In Good Health

The community of Alamosa, located in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, is a special place. The Rio Grande snakes its way through the county of 16,000 residents, enriching the fertile soil that grows the cottonwood trees which give the area its Spanish name. Beyond its foliage, the city continues to reflect its Spanish heritage today. Nearly half of all Alamosans identify as Hispanic or Latino, with many able to trace their families’ roots living in the valley back several generations.

The spirit of Alamosa is epitomized by the strong family values and hard work ethic of those who live in the region. In the face of a local opioid crisis and difficult economic conditions, Alamosans express pride in where they come

“I work toward engaging deeply with communities as a program officer. I come to the work with a lifetime focus on decreasing poverty while increasing equity. We want to support communities in a way that has the most significant impact while serving people who face historical disadvantages. We often come back to the centering question: How can we be most impactful with the work that we’re doing?” – Rose Green, Colorado Health Foundation program officer

At the Foundation, we recognize that by deeply engaging with communities over an extensive period of time, we can together more effectively move the needle on the unique health challenges they experience. Working locally over the long term also provides us an opportunity to help

April 1 officially marked Census Day across the United States – one year from the start of the next decennial U.S. Census on April 1, 2020. Officials from the U.S. Census Bureau provided updates about 2020 Census operations, logistics and planning.

State and local governments, businesses and community organizations also kicked off Census Day by announcing outreach plans to the millions of people they want to ensure are counted in 2020. Advocates from across the country shared stories about why a fair and accurate count benefits all of us. And locally, Colorado’s Governor made remarks about how a full and accurate Census count supports community planning efforts like school improvements, road repairs, economic development and emergency services.

Heading into 2020

It’s late February and I’m 174 miles southeast of Denver in La Junta (“the Junction”), Colorado. It’s a city named after its origin as the junction between the Santa Fe Trail and a pioneer road leading to Pueblo. And nearly 140 years since the city’s founding, we find ourselves at a new junction today: The intersection of the disproportionate number of southern Coloradans living in poverty and elevating the solutions to build a healthier tomorrow for a place defined by its community resilience.

I found myself in La Junta for the Foundation’s Symposium Unplugged event focused on addressing poverty. Elevating the voices of all Coloradans is core to our work at the Foundation, and that’s exactly what events like this