyze data, aid in detecting abnormalities, and interpret this information to make informed diagnoses.

As a colon cancer survivor, I understand the importance of cutting-edge health care tools to identify and treat diseases at early stages. I had two avoidable medical failures when first on my own difficult cancer journey: an incomplete colonoscopy and a mislabel of a follow-up X-ray scan. These failures delayed and made more advanced my actual cancer staging and prognosis. I am very lucky to have survived.

Patients like me deserve access to innovative medical technologies, but that will only happen if Medicare reimburses health care providers for their use. That’s why I recently joined other advocates to travel to Washington D.C. to share my story with Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. John Hickenlooper, and Rep. Diana DeGette to ensure Medicare payment for providers’ use of AI-enabled medical technologies, allowing them to use these technologies to detect cancers at earlier, more treatable stages.

I look forward to continuing this advocacy and urge Bennet, Hickenlooper and DeGette to improve access to AI tools in cancer care for patients like me who need them most.

Erika Hanson Brown

Editor’s note: Hanson Brown is the founder of two cancer patient advocacy networks: Colontown and One Cancer Place.