The Denver Post’s analysis of the billions in aid and tens of thousands in loans showed that Colorado’s rural counties, outside the mountain resort counties, received substantially less federal pandemic assistance. by JudithKohler and meganululani
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
The economic impacts in Moffat and Cheyenne were different from communities along the Front Range or even neighboring counties, where tourism and skiing are big business and the economic shock waves first hit the hardest. “I know there were a lot of people who were really frustrated with the because it was confusing as to whether you even qualified,” said Jennifer Holloway, executive director of the Craig Chamber of Commerce.
Cheyenne County has a population of nearly 1,750 people and is 1,781 square miles in size, or about 1.1 million acres. Moffat County has a population of 13,283 and is 4,743 square miles, or roughly 3 million acres.In some ways, the larger distances and fewer people allowed more locals to support each other, helping the areas weather the pandemic, residents said.
“We rallied around neighboring businesses and found ways to still support them even if they weren’t able to be open,” Villard said. A substantial number of the more than 240 small PPP loans arranged by area banks went to farms and ranches. “We tried really hard to see that no one was missed,” Weed said.
Mitchek Farms GP in Kit Carson received a $12,641 loan in April 2020, with another one for $21,250 taken out by Ervin Mitchek, who runs the business with two relatives, in February 2021. Daughter Debbie Mitchek, who works as the secretary, acknowledged that the money was a help, then summed up a feeling prevalent in the heavily Republican county: “None of us are big government people.”
Wendt and Sons Oilfield Service, which works primarily in North Dakota, received PPP loans of $498,486 and $465,500. The Wendts didn’t apply for assistance for their other businesses. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment puts the county’s total number of COVID-19 cases at 321, confirming nine deaths among those. Health care providers in Cheyenne County and across the state received millions of dollars to respond to the pandemic that filled hospitals early on and in subsequent surges of the virus.The Keefe Memorial Health Service District received $2.94 million from the U.S.
The Cheyenne County Public Health Agency received about $685,207 to support a broad range of COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 testing “and epidemiologic surveillance-related activities.” Adamson said the agency received an additional $125,881 in COVID-specific immunization funds. At one point, Moffat County’s positivity rate — the percentage of all coronavirus tests that are positive — was among the highest in the country, she added. The hospital and health providers dealt with resistance to the vaccines and masks. Riley said the county’s vaccination rate is about 50%.
The critical-access designation is by Medicare and typically applies to hospitals whose volumes might be low, but provide a safety net for rural areas. Memorial Regional Health’s ability to offer elective services helped offset the losses when visits to the clinics and emergency room dropped, Riley said.
“The community definitely came together, and they made sure they ordered from us. I was trying to patronize smaller restaurants in town,” Lighthizer said. “We’re all out for that same bread and butter, but we’re all in it together, too.”Owner Anna Lighthizer is pictured at The Sizzling Pickle Restaurant and Lounge in Craig on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.
“Honestly, it really has made the difference in us being able to keep the doors open,” Camp said. “Our operating expenses are relatively high, with having to do social distancing and limited capacity and restrictions.”
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