Reimagining Local Healthcare: Telluride

Regional Medical Center Looks Toward the Future

By Chris Darnell, CEO Telluride Regional Medical Center

As any homeowner can tell you, older homes might have a certain charm, but they also require a lot of work to maintain and can be expensive to upgrade. It is no secret that like an old home, the Telluride Regional Medical Center could use some work. We long ago outgrew our current location. In fact, the Telluride Hospital District identified the need for a new space 17 years ago.

Every year we see more patient visits in both primary and emergency care. Our staff has been incredibly creative, especially during the pandemic, to meet the needs of the community, but it is long past time to move to a space that better serves our patients, our staff and our community.

Our clinic is nearly 45 years old, and with less than 10,000 square feet to work with, we have limited suitable space for patient care. We are optimistic that at some point in the near future, the Telluride Hospital District will finalize an agreement with Genesee Partners to secure a parcel of land at Society Turn where we can build a new hospital.

Today, our team manages to provide comprehensive primary care, 24/7 emergency and trauma services, behavioral health, imaging services, and laboratory services within the confines of a limited space with a host of challenges to work around, including a lack of privacy and handicap access. There are no beds for overnight stays, which means if a patient needs to be hospitalized, we transfer them to another facility that might be hours away from home, putting stress on the patients and their family members.

Our goal is to build a new hospital where we can offer expanded services, including more modern exam rooms, room for specialists and additional imaging services including MRI, mammography and ultrasound. The new hospital will also add surgery, endoscopy and beds for inpatient observation and post-acute care. It will have a helipad for emergency transports, allowing us to save time and save lives.

The new hospital will be approximately 40,000 square feet, about four times the size of our current home. It will have 85 dedicated parking spaces for patients and their families. The Society Turn location will be equidistant from Telluride and Mountain Village and will be readily accessible by car, bus, and bike. There will also be a covered entrance for patients and visitors.

Just imagine. No more long drives for important health screenings. Overnight stays in a hospital where everyone knows your name. A modern, welcoming space with more privacy that matches the level of care you’ve come to expect from TRMC.

By transforming and elevating the level of care with a new hospital, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine local healthcare for Telluride and the surrounding communities.

Raising the Bar