New immigration laws in Colorado are making it more difficult for people living illegally in this country to access health care. However, a bill introduced by Rep. Mark Cloer exempts people with communicable diseases – the bill recently passed.Cloer said exempting out communicable diseases from the immigration laws allows local health departments to do their jobs. “Anything else can put everyone at risk … and set up opportunities for terrorists’ acts,” Cloer said. Rosemary Bakes-Martin”If we have an outbreak of whooping cough, for example and we have children in the area who have been widely exposed, this bill allows us to immunize all children,” said Rosemary Bakes-Martin, public health administrator El Paso County Health and Environment.In all cases of communicable diseases, Bakes-Martin said health officials have to treat quickly and immediately follow up on contacts. “If we would lose them (illegal residents) to deportation, then we end up with cases that are secondary; we can’t find the index case and we’ve lost time,” she said.Colorado state law requires that communicable disease be reported and followed. The bill, as Cloer, said, ensures the health department is doing its job.
