The Durango Herald: Elected officials in Southwest Colorado grilled Mercy Regional Medical Center at a public hearing Thursday for not being transparent and for sending mixed messages about the COVID-19 pandemic, which they say is resulting in distrust in the community.

“I’m fearing you’re trying to paint a rosy picture of your capacity, of the stress on your employees, and I’m just urging you to tell the true story for the community,” La Plata County Commissioner Gwen Lachelt said.

Elected officials hosted an online forum Thursday night to openly discuss the state of local health care centers amid a surge of COVID-19 cases, and at a time when officials say there is community sentiment that Mercy has not been forthright.

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