After announcing the hospital had received an unspecified threat, the Estes Park Health board of directors moved its Jan. 29 meeting online.
According to a statement issued by the Estes Park Police Department, “After hearing the details of the matter from EPH leadership, we determined, from a law enforcement perspective, that the information they relayed to us did not contain evidence of a threat or any potential criminal activity, and therefore would not lead to an investigation.”
The statement reiterated, “This is an isolated matter only within EPH, and we have no evidence of any security threats in our community.”
Status reports from hospital leaders filled the majority of the two-and-a-half hour online meeting.
Board chair David Batey gave the report for the board, hospital administrator Vern Carda reported on hospital operations, Aysha Douglas provided a financial report, and Dr. Jennifer McLellan, the newly elected chief of staff, gave a report from the medical staff.
Kendra Simms, in charge of quality and patient safety, detailed ongoing and planned programs designed to support staff and patients, identify issues needing attention, and maintain optimal functioning of hospital systems.
Sarah Shepherd, chief executive officer of Circuit Rider of Colorado and the hospital’s designated election official, reported on details of the upcoming election which will be held May 6. The election will be managed by Circuit Rider, a firm that specializes in providing services to local governments and special districts. The company has managed previous elections for the hospital district.
There are two board seats up for election. Individuals interested in serving can place their name in nomination by Feb. 28. Information about the process is available in the Estes Valley Voice Election Guide.
Batey addressed the concern that the Salud Family Health Center in Estes Park faces a $1 million operational deficit and if the funding cannot be raised, it may close by May 31.
The local Salud clinic provides primary medical, mental health, dental, and pharmacy services for more than 2,000 low-income and under insured patients in the Estes Valley. Batey said the closure of the clinic would have a profound impact on operations at EP Health.
The status of plans to affiliate with UCHealth
Batey provided commentary about health care since the creation of the Park Hospital District in 1969 and the opening of the hospital in 1975. While the hospital began as an independent facility, significant changes in healthcare delivery and in systems of financial support have made that degree of independence unsustainable, he said.
In 2024, voters of the district approved a ballot measure that gave the hospital board authority to pursue an affiliation with a larger non-profit health care system. Negotiations between EP Health and UCHealth, which manages 14 hospitals and dozens of clinics in Colorado and neighboring states, have been ongoing. In October, EP Health announced that a letter of intent had been signed.
At the November board meeting, Batey said the letter was “privileged” and it would never be released to the public. Instead, a summary of the letter was made available at the Oct. 23 board meeting.
“The affiliation process with UCHealth, for our employees, has added uncertainty,” said Batey noting that negotiations are complex and while progress has been slower than many would like, the board is proceeding deliberately to ensure that there will be quality healthcare in Estes Park for years to come.
According to a press release issued by EPH on Jan. 29 the affiliation may not be complete until mid-2025.
At this time, only a preliminary agreement between EPH and UCHealth has been signed with many details yet to be clarified, Batey said.
The Park Hospital District will continue to be the taxing authority, but management of the hospital and setting hospital policy will become the purview of a new board of directors which will include community stakeholders. The mechanism of selecting the board has not been dislosed. The current board of directors which determines the property tax mill levy is elected by the voters.
The hospital has come under criticism for running operational deficits. Earlier in the meeting Douglas reported sequential improvement in this metric. Batey underscored this information and said, “Our financial performance is strong and getting stronger.”
Over the past few years, the hospital eliminated labor and delivery care, in-patient pediatrics, in-home health and hospice care, and its nursing home to improve its financial position. Discontinuing these services has provoked criticism by members of the community.
Batey countered those criticisms by iterating how EPH providers have filled the void.
Pediatricians and family doctors continue to provide care for children and adolescents on an outpatient basis and utilize hospitals in Loveland and Fort Collins when necessary.
Social workers with hospice experience were hired. They take more calls than the hospice program did previously, and doctors continue to provide end-of-life medical care to patients both in and out of the hospital, Batey said.
“Our health care quality is excellent,” said Batey in response to negative statements about hospital services that have been posted on social media platforms.
Batey also defended EPH against accusation of engendering a “toxic culture” in which exploitation and mistreatment of staff is tolerated. He disputed this accusation by pointing out that EPH has a stable staff with a low turnover. “Our retention data are better than the national averages,” he said.
During the pandemic, Batey said EPH had to rely on “travelers,” nurses and other medical personnel who filled the void but did not live in the community or have a commitment to it. Many of those individuals returned to Estes Park to work for EPH, said Batey.
During a recent survey from a regulatory authority, Batey noted, the surveyors praised the EPH staff with the comment “staff here are so energetic and interested in making things better.”
Batey acknowledged the challenges EPH has faced, including the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and credited the doctors, staff and administration of EPH for having successfully met the needs of patients and hospital personnel over the last several years.
“The healthcare environment remains challenging,” Batey said. “We, as a board, would like to thank our employees and community members.”
No one with a once of sense would say something negative on an employer survey.
The CEO knows he has some foul staff. They protect each other without a conscious. This I know. They have full time staff members who get paid to hide the truth about patients complaints. An HR staff that’s a sellout.
My favorite moment is when the administrative assistant told staff in training how to handle a threat that includes concern of discrimination:
“they have some nerve accusing us of that”
The home health care & hospice staff worked through the pandemic. They were terminated under great derese and told it was their fault if the affiliation didn’t go through. There was about 20 staff members let go.
Don’t work here unless you can look at yourself in the mirror everyday and say, “as long as I get paid I don’t care!”