WATCH YOUR WEIGHT IN MONTROSE

Montrose is a city of 19,132 people, and Olathe a town of 1,849 (US Census Bureau, 2010). This area is part of the Western Slope’s “bread belt” with 1,045 farms. Montrose County School District RE-1J enrolls 6,294 students, and has a 59% free/reduced lunch rate, with over 70% in three of the six elementary schools. Demographically, the county population majority is white, with 20% being Hispanic but soaring to 48% in Olathe (U.S Census Bureau, 2010). The Hispanic majority is first generation immigrants from Mexico, with a small pocket of Cora families, a linguistically-distinct group from the Nayarit State in Mexico. Montrose County is a retirement destination, with 18% of its residents over age 65, higher than Colorado’s 11% rate.    The overweight and obesity rates in Montrose and Olathe are no better than state averages (Montrose County, 55.2% vs. Colorado, 55.3%), and in some cases worse (Montrose Head Start children, 31% vs. Colorado children 26%). The rates of homelessness and unemployment have risen, the median household income lags significantly behind the state average, and in less than 5 years the number of SNAP recipients has increased by 54% and food bank recipients by 48%. Montrose has a sizable senior population and Olathe a sizable migrant population, with both groups being at risk for health disparities. Conversely, there are unprecedented opportunities that will contribute to successful health interventions. Citizen and non-profit groups are asking for healthier, more affordable foods, such as more nutritious food bank boxes and community gardens. And Montrose citizens recently rallied in support of a new multipurpose recreation center through a sales tax initiative that narrowly lost the vote but indicated the need for active community infrastructure, and revealed a near-majority who was willing to raise taxes to do it. This was notable given the economic and political times.