Montrose, CO –  The City of Montrose has been awarded the 2018 Governor’s Healthy Community Award for its continued dedication to healthy living on a community-wide scale. 

City officials were honored Thursday at LiveWell’s Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Summit, hosted by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and LiveWell Colorado. 

The OEDIT said Montrose was selected as the 2018 award-winning community for "its holistic community health efforts across active living, food access, economic development, workplace wellness, and health equity through various collaborative projects."

“The City of Montrose sets the gold standard for providing access to healthy eating, active living and workplace wellness,” said Governor John Hickenlooper. “The leadership and residents of Montrose have shown great commitment to their community with this comprehensive approach to health and wellness. I am thrilled to congratulate the City of Montrose as the winner of the 2018 Healthy Community Award.”

According to the OEDIT, Montrose was selected because its "community input and involvement combined with city leadership has led to momentous success for various projects including the Montrose Recreation Center, Sharing Ministries Food Bank, Montrose Urban Renewal Authority Project and PIC Place, each creating opportunities for all citizens despite economic standing."

The City of Montrose and many of these entities have partnered on projects to improve access to healthcare, childcare, healthy food, recreation, housing, transportation, and broadband. 

“The efforts to make the City of Montrose a healthy community has been a collaborative effort across a large number of organizations and community involvement to create a healthy environment for all citizens, regardless of economic standing,” said Roy Anderson, Mayor of Montrose.

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade works with statewide partners to create a positive business climate that encourages dynamic economic development and sustainable job growth.

The City of Montrose adopted a resolution in April 2015 to join LiveWell Colorado’s HEAL Cities and Towns campaign. The city’s grant application noted many of the successful efforts that are improving the quality of life for Montrose residents. 

Applications were evaluated, scored, and ranked utilizing the following weighted criteria:

• Community Health and Wellness Excellence (40%)

• Community Collaboration (20%)

• Measurement (20%) - strategies are tied to an overall plan

• Moving forward (20%) - lessons learned from implemented projects shape new projects

“This award is for the entire community – residents, nonprofits, business owners, schools, city and county officials and staff, as well as all of the organizations that collaborate for a healthier community,” said Kendall Cramer, grant coordinator for the City of Montrose. "The residents deserve a ton of credit. Their voting ‘yes’ on various measures, such as tax credits and levies, has led to continuous improvement of the community, impressive results, and a transparent relationship between the city and residents.”

As the 2018 award winner, the City of Montrose will receive a $4,000 monetary award, contributed by Rocky Mountain Health Plans to further enhance community wellness efforts, and a Governor’s proclamation honoring their efforts as the healthy community award winner. Rocky Mountain Health Plans sponsored the award’s monetary prize in support of its mission to improve the health and well-being of its Colorado neighbors and communities.

For more city news visit: CityOfMontrose.org.

About the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) works with partners to create a positive business climate that encourages dynamic economic development and sustainable job growth. Under the leadership of Governor John Hickenlooper, it strives to advance the State’s economy through financial and technical assistance that fosters local and regional economic development activities throughout Colorado. OEDIT offers a host of programs and services tailored to support business development at every level including business retention services, business relocation services, and business funding and incentives. The office includes the Global Business Development division; Colorado Tourism Office; Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office; Colorado Creative Industries; Business Financing & Incentives division; the Colorado Small Business Development Network; Colorado Office of Film, TV & Media; the Minority Business Office; and the Colorado Innovation Network. Learn more at www.choosecolorado.com.

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