The evening of April 7, Carbondale resident Rita Marsh was announced as the Garfield County Humanitarian Awards’ Wellness Visionary honoree. Presented by Garfield County Human Services Commission and the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners, the award is a testament to Marsh’s decades-long career cultivating connection, wellness and balance. Marsh is the co-founder of the Center for Human Flourishing (CHF) based in Carbondale. The night also honored Quinn McSwain (Taking Flight award), Dee Warwick (Heart & Soul) and Patricia Horwitz (Lifetime Service). Marsh told The Sopris Sun that she was proud to be recognized alongside these admirable community leaders.
This interview with Marsh has been edited for clarity and length.
First of all, congratulations on this incredible achievement!
It was a real honor to be nominated in the first place. My colleague, Dr. Greg Feinsinger, was the one who initiated that. We’ve worked together for a number of years raising awareness for [a] plant-based lifestyle to reverse chronic illness and prevent significant disease. He gathered people who wrote letters of support. At the dinner, I was listening to what people were saying and then the commissioner started talking about the recipient and I thought, ‘Oh, really? He’s talking about me!’ I had to take some deep breaths and really take it all in. I was really surprised.
What sparked your career in medicine?
I’m from Ontario, Canada and I grew up in a very small village in the woods near a lake. My father was somewhat of a humanitarian, because he would rescue injured animals. Then, having a good family friend who was a nurse I became interested in what her career looked like. In high school, I thought I would want to be a physician, but my father said we couldn’t afford it. So that was a squelch, but the interest in nursing stayed with me. I went to the Wellesley Hospital in Toronto that had a three-year experiential nursing program. I stayed in the Toronto area for a number of years working in labor and delivery, and wow what a special place to see the little ones entering the world.
How did you make your way to the Valley?
I was very athletic and interested in skiing. I asked my friend’s father, “Where is the best place in North America to ski?” and he said, “Aspen, Colorado!”
I took the train from Toronto to Chicago and then to Glenwood Springs. I planned to come down for four weeks, but found a place at the bottom of Aspen’s Lift 1A. I was amazed at the mountain, skiing and everything.
How did you fill those early years?
I spent four years skiing and finding jobs that could support my lifestyle. I went back to nursing in 1969 at the Aspen Hospital. We took care of every aspect of life from birth to death — and every broken bone in between.
When did you begin to integrate the philosophy of balance into your work?
While working in the emergency room I saw the impact of people’s decisions in life that put them in bad places. I started to realize I was not impactful there, and I wanted to get into intervention and prevention. I looked into a family nurse practitioner program at the University of Colorado. I figured that if I moved into that career I could get to know people on a more personal level.
What does a “life in balance” mean to you?
I work through the framework of the Integral Health Model — including biological health, psychospiritual, wordly and interpersonal — because of my relationship with Dr. Elliott Dacher and the book he wrote: “Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing.” That was very impactful, looking at the whole person between mind, body and spirit.
Recognizing we’re held in a field of spirit — and that connection to the creator or greater good or whatever you believe in — is an essential part of being a human being. That model really gave me a way to express what I knew. More recently, I began to realize that health began from the ground up. The food that we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe are the resources for living a flourishing life.
Your career has had a big impact on our community. What are you most proud of?
A coalescence of the healing arts community is always the goal. We have the community [and] creative arts. Amy Kimberly always said the healing arts are part of that, and I try to hold that we are on parallel and complementary paths so that Carbondale shines and honors the talents that we have here with a capacity to celebrate life.
Most important question, what’s for dinner tonight?
Well, I don’t think we’re making dinner tonight because today [April 24] is our 55th wedding anniversary!
Congratulations! What’s the secret to 55 years of marriage?
A few years back, I asked Dick what he thinks of having so many years of marriage and he said, ‘What else would I be doing?’ Marsh laughed. But truly, having similar interests, enjoying life, raising two daughters and agreeing to support each other day by day.
To keep up with the Center for Human Flourishing, visit www.thecenterforhumanflourishing.org