Health & wellness
BY CARSON WEAVER
Health & Wellness Edition 2025
Readers, welcome to your annual CI Health & Wellness Edition! This brand new guide features the latest updates and resources on health and wellness in your community, ranging from local programs to details about medications. All of the stories were written by our team of local journalists, and all of the advertisements are from nearby businesses who support our mission to provide free, useful news—show them your gratitude by supporting them. In this issue, you’ll learn more about parks in the area, and a program at Houston Methodist The Woodlands that provides community and connection for patients. Additionally, read further to get information about a local running club that ends with a brew, and a local business that offers methods to optimize health naturally. Our cover story looks at equine-assisted services in and around the Conroe and Montgomery area, and the benefits clients see from the services offered by local nonprofits and businesses. To read additional health and wellness coverage, and to keep up with the news throughout the month, visit communityimpact.com/newsletter to sign up for our free daily email newsletter.
What's inside
County mental health facility expansion proceeds with new leadership (Page 21)
Chrissy Leggett General Manager cleggett@ communityimpact.com
Montgomery’s Revive Biohacking aims to optimize health naturally (Page 23)
Demand rising for semaglutides such as Ozempic and Zepbound (Page 25)
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When it comes to proximity to a park, 23% of Conroe residents and 37% of Willis residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, which is lower than the average of the nation’s 100 most populous cities at 74%, per the Trust for Public Land. The TPL launched the 10-Minute Walk program in 2017, which aims to improve access to parks, per its website. “Public parks and green spaces are community essentials,” said Bianca Clarke, director of the 10-Minute Walk program. “Parks offer nearby residents a place to play, connect and reap the benefits of the outdoors.” 23% of Conroe residents live close to parks
Measuring the impact
Willis
Total number of parks: 4 Total park acres: 42 Percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park: 37%
According to the TPL, the city of Houston spends $32 per resident on parks each year, while other Texas cities such as Austin, San Antonio and Dallas spend upwards of $120 per resident. An October 2023 report by the Kinder Institute—a research organization at Rice University—showed two-thirds of Houston residents supported the city spending upwards of $100 per resident on parks and green space. Additionally, in 2021, local parks and recreation agencies in Texas generated $13 billion in economic activity, and supported 74,722 jobs, according to the National Recreation and Parks Association. Nationally, local public park and recreation agencies generated $201.4 billion in economic activity and supported over 1 million jobs.
LAKE CONROE
59
45
105
69
249
Conroe
6 Total number of parks: 23 Total park acres: 2,321 Percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park: 23%
99
LAKE HOUSTON
99
8
45
TRINITY BAY
10
146
90
N
1093
NOTE: THE CITY OF MONTGOMERY WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND’S PARKSERVE DATABASE. SOURCE: TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND/COMMUNITY IMPACT
19
CONROE - MONTGOMERY EDITION
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