There are countless things that a community can do to make itself more livable. But no matter how many new bridges, roads or new anything that can be built, nothing comes close to being as important as building better community health. And Pueblo is doing its best.
But Pueblo, one of Colorado’s oldest and most diverse cities, is no different than any other Colorado town. It is facing the same public health challenges as rest of the state, said Olivia Leyva, Pueblo County Health and Environment’s Director of Equity and Engagement Coordinator.
A recent report issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment showed the state, along with two others—New Mexico and Hawaii—as having the third highest mortality rate in the country for Latinos. The report underscored premature deaths from liver disease, diabetes and overdoses as the biggest health threats.
But there are also other health issues plaguing Latinos that have been historic challenges, one being obesity, said Leyva. Last year, she said, “we focused on food access,” with an emphasis on nutritional and healthy foods.
Pueblo, despite having the largest population of any city in southern Colorado, struggles with food deserts. It has been several years since a legacy grocery store has served the city’s east side. In other parts of the city, other familiar name grocery stores have also shuttered.
Leyva said to address food nutrition, “teams mobilized” to get word out about eating healthy. Food shopping at convenience stores is often the only option for thousands of city dwellers and too often, healthy choices are simply not available in these stores. Until the city can solve the shortage of healthy food options, it, like so many other cities dealing with the same issue, finding the light at the end of the tunnel will be elusive.
Pueblo is not only the region’s economic hub—people come from as far east as La Junta and Lamar to make major purchases—it is also where they come for medical care, both physical and mental health.
Leyva said her agency is working with outlying towns “from various health agencies” to address these public health issues. It is also working to address the health care needs with these partners in areas where Spanish was often the language of choice.
Premature deaths among Pueblo’s Latino population are no different than the rest of the state. The report issued by state health stated that in 76 out of 122 categories, Latinos were disproportionately represented. In Pueblo, this is a statistic taken perhaps more seriously than many other places. The city’s Hispanic population is 50 percent.
Diabetes is nightmarishly overrepresented in the state’s Latino population, according to state health. It says that nearly 10 percent of Colorado’s Latinos had either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Slightly over 6 percent of the state’s White population was diagnosed as diabetic.
Besides diabetes, liver disease and overdose deaths impact Latinos, including in Pueblo. Also, Latinos in Pueblo also died at a higher rate than White Coloradans in other categories. Deaths from homicide and motor vehicle deaths also reflected this trend.
With a changing of seasons, Pueblo and all of Colorado are once again bracing for virus illnesses and deaths. COVID, while not nearly the threat it posed just two years ago, nonetheless remains a threat. Influenza, a seasonal virus, but one not to be taken lightly, is now making its annual visit to the state and country. Not to be forgotten, flu kills as many as 30,000 Americans each year.
During the pandemic, Pueblo suffered like the rest of the state and nation. Pueblo County recorded 63,000 cases of COVID and 900 deaths. The peak period for the virus occurred in October 2021.
While the darkest days of COVID are in the past, health officials are still on guard against its return. In Pueblo, said Leyva, “We received an additional round of funding to promote COVID and flu vaccinations,” includ- ing vaccinations for children. County health, she said, is also undertaking an outreach effort to alert people to focus on their health.
“We’re going community to community,” Leyva said. The effort to warn Puebloans about each of the viruses will be via health fairs, through community organizations and with “teams of nurses willing to get the information out to the public.”
Leyva said that the effort will target as many workplaces as possible and also places where people live and play.
