CNN features Craig and MRH on Anderson Cooper 360
Craig received national TV attention Thursday night.
Anderson Cooper, on his show Anderson Cooper 360 Thursday night tossed to a reporter in Moffat County, or, more specifically, “tiny Craig, Colorado,” as reporter Gary Tuchman said of his on-location story framed against the backdrop of tweets and statements by western Colorado’s Congressional representative, Lauren Boebert.
With an image down Finley Lane followed by one of Memorial Regional Hospital’s outdoor signage, Tuchman took national viewers inside Craig’s hospital.
“It’s as bad as we’ve seen since the beginning,” said Dr. Matt Grzegozewski on the program, standing, masked, inside the hospital.
Tuchman introduced hospital CEO Andy Daniels, who he said described himself as a “super-conservative individual,” but who had strong words in response to Boebert’s anti-vaccine statements and Tweets.
“How does it make you feel the way Rep. Boebert has treated the pandemic?” Tuchman asked Daniels. “The masks, the vaccine.”
Daniels, masked, was forthright on camera.
“You know, I’m embarrassed,” Daniels said. “For Colorado, too, quite frankly. I’m embarrassed she is my representative.”
Tuchman, pointing out the position Daniels was in as a CEO at a critical regional hospital in her district, asked Daniels to clarify. Daniels didn’t back down.
“I think if you’re going to take a stance on healthcare policy, you might actually want to learn something about healthcare policy,” Daniels said.
Grzegozewski, the hospital’s medical director, was next up.
“She comes from a position of power being our elected official,” he said. “People are listening to what she’s saying, and a lot of what she’s saying is ideology that isn’t fact, isn’t medically sound. It’s putting a lot of people in danger and costing lives. It’s frustrating to fight against that.”
The report then introduced Robert Edwards, a 78-year-old patient in the COVID-19 unit at the time of the report earlier this week.
Edwards said he was feeling much better. The report indicated he had, in fact, received the vaccine prior to getting sick.
“You think he could’ve died without the vaccine?” Tuchman asked Grzegozewski.
The doctor was clear.
“Without a doubt,” Grzegozewski said.
Edwards, the program said, was released from the hospital not long after the report was filmed.
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