In Good Health

October weather in Colorado is always unpredictable. This morning, however, we were greeted by the promise of warmer temps on third leg of the #HealthiestCO listening tour. Our plan is to make 13 stops over the next three days in rural communities scattered across the vast Northeastern Colorado plains. We hit the road early.  

Our first stop was in Yuma for a site visit at the local 12-bed hospital. The facility boasts Life Trails Park, a beautiful outdoor green space with robust fitness equipment dedicated to the entire community. While local residents shared that the new park is underutilized, it’s also a community symbol of the will to build places that promote healthy living.  

Our next stop, Morris Elementary

We encountered a small family of black bears on Tuesday night in downtown Steamboat Springs. Two cubs and their mother ran down the sidewalk as we began to drive away after dinner. In a state of wonderment, we halted the car and watched as the cubs climbed up a tree. Their mother kept a close eye on them and us. We were truly in awe: yes, we were technically in the mountains but what exactly were these wild creatures doing in such a civilized setting? Had they too just gotten done dining in town? Just as we began to speculate, the three bears sprinted off into the night.  

Just like mother bear and her cubs, we’ve observed that

Every listening tour session begins with a key message from the Foundation's new president and CEO, Karen McNeil-Miller: “The data tell me a little bit, but where I really learn is from you.”

This is the spirit of the statewide listening tour. In the Mountain region, critical conversations are unfolding and are ignited by a series of localized Colorado Health Report Card Data Spotlights. But, the real story unfolds through our guests. The story is in their voice, it's in their passion and their responses to the important questions we bring forward. On the second leg of this 11-region adventure, we continue to listen to people's stories, learning about who they are and where they live. And it's bringing

After five months of traveling to Colorado communities across the state – urban and suburban, rural and frontier – the #HealthiestCO Statewide Tour finished with three sessions in Denver in early March. Karen welcomed more than 150 community members, at the History Colorado Center and the Wellshire Events Center, including leaders, teachers, advocates and caregivers, who engaged with each other and candidly shared the assets and barriers to health in the Denver metro area.  

The robust conversations began with a discussion of Denver’s assets: First on the list, in all three sessions, were Denver’s parks, natural environment and outdoor opportunities. Children have access to parks and recreation center services at no cost, making it easy for many to get outside