Estes Park Hospital will become a subsidiary of UCHealth after the deal was approved by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, as publicly announced on Monday, Sept. 22.
According to a press release from the attorney general, the hospital, medical clinic, and Urgent Care facility will be transferred to a new nonprofit entity called UCHealth Estes Valley Medical Center, which will have authority over the management and operations of EPH assets.
The EPH board will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, for a study session conducted by phone for an update on the attorney general’s closing date, Board administrative updates, District budget time deadlines, the District budget, and the District’s operations post close. Study sessions are not executive session meetings. The meeting dial-in number is 970-822-7850, and the code when prompted is 314 982 740#.
The merger is anticipated to be discussed at the EPH’s next board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 9. The board’s September meeting was cancelled in lieu of the revised meeting schedule.
Information released by Weiser’s office noted that “a majority of members of the new UCHealth Estes Park Board of Directors will be from the Estes Park community, ensuring that the priorities of the local and surrounding communities will be top of mind when the board makes decisions related to the operations of the hospital. Because this transaction involves tax revenues, the voters in the special district would retain all their statutory rights under the Special District Act, § 32–1–101, C.R.S., and may exercise those rights at any time.”
In making his announcement, Weiser found that the transaction will not result in a material change to Estes Park Health’s public purpose and that Coloradans will not experience a reduction in the availability and accessibility of health care services in the communities the hospital serves.
Based on documents and other information produced by EPH and UCHealth, along with public comments, the Colorado Department of Law determined that the merger allows hospital assets to remain in Colorado and that the affiliation will not result in a material change to the mission, vision, and public purpose of EPH,” according to information provided by the attorney general’s office.
“In this review, we took that charge seriously, as we have in prior reviews, and analyzed the nature and impact of this transaction. Based on our review, we have no legal objection to the transaction proceeding,” Wiser said.
“The department also found no reason to believe there will be a reduction in the availability and accessibility of healthcare services in the communities served by the hospital, and the transaction can proceed without further review,” the public release said.
UCHealth’s commitments under the transaction include assuming $10 million in long-term debt held by Estes Park Health and providing at least $20 million over 10 years for capital projects and routine maintenance. Additionally, UCHealth has committed to hiring most Estes Park Health employees who are in good standing.
EPH first began pursuing an affiliation with UCHealth nearly two years ago. During the intervening months, the board of directors of EPH has met frequently to iron out details of the merger agreement, which includes the transfer of the local employees to UCHealth, financial arrangements, and other details.
Since it opened in 1975, Estes Park Health has been funded through property taxes collected by a special district governed by a locally elected five-member district board. According to the terms of the transaction, the district will continue to collect that tax from property owners and transfer the tax revenue to the new nonprofit entity to support the hospital’s operations.
As of Monday, final contractual documents had not been signed, and previous announcements indicated that a period of up to six more weeks could be necessary to finalize all appropriate documents.
Click here to read the attorney general’s 21-page document regarding this merger.
Correction, September 22, 2025 8:57 pm: The time of the meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 23 has been corrected. The meeting will take place at 9 a.m. Also the name of the new facility will be UCHealth Estes Valley Medical Center.