Getting Prepped For College Concurrent classes could save families thousands of dollars By Nathan Meacham • Daily Press Staff Writer XNLV137810 EXCELLENCE! GUARANTEED. IMPECABBLE GUEST SERVICES IMMACULATE ACCOMODATIONS INCOMPARABLE VALUE 970.252.3300 www.MontroseHamptonInn.com Next to Montrose Airport “Excellence in Hospitality” awarded by Trip Advisor to less than 10% of hotels reviewed worldwide. r. Mark Bollinger said the the goal of concurrent classes at Montrose High School is to get each student on to college with at least one semester of credits completed. One semester of credits translates to thousands of dollars in college tuition, which would remain with Montrose or Olathe families. “We’re really trying to grow this program,” said Bollinger, a science teacher at MHS. “It’s a great opportunity for kids.” ere are 13 concurrent classes, which allow students to earn both high school and college credit, offered at MHS and five offered at OHS. ere is one major difference between the two schools in their offerings. MHS is focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) classes, while Olathe has an emphasis on social sciences and language arts. e school district formed a College Options Committee in the spring of 2013 to look into concurrent enrollment, advanced placement classes for college credit, and other ways students can earn college credit in high school. e College Options Committee presented a report to the school board in January, which outlined a list of recommendations. e first is to adopt a district vision/ mission: “Our goal is that every graduate of the Montrose and Olathe School District have the opportunity to experience college level classes and curricula. e district will provide pathways and resources to enable every graduate to earn a minimum of a full semester of college credit along with their high school diploma.” Other recommendations include altering the amount of credits covered by the school district, establishing a community scholarship, offering a stipend for teachers of concurrent classes, and expanding the course offerings at each school. Bollinger is teaching advanced chemistry, 1 FRIDAY, February 21, 2014 MONTROSE, CO 81401 www.montrosepress.com SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT HEALTH & EDUCATION 2014 Continued on next page D HEALTH & EDUCATION
Transcript
Getting Prepped For CollegeConcurrent classes could save families thousands of dollars
By Nathan Meacham • Daily Press Staff Writer
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EXCELLENCE! GUARANTEED.IMPECABBLE
GUEST SERVICES
IMMACULATEACCOMODATIONS
INCOMPARABLE VALUE
970.252.3300www.MontroseHamptonInn.com Next to Montrose Airport
“Excellence in Hospitality”awarded by Trip Advisor to less than 10% of hotels reviewed worldwide.
r. Mark Bollinger said the the goal of concurrent classes at Montrose High School is to get each student on to college
with at least one semester of credits completed.One semester of credits translates to
thousands of dollars in college tuition, which would remain with Montrose or Olathe families.
“We’re really trying to grow this program,” said Bollinger, a science teacher at MHS. “It’s a great opportunity for kids.”
� ere are 13 concurrent classes, which
allow students to earn both high school and college credit, o� ered at MHS and � ve o� ered at OHS. � ere is one major di� erence between the two schools in their o� erings. MHS is focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) classes, while Olathe has an emphasis on social sciences and language arts.
� e school district formed a College Options Committee in the spring of 2013 to look into concurrent enrollment, advanced
placement classes for college credit, and other ways students can earn college credit in high school.
� e College Options Committee presented a report to the school board in January, which outlined a list of recommendations.
� e � rst is to adopt a district vision/mission: “Our goal is that every graduate of the Montrose and Olathe School District have the opportunity to experience college level classes and curricula. � e district will
provide pathways and resources to enable every graduate to earn a minimum of a full semester of college credit along with their high school diploma.”
Other recommendations include altering the amount of credits covered by the school district, establishing a community scholarship, o� ering a stipend for teachers of concurrent classes, and expanding the course o� erings at each school.
Bollinger is teaching advanced chemistry,
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FRIDAY, February 21, 2014 MONTROSE, CO 81401 www.montrosepress.com
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HEALTH & EDUCATION 2014
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HEALTH & EDUCATION
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YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO FARTO GET FAR.If you’re looking for a better future, you don’t have to look far, because Colorado Mesa University is right here in Montrose. With our small class sizes, you won’t get lost in the crowd. Here you’ll find professors with real-world you won’t get lost in the crowd. Here you’ll find professors with real-world experience, who are dedicated to teaching and taking a personal interest in your success. So aim higher without going farther, right here in Montrose. To schedule time to meet with an advisor or to enroll, visit or call today. coloradomesa.edu/montrose. 970-249-7009
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TABLE OF CONTENTSConcurrent Classes ........1Focus on early credits can save thousands
Montrose Medicine .........4Area medical facilities making upgrades
Recreation District .........5Expanded scholarships, activities and sports
Plan for Funding .............7School district to put mill levy override on ballot
Medical History ...............8From in sanitariums to hotels, medicine has come a long way
LiveWell Montrose Olathe ...........10Group focuses on healthy living practices
Struggling School Structure ...........11Columbine Middle School building is falling apart
CMU Plaza .....................13University plaza will be next step for campus
Sustainable Connection ..16Transition Lab helps connects students with community
AP chemistry and digital electronics this semester. MHS also o� ers intro to engineering design, principals of engineering, civil engineering and architecture and digital electronics through the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.
� e classes advanced chemistry, AP chemistry, Saxon physics, AP statistics, college algebra prep., trigonometry, pre-
calculus and AP calculus AB are o� ered through the CU-Succeed program in Denver. � ere is also a certi� ed nursing assistant program through the Delta-Montrose Technical College.
Credit costs are either $67 or $102 for UCCS or CU-Succeed, and up to $240 for DMTC.
One of the goals of the College Options Committee was to � nd ways to expand
Continued from page 1
HEALTH & EDUCATION
HEALTH & EDUCATION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014 3
opportunities for students without adding costs to the district.
“We know cost is going to be a major concern,” Bollinger said at the school board meeting. “We have to try to be as creative as we can.”
Some costs may fall onto students, but Bollinger said it was important to spread the word about how much money it can save in college.
� ere is a list of students on his class board who are taking concurrent classes. All together, the group represents a four-year college education worth of credits.
MHS senior Hayden Cook has completed four concurrent classes and will start his college career at BYU one semester ahead of other freshman.
Cook, who would like to major in computer engineering, said Bollinger’s classes will help him transition to the pace of college.
“When he does the concurrent enrollment, he tries to make it as much like a college class as possible in a high school environment,” he said. “It prepares me for the college experience, which is really helpful.”
Students in Bollinger’s classes use “clickers,” which are o� en used in college classrooms, to answer quiz questions. � e
clickers allow students to answer questions on a screen through a remote control.
� e committee started to look at what can be expanded through the programs at both high schools.
Concerns were raised about the lack of social science and language arts concurrent classes o� ered at MHS. � e committee recommended the district “make every attempt to expand the course o� erings using existing sta� that have the quali� cations necessary to teach a concurrent course at each high school in each core area.”
Meeting that objective would require adding English, social studies and geology/astronomy at MHS, and college algebra, and general biology or physics at OHS.
All of the additions would work toward the goal of getting Montrose county high school graduates onto the next level of education with a head start.
“For our kids going to college, this would represent approximately $10,000 or more savings per family per student,” Bollinger said. “� at would have a real impact on our community.” •
Photo by Nathan Meacham/Daily PressDr. Mark Bollinger works with students in his advanced chemistry class at Montrose High School on Feb. 6.
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Of� ce of Business and Tourism (OBT) is excited to announce the development
of the NEW Montrose Mobile App.
All businesses that contribute to the City of Montrose Retail Sales Enhancement and Tourism Promotion Funds are invited to take advantage of a free listing on the app.
Why a Mobile App?Because residents can better understand
what’s available in the city and take advantage of special offers. The app will also help visitors easily access the many
options available to stay, eat, shop and play.
Visit http://visitmontrose.com/mobileapp to add complete and up-to-date information for your business.
For more information, or if you have questions call the visitor center at 970-497-
www.VisitMontrose.com Facebook and Twitter (VisitMontrose).
107 South Cascade Avenue in downtown Montrose
(970) 497-8558Winter hours are
Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
HEALTH & EDUCATION
HEALTH & EDUCATIONFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 20144
oday, Montrose Memorial Hospital, located at 800 S. � ird, is a far cry from what it was in the beginning.
Founded in 1946 by the Montrose County Commissioners, much of the funding was raised by community donations. � e entire block of land between South � ird and Fourth streets was donated by T.
B. Townsend, president of the First National Bank, who kicked in the � rst $2,000.
In 1949, the new state of the art hospital opened with a 36-bed capacity. Bus loads of school children were transported from surrounding towns in order to tour the new facility.
� e operating room with its huge bright lights was dedicated as a memorial to Dr. C. G.
Medicine in Montrose
Montrose Memorial Meets Today’s Needs
By Marilyn Cox • Special to the Daily Press
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Brethouwer, pioneer Montrose physician and surgeon who practiced in Montrose for 32 years.
At the groundbreaking, nurse Anna Fender who operated St. Luke’s Hospital at South Cascade and Second from 1916 to 1948, turned the � rst shovel of dirt. She was closing her doors, so donated furnishings and equipment, much of it brand new and still in crates. Since she had helped deliver and care for over 4,000 babies in her time, the new maternity ward was named for her. Today the birthing area is called the Family Center and has changed completely.
Population growth since the hospital’s beginning has merited several building expansions, bringing it up-to-date structurally and in technology.
New CEO, Steven Hannah, MBA, took the helm at Montrose Memorial on Feb. 19.Today the hospital supports an active medical sta� of 79, a large growth since 2000 when there were 54 on sta� .
Montrose Memorial is in a one-third partnership with San Juan Cancer Center and St. Mary’s Hospital in the operation of San Juan Cancer Center at Fi� h and Park in Montrose.
Judging from patient visits (not patients – but patient visits) of 3,285 in 2006, compared to 11,685 patient visits in 2013, the center was much needed and is highly used. � ere are two full time oncology doctors on sta� – Dr. Kilbourn and Dr. Lee. � e center o� ers radiation plus chemotherapy infusions.
“We added two additional chemotherapy infusion chairs a couple of years ago, making 10 altogether,” said Leann Tobin, with marketing and public relations at Montrose
Memorial. “� e space is very crowded and we need to add space for chemo infusions and more private infusion/exam rooms in the new construction as well as a larger waiting room. New technology such as the mobile computers for safer medication administration take up valuable � oor space. Current trends are for more oral chemotherapy regimens. About half of all new drugs being approved for cancer are oral, but it doesn’t mean they don’t have side e� ects that may require infusions and lab monitoring.”
Physician student training/education programs are provided at MMH, formalized through Accredited Training programs at Universities and Colleges around the country. Nurse practitioner students, physician assistant students, medical students and residents all work in the hospital and in physician o� ces. � ey can train under pediatricians, family or internal medicine physicians, general surgeons, emergency medicine and nurse midwives.
A new CT scanner is currently being installed in the Emergency Department at MMH. � is will expedite patient care, particularly in trauma situations.
“It is the only CT scanner with FDA approval for up to 60 percent reduction in radiation dose,” said Tobin. New physicians are coming to Montrose. Dr. Riley Foreman, cardiologist, is scheduled to arrive in March and will join Dr. Huhta and the Cardiology Services Department at MMH.
Dr. Josh Barton and Dr. Randy Shelton, family practice physicians will join San Juan Family Medicine in the fall. •
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Courtesy photoThe San Juan Cancer Center has seen a major growth in patient visits.
Courtesy photoMarva Victor, San Juan Cancer Center director, helps a patient.
HEALTH & EDUCATION
HEALTH & EDUCATION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014 5
he Montrose Recreation District has drawn headlines over another attempt at a publicly funded recreation center,
driven particularly by the need to replace Montrose’s only public swimming pool.
But the rec district plays a role beyond providing a swimming spot — the goal is to support community recreation and enrichment, which is done through everything from sports leagues to trails, even senior programs.
“� e important part is the recreation district, as an organization, its full-time employees and the board haven’t stopped working on improving the current programs,” said board member Barbara Bynum. She is also a member of the Friends of the Montrose Community Recreation Center.
“� e purpose of a public recreation district is to improve the quality of life for people in the community.”
� e rec district is much older than ballot initiatives to fund a community center. Established in 1956, the MRD is one of the oldest rec districts in Western Colorado, said Bynum, o� ering the district’s durability as proof that public recreation has been valued here for more than half a century.
“We are always looking for opportunities to better the quality of life in Montrose and are open to bringing on more programs to build the community,” said Ken Sherbenou, MRD’s executive director.
When the 7th Judicial District Court Appointed Special Advocates brought a dodgeball tournament here last November, it generated demand for regular dodgeball opportunities, he said. “Since that was so popular, we actually started adding a dodgeball league,” Sherbenou said.
Another new development is a partnership with Powederhorn Ski Resort that a� ords kids the chance of learning how to ski. Last fall, the MRD also added an adult fall so� ball league in response to requests for more so� ball opportunities.
“We try to o� er something for every age and every interest. � ere are youth sports and adult sports — more traditional programs — but also sports that are not necessarily mainstream that are increasing, like lacrosse and dodgeball,” Sherbenou said.
� e MRD o� ers a variety of social enrichment programs for seniors, everything from line dancing to ceramics and hiking trips.
� e district has also expanded recreational activities for � tness and wellness.
“We jump at opportunities to o� er di� erent services when we can. We were able to bring on several new � tness and wellness instructors,” MRD’s director said.
New classes are to be o� ered in the coming weeks; look for the new activities guide coming out March 3.
� e MRD is also looking at possibly consolidating tennis courts, as the ones at Holly Park need replaced or relocated, Bynum said.
� e MRD also collaborated with the City of Montrose on a Great Outdoors Colorado grant for the river corridor. � e district’s part in it is to extend trails and � tness stations along the Uncompahgre River next to the Ute and McNiel so� ball � elds, which are also to see improvements, Bynum said.
Work is to begin this spring, with completion projected for 2015.
Between sports leagues and MRD sponsored activities, the district served an average of 424 people per day in 2012, (the last year for which Sherbenou had statistics available), through 210 programs, he said.
� e MRD’s scholarship program has also expanded — with a 50 percent increase in scholarships to kids on free or reduced lunches seen between 2012 and 2013.
“We really tried to promote and build our scholarships on the donation side. We have been pleased,” Sherbenou said.
“On the delivery side, we’ve increased outreach to get the kids that frankly are the ones most in need of involvement in our rec district programs.”
Bynum cited the recently established Luis Estrada Juarez Memorial scholarship for swimming lessons. “Learning to swim is a huge health and public safety issue,” she said. � e district has seen a “huge” increase in the numbers of people taking swimming lessons since then, as well as more diversity, she said.
“It’s great to see kids that previously have not taken swimming lessons at the pool, learning to swim. � at’s a great example of public recreation doing what it does best.”
� e Montrose Recreation District Foundation worked with Northside Elementary to increase the number of children in the youth basketball program to be on par with membership from Cottonwood Elementary, Sherbenou said.
“I tie it back to the recreation center project. � at plan, if the community approves it, would allow us to greatly expand service to the entire community in every neighborhood, every age, every interest,” he said.
As the MRD director, Sherbenou did not advocate voter approval of the ballot measure that calls for a .03-percent sales tax, and which has been met with some opposition. A previous ballot measure failed by about 600 votes.
Since that vote, the MRD has acquired property at Woodgate Road. At the time of the last vote, possible recreation center didn’t even have a site.
“� at was a legitimate criticism; that was a mistake that we’ve now corrected,” said Sherbenou.
“Our multiple year planning process has culminated in a ballot proposal. � e � rst half of that process was the feasibility study, where a citizen task force was involved in that plan,” he said.
“� e second part of it was that the recreation center plan was kept largely intact and applied to the Woodgate property in a master plan.”
Now, about that pool? Well, it’s a busy place — and it needs prompt attention whether the ballot measure passes or not, Sherbenou indicated.
� e pool, funded by a 1986 bond approval, has mechanical equipment so dated that parts are di� cult to obtain. � e boiler came from the outdoor pool that the current Aquatic Center’s pool replaced more than 25 years ago, making it older than the building.
� e building itself is metal, with a lifespan of about 25 years, due to the chemicals at the pool and the humidity that corrodes the
Public Recreation Spells Community Health
Rec district beefs up offerings, outreach Pool ailing, but popular amenity
By Katharhynn Heidelberg • Daily Press Senior Writer
Continued on next page
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Photo by Nate Wick/Daily PressShyian Lovato practices a layup drill at Friendship Hall as part of the Rec Center’s youth basketball program.
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Tractors And Industrial EquipmentIrrigation Pipe And FittingsWorking Farm Equipment
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Photo by Nate Wick/Daily PressAshley Ortega practices a layup drill at Friendship Hall as part of the Rec Center’s youth basketball program.
HEALTH & EDUCATION
HEALTH & EDUCATIONFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 20146
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Each year there is an election to determine the representative from three of the nine board districts. In 2014, seats that are up for election are: District #7 including Cedaredge, Eckert, and Orchard City, District #6, including much of Delta and the surrounding area and the North Region including all service territory North of the Delta-Montrose county line. Most members residing in these districts (excepting DMEA employees and their families and a few other exceptions) are eligible to become candidates to run for election this year. There are no filing fees. 15 member signatures supporting candidacy must be received no later than April 28th to qualify a candidate for the ballot.
...ever thought about serving on the DMEA Board of Directors?Delta-Montrose Electric Association is an electric cooperative. It belongs to you and your fellow member-owners, but its success depends on just and prudent guidance from its Board of Directors.
• Monday, March 31, 2014 Candidate petition packets available.
• Monday, April 28, 2014 Petition deadline(15 member signatures) & candidate profile information deadline.
• Monday, May 19, 2014 Ballots,candidates’ backgrounds, and other materials mailed to DMEA members
• Thursday, June 11, 2014Deadline voted ballots to be received by mail.
• Friday, June 12, 2014DMEA annual meeting. An announcement of the election results comes at the end of the annual meeting.
(also see www.dmea.com Member Info Board of Directors District Maps)Learn more at www.dmea.com/Election InformationContact: 1-877-687-3632 extension 207 or email:[email protected].
2014 board candidate key dates:
We are always looking for
opportunities to better the quality of life in Montrose.Ken Sherbenou, MRD executive director
material, Sherbenou explained.“Our bottom line conclusion was all those user
groups that use the Aquatic Center told us not to spend the money on � xing the mechanical systems because the pool is alredy woefully inadequate,” he said.
� e MRD is nonetheless repairing the sand � lter, because it isn’t doing its job and more and more sand is being released into the pool.
“We are spending that money now because we have to keep the pool in operation,” Sherbenou said. “It’s kind of a mandatory Band-aid that we need to apply.”
Although the pool is a central part of the MRD, it’s
not the only amenity.� ere are 900 adults in the so� ball leagues, more
than 500 children in youth soccer, 500 in youth baseball and almost 400 in youth basketball — even though some of the youth leagues have to rely on borrowed space, Sherbenou noted.
“Four-hundred kids in a community of 19,000 and a district of 32,000 is pretty good, considering we don’t have a dedicated space for it,” he said.
“� e rec district has evolved to be much more than the Aquatic Center.” •
Continued from page 5
Photo by Nate Wick/Daily PressVictoria Tavares practices a layup drill at Friendship Hall as part of the Rec Center’s youth basketball program.
HEALTH & EDUCATION
HEALTH & EDUCATION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014 7
he Montrose County School District has lost $7 million in funding from the state, and a mill levy to be placed
on the November ballot is intended to help alleviate some of those losses.
A plan created by the Community School Improvement Team will be implemented with the extra funding to help its No. 1 priority: Student achievement.
CSIT members discussed the plan with the school board at a work session in January, and each board member present agreed that it was time to move forward.
“It’s great that the entire board is 100 percent on board with it,” Superintendent Mark MacHale said.
� e Community School Improvement team started working toward a plan for the school district in November 2011.
� e school district wanted to hear from community members about what they wanted the major priorities to be.
“� ey took a more community oriented approach and said ‘We’d like you to help us develop the priorities.’ � at’s what encouraged me to be a part of the process,” CSIT member Craig Wolverton said.
� e three priorities were identi� ed as
student achievement, teacher recruitment and retention, and maintenance and facilities.
CSIT � rst presented its completed plan to the school board in April 2013, and hoped to receive the funding through Amendment 66, a school tax measure that went down on the November 2013 ballot.
MacHale said the plan has stayed predominantly the same since it was � nished in April last year, and now the school district is ready to place the mill levy on the November ballot to start implementing it.
CSIT asked the school district what it would take � nancially to meet the needs of those three priorities, and the answer eventually became approximately $2.9 million.
“We’ve got to � nd a way as a community to replace some of the funds that they’ve lost through budget cuts in the state of Colorado,” Wolverton said. “We think we found a solution and one that is manageable and can get support from the majority of the community. � ey’ve gotten about as lean as they can get without really sacri� cing education quality, and that’s what the district does not want to do.”
Wolverton said the school district could have easily said it needed a certain amount of money
and asked the community for it, but instead the community was involved in the conversation.
“Even that was a lot of work back and forth between CSIT and the school district because the school district really wanted to have community input on this,” he said. “� at’s one of the things I’m really encouraged by is they’ve been so responsive to the community.”
� e next step for both CSIT and the school district is education.
CSIT narrowed its focus to seven topics while dra� ing the plan. � ey were instructional materials, class size, technology, teacher support, recruitment and retention, professional development, facilities and district culture/moral.
In September and October 2012, CSIT held 12 focus group discussions at di� erent locations in the school district, involving di� erent participants from teachers to classi� ed sta� . � e results from those meeting were presented to the school board and launched more discussion and involvement from parents and the community.
Wolverton said CSIT started with about 60 people, had more at community meetings, and is now made up of 15-18 core
members. He said he expects that CSIT will develop a program to present the plan to the community and promote the idea.
“� e education process is probably going to take a larger group,” he said.
� ere is a lot to do, but Wolverton said he isn’t worried about changing minds about the school district’s needs.
“It really is an education process more than a convincing process,” he said. “I haven’t run into many people that say the school district doesn’t need any money and these aren’t valuable goals.”
A $2.9 million mill levy override for residential properties would cost $51.06 per every $100,000 in home value. As of Feb. 10, the school board was still discussing how long the extra funding would last or how o� en it needed to be renewed.
“It’s all focused on schools,” MacHale said. “It’s all focused on helping teachers get the job done that they are working hard to do. � ey continue to ask us to do more and then they cut our money. It’s pretty frustrating.”
“� is is something that I think will help the school district for a long time to come,” he added. •
Plan Hopes To Return Funding To Schools
Mill levy override to be placed on November ballotBy Nathan Meacham • Daily Press Staff Writer
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Photo by Nathan Meacham/Daily PressMontrose County School District Superintendent Mark MacHale, center, discusses school issues with visitors at the Co� ee Trader on Feb. 6.
HEALTH & EDUCATION
HEALTH & EDUCATIONFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 20148
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1964 - 2014
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hen the town was founded in 1882, there were no medical facilities whatsoever.
Dr. Cummings was the only doctor and also served as the � rst mayor. He had a bit too much to drink one evening and rode out of town with his six-shooters blazing, never to be heard of again. Dr. J. Miller came to town and served until 1885.
Panic took over in 1883 when a smallpox epidemic hit. Residents did not want a facility any where near their homes; thus a “pest house” was established a mile northwest of the depot on what was known as the Steitter ranch, with patients being escorted there by the town Marshall.
Flavius J. and Emily Hartman arrived in the area in the mid-1880s with the intent of starting a sanitarium or health resort based on hygienic principals such as pure food and air, rest, electric massage and good nursing. � ey located on a ranch about three miles south of town, where they built a two-story, 22-room structure known as the Hartman Sanitarium. � is would be the only hospital to serve the area for several years.
When their son Ed married a nurse, Molly, in 1899, they joined his parents in running the sanitarium.
Fi� een years later, Ed and Molly transferred into town to a house on South Sixth Street with room for just nine patients, mostly the elderly. � ey grew their own vegetables and kept a few cows in order to provide fresh food for their guests.
Dr. Abijah Johnson and his wife, Sarah, came to Montrose in 1885, where he served as the o� cial doctor for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. He became associated with Hartman Sanitarium, then enticed the town’s � rst woman doctor, Harriette Collins, to settle here. She arrived by train from the rough mining area of Cripple Creek in 1902, bringing with her the � rst X-ray machine to be used in this valley. She became the sanitarium physician and later the county physician, writing of her shocking experience of going to the county jail to treat a patient who had been tarred and feathered.
In 1901, Dr. J. Q. Allen and a Dr. Hall from Telluride, purchased George Smith’s bath house at the corner of Uncompahgre and South First. � ey built a much-needed hospital within the city limits and planned to use the healing powers of the water from Smith’s well, Iron Mike. � e three-story brick structure became the Western Slope Hospital and Sanitarium with Dr. J. G. Sheldon as the Surgeon in Charge. By June 1902, the hospital was in � nancial trouble so Dr. Hall converted it to the Belvedere Hotel.
Dr. Allen partnered with his friend, Dr. Fred Shermerhorn whom he had met several years before while working in Creede. During the building of the Gunnison Tunnel
the two doctors established hospitals at both the east and west portals treating the workers and their families.
An in� ux in people began with the completion of the Gunnison Tunnel in 1909. Among the new arrivals were Dr. C. Gerald Brethouwer, his wife and two sons. � e doctor joined the practice of Drs. Schermerhorn, Allen and Bell. When Gerald’s son, Norman, � nished his training in 1934, he joined his father’s practice. � ings changed with World War II when Dr. Norman joined the service. Upon his return in 1945, Dr. Good joined him in practice. In addition to their regular patients, Brethouwer was the welfare doctor while Dr. Good was the o� cial local doctor for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and the Veterans. In 1955, Dr. Norman built the Montrose Medical Center, bringing in Dr. Rosenvold, an ear, nose and throat specialist.
It was the latter 1960s when Dr. Robert Brethouwer joined his father’s practice, making three generations of Brethouwer physicians in Montrose. Dr. Bob is still doctoring today, marking more than 105 years of medical service by the Brethouwer family.
In 1906, a two-story brick structure was built at 635 E. Main and run as a hospital by Nurse Peas and Emma Watson. Dr. Didrickson, who also practiced at Hartman Sanitarium, found this hospital to be more convenient to his o� ce and his home. He partnered with Dr. Spring and the two Knott brothers, Isaiah and A. W.
In 1916, nurse Anna Fender and her husband Allen established the Fender Hospital. � e next year they bought the 11-room home of George Gilbert and converted it to a hospital which they named St. Luke’s. Allen Fender died during the 1918 in� uenza epidemic, but Anna carried on, working day and night. Over the next three decades she and several doctors treated hundreds of patients at St. Luke’s until the opening of the present Montrose Memorial Hospital in 1946.
Nurse Fender was known for her humanitarian e� orts, never turning anyone away. She accepted whatever people were able to pay or trade, be it a load of coal, fresh meat, eggs or vegetables. Her record books showed that one patient who stayed four weeks and four days was billed a total of $149, which included $10 for the operating room. More than 4,000 babies were born while Fender operated her hospital. � e average stay for mother and baby was 10 days at a total cost of $25. A Cesarian delivery, with the 10-day stay was $63.
Around 1924, Herman Niewohner, a nurse, moved here from Germany. Dr. Didrickson and Dr. Spring were instrumental in helping him to obtain a permit to build a hospital at North � ird and Uncompahgre. Dr. William B. Lomax came to Montrose in
Brief look at medicine in MontroseMedical facilities and technology in Montrose
have come a long way over the yearsBy Marilyn Cox • Special to the Daily Press
W
Courtesy photoThis is a historic photo of the � rst hospital in town, that of Dr. J. Q. Allen - Western Slope Hospital and Sanitarium. It later became Belevedere Hotel.
Photo by Nate Wick/Daily PressA medical exam o� ce with medical equipment that dates back to 1885 on display at Mountains of the West Museum.
Photo by Nate Wick/Daily PressA piece of medical equipment that dates back to 1923 on display at Mountains of the West Museum.
HEALTH & EDUCATION
HEALTH & EDUCATION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014 9
1937, taking care of Montrose residents during WWII. He leased the Montrose Hospital on N � ird and was able to purchase it in 1943 as his o� ce and hospital, operating it until 1963, closing mainly due to Medicare requirements.
“Any full time physician who has an active o� ce and hospital practice must have a full-time o� ce girl just to take care of Medicare, Medicaid and insurance forms,” said Lomax.
His reputation preceded Dr. George Balderston when he came to Montrose from Telluride in 1964. He gained national fame in 1948, when, at the age of 30, he removed his own appendix in the Telluride hospital. He said the main reason for his action was to prove the merits of a spinal anesthetic as well as to test surgical patients recovery time. He was aided by one doctor and one nurse in the 45 minute surgery. � e next day he was up and about,
performing rounds at the hospital, proving that days of bed rest was not necessary. In addition to serving as chief of sta� at Montrose Memorial, Dr. Balderston was county coroner for 19 years. He played a key role in establishing a mental health clinic in Montrose.
When Dr. David Mebane came to Montrose in 1964, he had the distinction of having been in the emergency room of Parkland Hospital in Dallas on that fateful day in November 1963, assisting with saving Governor Connally’s life. Mebane’s � rst o� ce in Montrose was located in the former St. Luke’s Hospital building. Before de� brillators were available at Montrose Memorial, he improvised by cutting to the bare wires of an extension cord, plugging it in and placing it on a woman’s chest in order to shock her heart. It worked, saving her life.•
Photo by Nate Wick/Daily PressA piece of medical equipment that dates back to 1923 on display at Museum of the Mountain West.
Photo by Nate Wick/Daily PressA medical exam o� ce displaying a doctor’s desk that dates back to 1885 on display at Museum of the Mountain West.
Photo by Nate Wick/Daily PressA medical exam o� ce that dates back to 1923 on display at Museum of the Mountain West.
Photo by Nate Wick/Daily PressA wooden medical exam table that dates back to 1923 on display at Museum of the Mountain West.
Nate Wick/Daily PressA medical exam o� ce with a table of era tools that dates back to 1885 on display at Museum of the Mountain West.
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hat if a community came together to identify barriers to achieving health and worked to increase
access to the things that promote health?Montrose and Olathe don’t have to
wonder about that. LiveWell Montrose Olathe, drawing upon input from the Growing Healthy Communities Coalition that’s 50-plus members strong, aims to up the consumption of healthful foods and to increase activity levels in the community.
“Being healthy is a personal choice, but not everyone has equal opportunity,” said Tera Wick, coordinator for LiveWell Montrose Olathe. (Wick is Daily Press publisher Francis Wick’s sister-in-law.) “� e data say your health is largely a factor of your environment,” not just a personal choice, she added. Factors such as income play a role in an individual’s environment, as does access to amenities as basic as sidewalks and safe routes to bicycle or walk to work and school.
“We have a lot of strategies on the table, the ultimate goal is to really help the
community get healthier, in all kinds of di� erent forms,” said Abbie Brewer, LiveWell Montrose Olathe’s strategy manager.
LiveWell here hopes grant funding will enable it to launch a “Local Pharmacy Rx” program. � e program would help recipients of federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program aid to supplement their groceries with fresh, locally grown produce — and comes with a twist that will set Montrose and Olathe apart.
� e local program would provide market coupons that can be redeemed for fruits and veggies.
“It provides them another guaranteed funding for only fruits and vegetables and can only be redeemed at the farmers market,” Brewer explained.
If the grant application succeeds, the Montrose Olathe version of the pharmacy Rx program would include a seven-week program of cooking and education seminars, presented with help from Montrose Memorial Hospital. � e seminars are to focus on how to prepare
Adapting For HealthLiveWell Montrose Olathe pushes forward with new goals
Organizations, partners tackle barriers to good healthBy Katharhynn Heidelberg • Daily Press Senior writer
and preserve seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as how to get kids involved with cooking.
“� ere’s not another program like this in Colorado. If we receive the funding for this grant, we would be the � rst in Colorado to host it,” said Brewer.
“It’s changed a lot of people’s mindsets when it comes to fruit and vegetables. It’s helped really put good food on the table. � e other part of it is, it helps the local agricultural community. � e only fruit and vegetable they (participants) can buy is locally grown.
“It goes hand in hand, helping people eat better and have our local ag economy have money � owing in.”
LiveWell plans to pilot the program with 10 families the � rst year, and, pending funding, the program could be launched in June.
� e local twist? Mentors for the families, and the hope that those families will in turn mentor the next year’s participants.
“We hope to create some job opportunities through hits program, as well. I don’t know of anybody else that’s doing that piece of the program,” Brewer said.
“If this works out, it’s going to be pretty amazing.”
LiveWell Montrose Olathe was created when Montrose County was one of 25 communities to receive funding from LiveWell Colorado, a nonpro� t that promotes healthful eating and active living and a goal of reducing obesity rates. LiveWell Colorado’s founding funder is insurance giant Kaiser Permanente.
LiveWell Montrose Olathe launched here in 2012. It is housed within the Valley Food Partnership, a nonpro� t, and its � scal agent is the Montrose Community Foundation, according to the organization’s literature.
Growing Healthy Communities – with stakeholders from local farmers, public schools, local governments and more – is the subgroup of the Valley Food Partnership that leads LiveWell’s work here.
� e work is broken down into � ve basic project areas: active living, food access, health equity, school wellness and worksite wellness. Heavy emphasis is on increasing access to healthful food for those at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty rate, as well as promoting recreational opportunities, safe routes to school, and targeting priority communities with health leadership and advocacy.
LiveWell’s steering committee is
looking at what’s been done so far, in order to determine which strategies are most e� ective, Wick said. “LiveWell (Colorado) has asked us to narrow our strategies by 30 to 50 percent. � at will be a process of getting community input,” she said.
“I expect it to be kind of a big task. All of the strategies, I think our community needs. � ey came out of the process of working with our stakeholders … but we’re trying to � gure out the most e� ective way to spend our strategy in the next years of LiveWell funding.”
A committee for each LiveWell strategy area meets regularly to develop that strategy with di� erent partners. LiveWell’s active living committees are working with the Montrose Recreation District to help the district prepare for a Great Outdoors Colorado grant, and is also working to help move the rec center ballot initiative forward.
Other work includes ongoing e� orts to establish and support gardens at local schools, the Town of Olathe’s community garden at the Sweet Corn Park and the development of a garden at Sunshine Peaks Apartments, in partnership with Grace Community Church.
Wick also spoke of the “produce to pantries” project, which works with local farmers to ease the process of getting their excess produce to local food banks.
“We recognize food waste as a problem,” said Wick. “� ey’ve had huge growth in their demand at food banks, unfortunately. We’re trying to help them meet that need.”
Local schools have made great strides in the past few years toward making school lunches healthful. Graduate students who conducted a community assessment here discovered that a number of students who quali� ed for free or reduced lunches weren’t taking advantage of that program, however, said Wick. � e graduate students launched a focus group to get feedback from some of the children and their parents; Wick said a report is pending.
LiveWell is reaching out to adults in the workforce, too, bringing in business advisors for companies that may be interested in implementing worksite wellness programs.
Improving a community’s health may be a tall order, but Wick indicated it’s worth the e� ort and de� ning health itself need not be complicated.
“Freedom from illness; happiness, freedom to be able to move around and do the things we enjoy is a component of health.” •
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Courtesy photoLivewell partners come together last year.
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HEALTH & EDUCATION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014 11
Columbine Middle School is showing its age.
It’s old, with walls separating from � oors, classrooms sinking and cracks getting larger.
“I’ve been watching the glacier move,” Principal Ben Stephenson said.
� ere is no question that the middle school needs massive repairs or to be replaced. � e question is how to approach the issue � nancially. Options for short-term repairs or complete replacement have been discussed by the Montrose County School Board, but there remains no clear answer.
“I never got the impression from anybody that there wasn’t a need,” Stephenson said. “Everybody realizes it’s a need, it’s just how do we do that? How do we meet those needs?”
Columbine Middle School opened in 1961. Its main building is more than 39,000 square feet, and a new 10,000 square foot addition was added in 2008. � ere are 512 students at the school with 48 sta� members, and there is no air conditioning or proper heating.
� e hallway � oors have ripples like a small wave pool. Tiles underneath lockers are coming o� the � oor. Windows above lockers have been removed to increase ventilation in classrooms.
“It’s in ruins in many ways,” Superintendent Mark MacHale said. “It needs
millions and millions and millions of dollars worth of work. We really don’t want to put that money in right now to a place that we know we need to get rid of.”
Jason Arebalos, the director of property services, presented � ve options for Columbine to the school board in January.
� e � rst is a two-to-� ve year remodel that would repair the carpet and � oors, remove some asbestos, � x some concrete foundation, and a few other � xes. It would cost approximately $1.6 million, and would not address air conditioning issues.
� e second option is a 5-10 year remodel, which would include air conditioning upgrades along with all the repairs in Option 1. It is estimated to cost $3.9 million, but doesn’t address issues with classroom size and learning space.
� e third option would be to build another eight-classroom addition like the one built in 2008, while closing eight classrooms in the existing building. � e new classrooms would address issues like size, bathrooms and learning space, but would not take care of issues in the gym and media center.
An option attached to No. 3 would be to build the eight new classrooms and also add air conditioning to the existing building.
� e fourth option would be for 10-15 years
The Next Step For Columbine
Repairs are needed, funding is the question
By Nathan Meacham • Daily Press Staff Writer
Continued on next page
Photo by Nathan Meacham/Daily PressColumbine principal Ben Stephenson stands on the broken entryway steps of Columbine Middle School on Feb. 7.
Photo by Nathan Meacham/Daily PressA classroom at Columbine Middle School has dropped several inches from where it originally was built in 1961.
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and is expected to cost $11.7 million, while the option to build a new Columbine Middle School is estimated to cost $13.6 million.
MacHale said the issues at Columbine were presented to the community two years ago, but the timing wasn’t right with the recession. Now he is hearing that people are more willing and focused on Columbine.
“How to do it is the problem,” he said.� e school will have some changes to its
entrance this summer to solve safety issues. � e front o� ce currently is around the corner and has no visibility of the front doors.
All classrooms are locked during each period, which is why window panels along the halls have been removed to help with ventilation.
“Even if we were to go for a new building at some stage, you’re still looking two to three years out. You need to invest in that for the safety of everybody in the building,” said Mindy Baumgardner, the communications and special projects coordinator for the school district.
One option for funding a new school includes a bond issuance that would be paid back by the district over 20 years.
Other options are still up for discussion along with the di� erent options for repairs or replacement.
Stephenson said his sta� , while o� en working in classrooms that are “not the best environment for the highest level of learning,” are still doing great work with the kids.
Everyone involved, the community or the central o� ce, knows that the question is far beyond whether or not Columbine Middle School needs major repairs.
“It’s just putting everybody’s brains together and � guring out how to do it,” Stephenson said. “It’s certainly not an easy decision.” •
Continued from page 11
Photo by Nathan Meacham/Daily PressColumbine Midde School students walk through the halls during a passing period on Feb. 7.
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HEALTH & EDUCATION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014 13
CMU Plaza Next Step For CampusCreating student space develops campus ‘feel’
By Drew Setterholm • Daily Press Staff Writer
olorado Mesa University has an eye on developing its Montrose campus with a focus on students. � at will begin
this spring with the construction of a plaza at Cascade Avenue and South Second Street.
� e city of Montrose paved the way for CMU’s campus development in December, when the city council passes an ordinance vacating its right of way on a half-block segment of street at Cascade and between South Second and South � ird streets. CMU will use the space to create an open-space plaza, much like a quad at larger campuses.
� e objective of the new space will be to connect the campus’ two buildings and promote a people-friendly atmosphere that invites students to stay on campus before, between and a� er classes.
“� e intent of the project is really to connect the building we bought across the street with the classrooms in the old Morgan building,” said Derek Wagner, CMU vice president for intergovernmental and community a� airs. “We’re trying to make that space across the street a place that’s more attractive for students to stay.”
� e campus’ new property, the Davis building, is located across Cascade Avenue and will be home to many of the college’s student services. Administration, tutoring and other services that had been crowded into an o� ce space in the Morgan building will expand in the Davis building, creating a student-centered space and reducing the “commuter feel.
“I think that our intent here is really to connect that building and give it a sense of place and that campus feel,” Wagner said. “Right now I think that we’ve got the classroom building, but we don’t have a lot of room for our student services side of the house. A lot of those functions are done in one o� ce right now. We think that if we can move across the street and make it a student center, that will give them an opportunity to stay (on campus).”
Students are not the only population who will bene� t from the plaza, Wagner said.
Continued on next page
C
Photo by Drew Setterholm/daily pressColorado Mesa University’s Montrose campus will be developed with a green space plaza this year on a portion of Cascade Avenue.
Photo by Drew Setterholm/daily pressThe segment of Cascade Avenue leading to the Davis building will be converted into a green space plaza.
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“We’re a public university,” he said. “We’re hoping that our enhanced campus will be a gathering place, a place to learn about what programs we o� er.”
Having a well-lit, open space will also be a bene� t to the city’s pedestrian tra� c, especially in the evening hours, Wagner said.
When the city passed its ordinance vacating right of way in December, there
were a few concerns from citizens and property owners near the planned plaza on vehicle tra� c and parking. Wagner said the college has been diligent in exploring those issues and � nding solutions.
“It’s a perennial issue on every campus in America, frankly — is there enough parking. We’ve been able to address those issues,” he said.
A brewing partnership with Montrose
County could allow shared parking with neighboring county facilities, Wagner said.
Partnership and cooperation has been a theme throughout the plaza project.
“� e project itself is a pretty incredible example of the partnerships in Montrose,” Wagner said.
From shared construction and work-in-kind, CMU has found willing partners in the
city and county through the planning process and into the construction phase. Building those relationships could be a good indicator for continuing to grow the Montrose campus in the future, Wagner said.
“We’ve really gotten a lot of support in the past and I do think it’s a good indicator going forward,” he said. •
Continued from page 13
Photo by Drew Setterholm/daily pressThe interior of the Davis building will be redesigned to � t CMU’s administration and student services o� ces.
HEALTH & EDUCATION
HEALTH & EDUCATION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2014 15
ake Hanson found a win-win deal last year in Montrose: � e chance to literally earn his keep by helping Cynthia
Harwood design a website for her time bank and install a perma-culture garden in exchange for a place to stay.
“Cynthia had a guest bedroom that went unused. From my end, I was able to put my skills and my talents to use. We took money out of the equation,” the 2009 University of Utah graduate said.
Hanson and Harwood’s arrangement was made possible by � e Transition Lab, established in 2010 by Montrose residents Russell and Heather Evans. � e lab began when they invited an intern into their home in exchange for him working in their organic garden. � e idea bloomed from there.
“I believe we really need to transition our economy away from something that’s
completely unsustainable into something that we would want to give to our grandchildren,” said Russell Evans.
“In order to do that, we need to spend a lot of time creating new models for a new economy that can actually work and meet our needs in more e� cient ways. � e Transition Lab is a living laboratory where creative individuals can come and experiment with models that may or may not work.”
� e lab o� ers a seven-month co-creator program for $12,500 and a summertime skilled resident intensive course for $4,750. Students learn to meet their basic needs — and how to contribute to the larger world. � e lab teaches such skills as organic gardening, perma-culture design, mediation, con� ict resolution, green building and more.
Incubating solutions� e traditional university approach can
isolate students from the community when they could be contributing ideas directly to it, Evans said.
“What I’m trying to create is the opposite of that, where you have smart, creative people in a community and those smart, creative people are teachers. � e purpose should be to teach things that will directly improve the lives of things around them in the community,” he said.
“It’s one thing to train somebody to be a doctor and have that person move to New York City. It’s another thing entirely to say ‘Here are these people in our community who are educated and we’re going to use that as a resource.’”
In exchange for 10 or so hours of work each
week, college students and graduates receive housing that is supported by existing resources — think of Harwood’s spare bedroom.
“It was an awesome experience,” said Harwood, who has her own nonpro� t, Time Bank of the Rockies, which has goals similar to the Transition Lab’s.
“I was a little concerned at the beginning, but (Hanson) worked out really well as far as I’m concerned. It helps everybody. It allows this young person not to have to pay rent. It helps the owner of the house get things done that they might not otherwise,” said Harwood.
“It was a great opportunity for me to live and work with Cynthia,” Hanson said — and it also allowed him to become involved in her time bank.
Sharing housing also cuts down on people’s carbon footprints, Evans noted, and it allows students to cut down on debt a� er graduation.
From Backyard Experiment To World Experience
Transition Lab connects students with community, sustainable skills
By Katharhynn Heidelberg • Daily Press Senior Writer
J
Photo courtesy of Jake HansonCynthia Harwood looks over the beginning of her new perma-culture garden last year as a pet cat checks it out. The spiral paths were designed to maximize growing space.
Photo courtesy of The Transition LabJake Hanson mixes straw and manure to amend the soil in a perm-culture garden at Cynthia Harwood’s home last year.
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Photo courtesy of Jake HansonPeople from several farms and the Transition Lab gather at Buckhorn Gardens to put new plastic on the “high tunnel” greenhouse. The double-layer plastic allows for year-round production.
Photo courtesy of Jake HansonRussell Evans, director of the Transition Lab, looks at tomato plants growing at Straw Hat Farm last season.
Photo courtesy of Jake HansonFresh produce glistens at the Straw Hat Farm Store. The Transition Lab helped grow and harvest much of the produce.
� e working theory is that they are freed “to make the world a better place immediately” while using their skills to address the major challenges of providing a� ordable organic food to communities and — Evans hopes — more a� ordable elder care.
For example, Transition lab students work on local organic farms and receive food shares in return.
Creativity, not communesEvans talks of a complementary economy,
not a cashless one.“My intention is not to live in a commune
without money, just eating vegetables. My goal is simply by � guring out how we can provide for people’s basic needs in new and creative ways by using the resources that we already have,” he said.
“I think one of the big things right now is the economy isn’t working out for vast sections of the population and yet there’s ways to use existing resources di� erently so we can generate wealth that � lls some of those gaps,” he said.
For example, area farmers need extra � eld hands, but with margins painfully tight,
they might not have the ability to hire. � ey might, however, have excess produce.
“A really simple way to solve the food poverty issue is just to exchange labor on farms for produce. In order for that to work out, you have to have some kind of system of relationships set up so that the work is dependable and it’s an equitable relationship,” Evans said.
“If you do take the time to develop those relationships, you can get a lot done.”
� e Transition Lab works with Straw Hat Farms, Circle A Gardens and Buckhorn Gardens, exchanging labor for food and education. Evans said he’s had other interest, but “ironically, I haven’t had enough people say that they’re willing to work for it.”
Hanson certainly was. “It’s hard to make a pro� t as is, let alone
trying to pay people for work,” he said of farmers. “� ey did have an abundance of fresh, organic local produce. � at’s something I valued, too. In addition to an education, I got exchanges of food and my cost of food was directly reduced.”
Evans said the lab has already created a situation for a� ordable housing and a� ordable
food — anyone can use these models and work cash jobs to pay o� their debt.
“If you have an ability to get your basic needs met in a way that our current economy is struggling with, then we have a chance to really enliven our community,” he said.
� e Transition Lab continues to grow. � is year, Evans hopes to hire a chef who would work in exchange for tuition at the lab. � e woman in mind is a recent college graduate, carrying debt, who is having a hard time � nding work, Evans said. But he can o� er her tuition and she can cook meals for people in his own neighborhood who don’t have enough to eat and cannot work.
“� is year, it will be an experiment, taking a complementary economy to a whole new level,” Evans said. � is model, still in the works, ups the simple labor-equals-food concept. “� is one is education plus labor equals food, plus tuition, plus feeding the neighbors.”
Evans especially wants to develop an elder care model — though he says it is a long way o� . “We’ve become a society where our elders go into debt and die alone, which is awful. One of the things I would like is to create a way for folks ... where they can use
the skilled resident model.”� at would be living in an elder’s home in
exchange for labor as basic as moving heavy objects, cooking and running errands. � e strategy could also foster inter-generational relationships.
“We’ve gone from just an experiment in my backyard to a school with 12 part-time teachers and four to eight students in just a couple of years,” Evans said.
� e Transition Lab looking for more housing donors for this year.
Hanson will be back, this time to help with coordination and teaching, though he’ll also be learning more: Hanson hopes to replicate the lab concept in the Salt Lake City area.
“� ere’s a whole lot to learn just by being out there on the farms. I learned a lot last year and will keep learning this year. Even as as teacher, I’ll be learning a lot,” he said.
“� e whole idea that Russell has is that young people learn to be entrepreneurs and take what they learn back to their communities,” said Harwood.
“I would encourage people to try it if they have a spare bedroom and things they need help with. I’m glad (Hanson) is coming back.” •
