Workman takes over as chair of Estes Park Health

Cory Workman will lead the Estes Park Health board of directors as chair of the five-member group for the next year.

Workman’s election to the position came Wednesday as the newly constituted EPH board voted to select leaders after newly elected board members Tom Leigh and Janet Zeschin took their oaths of office.

Other positions on the board went to Steve Alper, who will serve as vice chair, Zeschin as secretary, Bridgitte Foust as treasurer and Tom Leigh, who will serve as member at large.

The seating of new board members and the naming of officers came following the May 6 special election. Vice chair Drew Webb chose not to seek another term on the board, and the immediate past chair, David Batey, was ineligible to serve another four years due to term limits.

Before leaving the dais, Batey was highly complimentary of those he worked with for the past eight years, mentioning each board member and CEO Vern Carda for their expertise and support.

While Batey acknowledged that EPH has opportunities to become stronger, “I believe that at this point, health is in a good state.” 

Batey pointed to the financial success of 2024, saying, “Our goal was to break at least even. We ended up with $880,000 plus” on the bottom line “and $5.3 million in earnings before interest, tax, appreciation, and amortization. That’s really important.”

Batey said that recent high marks on audits and accreditation surveys conducted by outside agencies are indicators leading to his assessment. 

“We talked about quality measures back in January 2025. They all compared to national benchmarks. Look at all 80th and 90th percentiles so the present looks good,” Batey said.

“It’s a challenge when everyone feels strongly about issues to find a way of being able to work together to serve the community. I believe this new board has the capacity to work together to address our community’s needs,” Batey said.

Speaking of the future affiliation, Batey said, “I believe that there’s a bright future ahead. I’m confident the new board will move toward closing the partnership.” 

“UC Health is talking about investing tens of millions of dollars in health care in this valley, and by having a partnership, we’ll have available technologies like tele-behavioral health and virtual health that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars,” Batey noted.

“The money is not important. It’s really about the quality of care that will be available to our community as a result of having this relationship with UC Health. And I believe that this really enables us to have world-class health care for our community for many years to come. I’m looking forward to that. I’m excited about it,” Batey said in closing.

In his parting remarks to an in-person audience of about 25 and 16 online attendees, Webb thanked “most of the community for their support and understanding of the process” moving toward EPH’s affiliation with UCHealth. 

“And a special thanks to David Batey for his commitment, dedication, and keeping this board focused on the goal, in spite of the many, many distractions. Without him, this could never happen,” Webb said. “I’m confident that this new board will push this opportunity with UC Health over the goal line without any disruptions.”

In parting, Webb also had a message for others. “At some point in time, the community needs to step back and consider holding the media accountable for the continued misuse of the truth, as well as wasting taxpayers’ dollars while, I would say, hiding behind the wizard curtain of transparency,” he said.