One of the last stops along the path of UCHealth’s acquisition of Estes Park Health will occur on Monday when Larimer County Commissioners weigh in on whether to approve the proposed service plan for the health organizations.
The meeting before the commissioners will follow a public hearing at 3 p.m. Monday in the County’s Meeting Room, 200 W. Oak St., in Fort Collins. The public can attend in person or watch online. Materials for the meeting begin on page 31 of the Commissioner’s Board Packet.
Assuming all goes forward expeditiously, EPH and UCHealth anticipate the switch to operations being provided under the UCHealth banner on Dec. 1. At that time, EPH will officially become UCHealth Estes Valley Medical Center.
Under UCHealth management, significant funds for the healthcare center operations will still be paid by property taxes remitted to the Park Hospital District. Under the terms of the agreement, Park Hospital District property tax funding will be transferred to UCHealth for the next 50 years. Currently, that tax revenue exceeds $4.3 million annually.
A new board of directors will be seated to oversee operations. Unlike current arrangements, the new board will not operate as a public body and will not be elected by the residents of the district.
Instead, the group of seven will be appointed by UCHealth and serve as part of the UCHealth system, a private nonprofit organization. The Park Hospital District Board, whose members are elected by voters in the Estes Valley, will continue to exist, but it will no longer have any policy or operational oversight over the hospital and clinics.
Colorado’s Attorney General approved the transfer on Sept. 22. A request for approval of the service plan was submitted to Larimer County on Oct. 3. County Commissioners must approve the modified Service Plan dated Nov. 1, before a license to operate will be issued by the state.
According to the introductory memo supplied by county employees, the Park Hospital District “will shift from directly providing healthcare services to indirectly providing them through the integration with UCHealth.”
To accomplish that mission, the Park Hospital District will finance the plan by guaranteeing it will transfer to UCHealth property tax revenues estimated to be $4,306,369 in 2026, along with $250,000 in ad valorem revenues received from auto registrations.
Finding a sustainable way to continue providing healthcare in the Estes Valley has been the focus of Park Hospital District Board members for several years, as the district’s financial health has become increasingly precarious. In May 2023, voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that authorized the Board to seek a partner to provide medical services.
In October 2024, the Park Hospital District signed a Letter of Intent to be acquired by UCHealth, the state’s largest healthcare nonprofit corporation.
In June 2025, the Board members approved an undated draft service plan outlining the agreement it made with UCHealth, whereby the district would relinquish tax receipts and all other income to the medical service organization giant in exchange for continued operations. Park Hospital District will retain ownership of the real estate and physical buildings on the EPH campus.
While the community has been supportive of the plan to integrate with UCHealth, the transition has not been without controversy about the manner in which the final agreement was reached.
The last service plan for EPH was developed in 1982.