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Counties prepare to launch new health departments before Tri-County dissolves

Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties will each have their own health departments by January 1 after they withdrew from the Tri-County health department.

LITTLETON, Colo. — The countdown is on for three Metro Denver counties to establish their own health departments after Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties each withdrew from a decades-old agreement to combine resources in the Tri-County Health Department.

The move to withdraw, initiated by Douglas County and soon followed by Adams County, came after disagreements over mask mandates and vaccinations. 

The Tri-County department will dissolve at the end of the year, meaning the counties must stand up their own to maintain services like tracking disease outbreaks, access to birth certificates, inspections of restaurants and availability of vaccinations. 

"We're doing the best we can and we feel like we're going to hit our goals," Arapahoe County spokesperson Luc Hatlestad said. 

He said the county plans to evaluate its existing facilities and take over Tri-County's clinics to host the new department. "If it's already here physically within the county, we probably have dibs on it," he said. 

Arapahoe's new public health director took office this week — and it announced six other senior staff appointments, all hired from the ranks of Tri-County Health. "In some ways, we're competing with Adams and Douglas for certain resources," Hatlestad said. 

Douglas County took over communicable disease services and emergency preparedness from Tri-County Health at the start of the month. Adams County has named a transition director to coordinate the launch of its department. 

But splitting one department into three means they might not be able to offer all the services Tri-County used to. "The basics will all be there," Hatlestad said. "The very specifics may vary depending on what we decide to do and how we decide to do it." 

He also said the county isn't yet sure how much the standalone department will cost. It currently sends more than $5.2 million to the Tri-County Health Department. "It probably will cost a bit more, but we don't know what that number looks like yet," Hatlestad said. 

Adams County has a website outlining its transition services here. Residents of Arapahoe County are invited to follow updates on its new health department and participate in community town halls here. Douglas County lays out its expanded public health services here.

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