Community
Springing Forward | A Message from CEO Dave Ressler
Aspen Valley Hospital has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the country by Chartis Center for Rural Health in 2024. We are one of three Colorado hospitals to receive this honor that recognizes outstanding performance.
This welcome news arrives while we know that more than 70% of Colorado hospitals operate with unsustainable margins, as expenses continue to rise at near double-digit rates. We are proud to be recognized as a top performer, but we must give credit where credit is due. Our community and our committed healthcare professionals make a difference for us and our ability to serve you, our community, with extraordinary healthcare.
Last month, we announced we are commencing construction of the fourth and final phase of our Master Facilities Plan that has converted our 1970s facility into a state-of-the-art medical center. This $180 million dollar transformation could not have been possible without the generous support of our community through a powerful combination of property taxes and philanthropy. We continue to receive this much-needed support as we expand our services to include more primary care physicians and specialists and to find housing solutions for our staff.
However, our performance is about much more than maintaining our financial viability during a very tough time for hospitals. We exist to provide a full spectrum of healthcare and wellness services that are an essential part of our vision to foster our community as the healthiest in the nation. In this edition of our enewsletter, we provide examples of how we are not just a hospital, caring for the sick and injured. We work hard to improve your health and wellbeing by addressing the whole person and not just your physical health. We demonstrate this through our participation in the Hospital Transformation Program, led by our Director of Quality, Patient Safety and Risk Management (and long-time leader) Elaine Gerson. We believe healthcare needs to transform from an industrial complex to a patient-centered delivery system that defines success as a healthy and active community.
We are also excited to announce our Health Fair is scheduled for June 7, 8 and 9, in Aspen and Basalt. This is our opportunity to provide reduced-cost lab tests that are an important part of understanding our health and taking steps to improve our lifestyle.
We are proud to be a part of an active and informed community, and we strive to provide the information and services our community needs and deserves. And we are thankful that our community provides us with the financial and philanthropic support that enables us to do so.
Happy Spring!
Dave