Open House & Health Fair Saturday, Feb. 20 7 - 11 a.m.
Published on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 by
Valley Publishing 'JSTU "WF t .POUF 7JTUB $PMP t 719.852.3531
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Rio Grande Hospital Monte Vista Medical Clinic
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Community support helps RG Hospital thrive
RIO GRANDE COUNTY—Donations matter. As a non-profit, Rio Grande Hospital (RGH) and its clinics rely on community support to provide top-notch medical care. Through the generosity of donors and the dedication of providers RGH strives for the highest quality and efficiency. Year after year, the staff has received a multitude of Healthcare Services Excellence Awards, continually improving performance and customer service. But it is the value of the hospital’s donors that is essential in providing additional services that a community of our size would not otherwise have. In 2015 RGH was blessed with two large contributions. One was from the John Graeser Estate and the other was a grant from the Ralph Outcalt Foundation. Both Graeser and Outcalt were friends who contributed generously to the hospital during their lives. In a further show of their appreciation, they pledged monetary legacy gifts to the Rio Grande Hospital upon their deaths. Their generosity, along with other beneficiary gifts and private donations, strengthened and sustained the hospital in 2015. The Outcalt grant is enabling the master planning and architectural
review for future building projects at the Del Norte hospital facilities to bring in new service lines to meet community needs. Part of the monies will also go toward the purchase of cardiac monitoring equipment for inpatients and ER patients. This will replace equipment that is now 10 years old and no longer supported. The Graeser and Outcalt contributions assisted in the purchase of state-of-the-art colonoscopy equipment. With a 330-degree field of view it can identify 69 percent more adenomas than standard colonoscopy endoscopes. Rio Grande Hospital is one of only three facilities in Colorado using this technology. It will be highly advantageous in diagnosing and preventing colorectal cancer in the Valley. On Feb. 1 the new Monte Vista Clinic opened. Funds from the Graeser Estate helped with the clinic’s pharmacy start-up. The furniture, equipment, exam beds and treatment chair were purchased with the Outcalt Foundation grant. Alene Harms, CEO, noted that “Mr. Graeser and Mr. Outcalt were both a pleasure to get to know personally and professionally. They enriched my life with their friendship, encouragement and support. John Graeser was a quiet man of few words, but he gave RGH
Courtesy Photos
Donations from the community and staff helped to construct the new state of the art Monte Vista clinic, which opened on the first day of February.
his support with pride and enthusiasm. Ralph Outcalt was incredibly genuine and his smile stole our hearts immediately. The generosity of these two gentlemen will be appreciated for many years to come.” “Additionally, I am reminded that Bill Sherman has continued to help the hospital as well with his contributions from a trust he set up for RGH many years ago. I am humbled and honored to be a part of such a generous community which continues to support the hospital and clinics year after year.” To celebrate the opening of the beautiful new facility, the Monte Vista Clinic will hold an open house and mini health fair for the public at Both Ralph Outcalt (above left) and John Graeser (above right ) 1033 2nd Avenue on Saturday, Feb. 20 from 7 to 11 a.m. were generous contributors to Rio Grande Hospital in 2015.
Open House Saturday, Feb. 20 • 7 to 11 a.m. (Blood draws until 10 a.m.)
Special Program 10:30 a.m. Meet the staff, tour the beautiful, new clinic and get some free/discounted health screenings. Free screenings include: Body Composition Pulmonary Function Testing Heel Bone Density Screens Finger Stick Blood Sugars
Discounted screenings include: Chemistry Panel including TSH, $15 PSA, $25 HgbA1C, $25 CBC, $10 Vitamin D, $40
Refreshments will be served! Door prizes too!!
RGH clinic in Monte Vista one step closer February 25, 2015
BY JOHN MCEVOY
tional approval of the clinic was made by the city council so he could attend the RGH Board meeting that same night and inform them of the good news. The current RGH clinic in Monte Vista is in a small, remodeled home, in a former dental office north of Chapman Park, with only three treatment rooms and was started in that location four years ago. Within the last year, the space has become extremely cramped due to the large influx of patients wishing to be treated there. “We have more demand than we have space,” said Asplin. “The providers in there have been so successful that people are gravi-
tating to the clinic,” said RGH Board of Directors Secretary Mike Hurst. “We have standing room only, and sometimes people are sitting outside in their cars waiting for a call on their cell phones to let them know to come in for their appointment.” The RGH clinics in Monte Vista, Del Norte, South Fork and Creede have a different mandate that includes only the western side of the Valley and are separate entities from the Valley-Wide Health Clinics (such as the Edward M. Kennedy Health Clinic in Monte Vista). The RGH will be renovating 9,400 square feet inside the old Super Foods location and there is nearly 2,500 additional square feet
DEL NORTE — The future Rio Grande Hospital Clinic to be built in the former Super Foods building in Monte Vista cleared yet another stepping stone as the Monte Vista City Council gave its resounding conditional approval for the plans at their meeting Feb. 19. The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) had met on Feb. 10 and found the development is in conformance with the Monte Vista Comprehensive Plan and the commission was enthusiastic about the potential economic and social benefits of the development. Architect Ron McClure presented his drawing for the new Rio Grande Hospital Clinic to the city council saying the existing building has “excellent structure for a clinic with a strong foundation and lot of potential for expansion when needed in the future.” McClure covered numerous aspects of the design including site design, use planning, parking and landscaping elements in his presentation to the council. McClure was asked to provide complete signage and landscaping plans on condition of approval. Rio Grande Hospital Board of Photo by John McEvoy Directors Member Marty Asplin Architect Ron McClure presented the plans he drew up for the new was present at the meeting in Monte Rio Grande Hospital Clinic to be built in Monte Vista. McClure has deVista and left soon after a condi- signed many medical clinics in the southwestern area of the country.
in the building that will be kept in reserve for future expansion. “It will be set up much like the hospital in Del Norte is now with enough space to bring in your family,” said Asplin. “There is even an area where kids can play. It is a very well designed clinic that will be able to accommodate a large family that
may show up in support of their loved one(s).” Asplin said they will be adding a third provider to the clinic as well. “Each provider will have three examination rooms so that patients can be rotated for efficiency purposes,” said Asplin. “There will be Please see STEP on Page 3
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Rio Grande Hospital Monte Vista Medical Clinic
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Continued from Page 2 a total of nine exam rooms, with a actly what we wanted to do to help procedure room and a lab with some Monte Vista navigate the future with extra rooms for other options, such its health care possibilities.” Hurst said right now there are five as a specialist coming in. It will be a completely modern clinic, which people working at the current clinic and they hope to employ additional we do not have right now.” Hurst said the extra rooms will specialists also. “Another thing that was really give CEO Arlene Harms additional options for adding specialists as important to us was hiring all local contractors, subcontractors, archineeded. “Maybe some of those specialists tects, designers and purchasing as would prefer to be located in Monte much materials locally as possible Vista also,” said Hurst. “It will give as well,” said Hurst. “We want this Arlene some flexibility and space to be a local project as much as we that we just don’t have here in the can possibly make it so.” Asplin said the hospital has been Del Norte clinic. We are toe-to-toe here and in Monte Vista, so by do- saving money over the years with ing this we are really changing our the intention of creating a larger clinic in the future – which is now. ability to expand.” “We have been planning this fuThe new clinic will give the RGH much better options to expand in the ture clinic for three years and saving up cash so that we would not need to future as well. Emergency services will still have federal assistance in building be provided at the hospital in Del it,” said Asplin. “That is because Norte, but there will be an emer- when you use federal assistance, the gency ambulance door at the clinic bonding requirements are different for efficient transfer of critical care and we would not be able to use as patients to the hospital when needed. much local contractors as we would “If there is an emergency in the like to do.” Asplin said that many of the big clinic and an ambulance is needed, there will not be parking lot issues in buildings that get built must use getting access,” said Asplin. “They Front Range contractors, because will be able to access the clinic of federal requirements and the through the alley and be on the way money spent goes right back to the Front Range. to the hospital in short order.” “The way to get around that is to Hurst said one of the things that the RGH board felt was impor- pay cash and that way we can keep tant, is that the clinic be located in the revenue local,” said Asplin. Hurst and Asplin said the medidowntown Monte Vista so any jobs generated by it, would be brought cal industry is being completely redefined with the Affordable Care to the city. “Instead of building something Act. “The new focus is on wellness new on the periphery of the city, and not treatment,” said Asplin. we wanted to be downtown,” said “That means all the rules have to be Hurst. “Finding an available build- redesigned, and there will be several ing that we could re-purpose is ex- rooms that can double as treatment
Photo by John McEvoy
The RGH clinic in Monte Vista was previously in a small, remodeled home, in a former dental office north of Chapman Park, with only three treatment rooms and was begun in that location four years ago. The space had become extremely cramped due to a large influx of patients wishing to be treated there. and exam rooms.” There will be at least three providers with a nurse for each, along with all support personnel needed to run an efficient, modern medical facility operation including high tech communications. “We are also working with Rural Electric Coop to lay in a fiber optic cable system between all the RG Hospital clinics,” said Asplin. “They are designing a network that will come directly into the hospital and all the clinics so that if the internet should go down, those five clinics can still communicate with one another to keep things alive and running efficiently.” Asplin said this would also allow
for real-time-live transmission of information that will provide direct access to Front Range medical facilities like Centura, or anyone else, for any consultation purposes. “The federal government is pushing for all electronic access (no more paper files) so that any patient information will be available immediately when called upon,” said Asplin. “Whoever the patient is, even if they are on vacation somewhere, if there is a medical emergency, the provider will have access to their medical records information. Electronic transference of information will be even more important in the future and this clinic and all of the RG Hospital clinics will have that
capability.” Hurst wanted to reiterate some key points to the public about what they were trying to accomplish with the new clinic. “The Monte Vista Clinic has been growing exponentially ever since we opened it four years ago and this will give us more flexibility as we continue to grow,” said Hurst. “We want to be in downtown Monte Vista and use as much local construction labor, design and materials as we possibly can. Ron McClure, the architect for this project, has had experience all around here and in the southwest, designing clinics on many of the reservations and he lives in Del Norte.”
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Rio Grande Hospital Monte Vista Medical Clinic
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
A look inside‌
Lobby front desk
Nurses Station
Kids’ corner
Lobby waiting area
Exam room
Lobby/waiting area Photos by Chelsea McNerney-Martinez
The new Monte Vista Medical Clinic facility has eight exam rooms, one treatment room and a conference room. The drive-through pharmacy is still under construction and will be opened at a later date. Some new features include the sterilization room, lab room for blood draws, lots of storage and room left to expand on the north end of the building. Each provider and the clinic manager have their own offices, and there is an office for San Luis Valley Behavioral Health as well. The treatment room will allow for physicians to perform more procedures, and there is a new ambulance door for ease of access for EMTs in the event of an emergency, which is among the major upgrades from the previous facility. The facility also boasts a brand new security system for both patient protection and privacy; some employees cannot even access areas without authorization. Rio Grande Hospital and Clinics are always striving for excellence. They want their patients to be able to rate them at a 10 for every visit and welcome any feedback on how they can improve and better serve their patients. Dr. Patty Robinson (FNP) and her nurse Robin (LPN) work at the clinic full-time, as does Dr. Rick Rabon (M.D.) and his nurse Nikki (RN). Dr. Kent Lofley (D.O.) and his nurse Linda (LPN) are there part-time, as he also serves part-time at the hospital.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Treatment room
Conference room
Sterilization room
Rio Grande Hospital Monte Vista Medical Clinic
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Rio Grande Hospital Monte Vista Medical Clinic
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Construction kickoff May 8 at RGH clinic
May 6, 2015 MONTE VISTA—Rio Grande Hospital invites the public to their clinic construction kickoff at the new Monte Vista Health Clinic location, the corner of Second and Madison, at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 8. Interior demolition is currently in the works, and when completed the new construction will begin. This is a downtown revitalization project planned and funded by Rio Grande Hospital. “We have outgrown our old clinic in Monte Vista, which opened six years ago and now serves over 500 patients a month,” says Arlene Harms, Rio Grande Hospital CEO. The hospital has been planning and saving for this new clinic project for over three years and is proud to be using the local work force. Local architect, Ron McClure from Del Norte, is the architect for the clinic renovation project. He has
designed many medical clinics in the southwestern United States. Joe Aldrich, owner of JSC Building & Restorations, LLC in Alamosa, is the project manager. Alcon Construction, Inc. from Alamosa is the general contractor. The clinic will eventually be adding a third doctor as needed, thus will potentially have three doctors and three nurses, plus support staff. The clinic has been designed to be efficient, with nine examination rooms, a procedure room, a lab, a specialists’ clinic room, a drive-up pharmacy and an emergency ambulance door for efficient transfer of critical care patients to the hospital in Del Norte.
Workers removed the old mansard roof from the former Super Foods building in Monte Vista. Courtesy Photo
Rio Grande Hospital clinic breaks ground May 13, 2015
BY ANTHONY GUERRERO M O N T E V I S TA — T h e R i o Grande Hospital and Clinics held an official groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, May 8 for their new location in Monte Vista. The clinic will be at the old location of Super Foods and will have new services and new providers including a specialist room. There are also plans to partner with Valley-Wide Health Systems for an X-Ray lab. Arlene Harms, CEO of Rio Grande Hospital and Clinics, was present at the groundbreaking ceremony. Harms said that she and the Rio Grande Hospital Board are genuinely touched by the support they have received from the community of Monte Vista. “We are thrilled to be better partners with the city. We are also excited for the possibility of hiring more people,” said Harms. The ceremony was celebrated
Photos by Anthony Guerrero
Bonnie Asplin proclaimed the official groundbreaking in May of 2015.
Board members Bill Fassett, Shirley McCullough, Mayor Debbie Garcia, board member Mike Hurst and City Manager Forrest Neuerburg prepared to take the first swings with sledgehammers. by giving members of the board, breaking” for the construction projas well as Monte Vista Mayor ect. The attendees at the ceremony Debbie Garcia and City Manager were then given a tour of the inside Forrest Neuerburg, a sledgehammer of the facility and project plans to make the official first “ground- were explained. Rio Grande Hospital board members
Rio Grande Hospital Monte Vista clinic progressing From Health on the Rio Grande, September 2015
BY ANTHONY GUERRERO
MONTE VISTA — Visible progress is being seen by passing motorists on a daily occasion as the new Rio Grande Hospital Clinic continues to be built in the former Super Foods building in Monte Vista. Frames for doorways and windows have been carved and are now awaiting installation. The front entrance of the clinic is already visible with new glass doors and hours of operation displayed. Local contractors continuously labor through the day hours and an excited community eagerly anticipates the finished product which is estimated to be completed toward the end of the year. The Rio Grande Hospital Clinic realized a need for expansion in Monte Vista as the current facility quickly became inadequate. Nearly 500 patients prefer Rio Grande Hospital Clinic over other local health organizations each month. Currently, the Monte Vista clinic is housed in a previously unused portion of a dental clinic. Dr. Rich-
ard and Sheryl Santi allowed RGH to house their clinic in the building. According to RGH CEO Arlene Harms, Mrs. Santi urged a branch of the hospital to locate in Monte Vista. Santi’s vision and persistence have paid off as the Monte Vista clinic has become very successful and will be expanded. The facility is very cramped for the growing needs of RGH. During the week it is not uncommon to view patients awaiting their appointments at nearby Chapman Park or in their vehicle. The expanded Monte Vista clinic will offer new and exciting features for patients and the public. A full service pharmacy will be located in the building with a full time pharmacist who is already under contract with RGH. The clinic will hold nine exam rooms, a procedure room, and a lab, compared to the three in the current facility. A new provider will be joining the medical team. There will be additional space for specialists. It is the hope of RGH specialists will choose to locate in the Monte Vista clinic. This vision will help the community of Monte
Vista’s economy and the San Luis Valley. Many patients have to travel long distances to access quality and specialty care. With access to specialists in the Valley this traveling would be eliminated and tax revenue which has been lost can be regained. The waiting area in the clinic will also be unique. A play area for children will be available. The waiting area will be significantly larger than what is currently available at the current Monte Vista clinic location. In the current building across from Chapman Park five people can quickly feel cramped while awaiting their appointment. The new facility will be designed to accommodate a large number of patients and their families. The Monte Vista Planning and Zoning Commission and the Monte Vista City Council gave their enthusiastic approval to the project in Feb. 2015. Since then the hospital organization has excitedly moved forward with the building. A great new staple for the community of Monte Vista, which will create new jobs, serve as an attraction, and add Photos by Anthony Guerrero convenience is soon to come. Construction continued on the new Monte Vista clinic.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Rio Grande Hospital Monte Vista Medical Clinic
A work in progress‌ Oct. 21, 2015
Dec. 22, 2015
Photos by Jennifer Alonzo
The fairly mild Valley fall and winter helped keep the Monte Vista Medical Clinic construction on schedule.
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Rio Grande Hospital Monte Vista Medical Clinic
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
St. Joseph sisters served with a divine purpose
Aug. 4, 2004 DEL NORTE—For nearly 100 years, Del Norte has been the hub of healthcare for the upper Rio Grande region of the San Luis Valley. In 1905 the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita and a Catholic priest came to Del Norte on a mission to help the people of the world live healthy lives. They found the people of the Valley needed adequate and permanent healthcare, so they founded the St. Joseph’s Hospital. The hospital, which was the first in the San Luis Valley, opened in 1907 inside a four-story house. It was a stone building made out of rock from the quarry. The first floor was used for general medical practice, the second house operating and the third was the surgery suite. The sisters lived on the top floor. There was no elevator in the house,
the sisters had to carry people up and down the stairs. Eventually there was an addition to the house that served as a tuberculosis wing. After the disease was no longer a threat to society, the wing was transformed into a maternity unit. During the 1950s, a new St. Joseph’s Hospital was built and the stone house was demolished. Hill-Burton funds, a grant that was issued by the U.S. government, provided the much needed and necessary money. It was a matching grant, and Del Norte raised roughly $1 million to receive the same amount. The new hospital was much bigger than the four-story house. It had a delivery room, two operating rooms and 40 beds. Twenty years later, in 1970, the nursing home was added onto the building. Thirteen years later the hospital took a turn for the worst. The government started reimbursing hospitals based on diagnosis relating groupings (DIGs). This meant the
government was no longer supporting hospitals based on the patient’s cost of treatment and housing, but by set dollar amounts based on the patient’s diagnosis. There were 63 general diagnoses, and insurance companies controlled the money. The new government policies are said to have sucked the life out of rural hospitals throughout the country. The Sisters of St. Joseph’s mission lost its struggle to stay open in 1993. For 88 years the women of the church devoted their lives to the wellbeing of Del Norte in the surrounding communities. It was not long before the people of the Upper Rio Grande realized the importance of an area hospital. The drive to either Alamosa or Durango was far for people in need of medical care; in some cases it meant the end of a life. In 1996 the hospital reopened with a new name. The Rio Grande Hospital in the same building at St. Joseph’s and was run by the Citizens Foundation of
Hospital welcomed into community
Sisters of St. Joseph’s The Sisters of St. Joseph Catholic Church originally came from Wichita, Kan. They did not only dedicate their life to God, but also to the people of the world through providing medical care. By the 1950s the sisters had established eight hospitals and one college. There were five hospitals in Kansas, one in Oklahoma, one in California and the hospital and Del Norte. The college was in Dodge City, Kan. St. Joseph Hospital in Wichita, Kan. was the headquarters
September 2004
BY JAMES SHEA
DEL NORTE—Using a unique funding source, the San Luis Valley opened a new, state-of-the-art hospital in Del Norte last summer the Rio Grande Hospital. The facility provides residents on the west end of the Valley with quality medical care “It’s very positive,” said Norman Haug, Rio Grande Hospital CEO and a beloved physician. “People are very pleased with the building.” In 1993, the old Rio Grande hospital closed when nuns who operated the facility were unable to make the operation financially sustainable. Trying to improve healthcare on the west end of the Valley, the Valley Citizens Foundation for Healthcare was created. A nonprofit organization, the group looked at financing methods to reopen the hospital. Alan Davey, the foundations chairman, said the group’s original goal was to open a new hospital, replacing a facility that was built at the turn of the 20th Century “We always thought it would be better to build a new hospital,” Davey said. But providing healthcare was the Foundation’s first objective, and in 1996, the old hospital reopened under the management of Valley Citizens Foundation for Healthcare. Shortly after the hospital reopened, Davey said his group learned about a new financing method through the Federal Housing and Urban Development Administration. Called HUD 242, the program gives government backed loans to rural hospitals. Smaller hospitals generally have difficulty getting financed, because the size of the project is too small for many major financial institutions. Rio Grande Hospital and the Shoshone Medical Center in Kellogg, Idaho, are the only medical facilities to utilize the fund so far. The hospital obtained a $10 million loan through the program, which must be paid back within 25 years. Davey said the Rio Grande Hospital “plowed new ground” with the financing. He said HUD officials were cooperative and had a desire to implement the funding method. The organization also received a $600,000 grant through the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and in-kind site preparation work from Rio Grande County. Construction began in the fall of 2003, with the Neenan Company serving as the project coordinator. The work was completed in August 2004, and the organization has made a successful transition from the old facility to the new
Healthcare, a nonprofit organization. When St. Joseph’s closed its doors in 1993, the sisters sold everything. The Rio Grande hospital had to purchase new equipment and pay a lease as well. Although the reopening took a lot of work, it was worth it. Del Norte, and the surrounding areas, have local healthcare again and lives were being saved. During that time, the government did away with the DIG reimbursement policy. Hospitals were once again supported by actual patient cost. Del Norte had one of the two rural hospitals that were able to successfully reopen. Over the next decade the age of the Rio Grande Hospital started to show. The structure started failing, as did the electrical system and plumbing. Asbestos was found in both the ceiling and the floor of the building. Population growth in the area impacted the ability of the doctors and nurses to provide care. The building was too small. In July 2003, hospital officials broke ground for the construction of the new hospital. No one is sure what will come of the old hospital building, and for now the nursing home will stay where it is.
File Photo
Dr. Norman Haug, hospital CEO, and Alan Davey, Rio Grande Hospital board member, cut the ribbon at the new hospital in 2004. facility. “It’s gone smoothly,” Haug said. the west end of the Valley. “It’s been a smooth transition.” “Obviously, our focus is the upper Haug said the 16-bed facility has been Rio Grande region,” Davey said. utilized at approximately 60 percent of To assist with patient transportacapacity. He said the overall operation tion, the facility installed a high-tech at the hospital has functioned efficiently. helicopter pad. The landing pad allows “It (the hospital) allows us to provide rapid transport of patients to Denver better healthcare, because we have bet- medical facilities. ter equipment and facilities,” Haug said. He said the hospital has brought many of the central services in-house at the new facility. Previously, maintenance, kitchen operations and laundry services were contracted with an outside agency. Haug said the new operations required the hospital to add 12 staff members. The hospital has not added additional medical staff since transitioning to the new building though. Eight physicians from South Fork, Creede, Monte Vista and Del Norte provide healthcare services at the hospital. Haug said the hospital has upgraded its equipment at the new facility. A new CT scan and digital X-ray machine allow physicians to make better and more accurate diagnoses. He said the hospital is also purchasing new lab equipment, so it has the latest, top-of-the-line equipment. Haug said the hospital is setting up the room to help patients rehabilitate. He said the hospital must decide whether to hire part-time or full time physical therapists to run the operation. “We are still working that out,” Haug said. Davey said the hospital wants to utilize it’s surgical facility with other surgeons in the Valley. The facility does not have a full-time surgeon. Davey said that adding a surgeon almost requires adding two so the facility can be staffed 24 hours a day. “We are planning to work with other doctors in the Valley on surgery,” Davey said. He said the hospital’s first priority is to provide primary care to residents on
File Photo
A history of spirituality remained with the hospital at the new chapel, located just off of the building’s main entrance. and served as a teaching hospital for medical students. Students from the teaching hospital would often times be sent to Del Norte to begin their careers. The sisters who served in Del Norte during the early 1900s were devoted to the small community. The women took in young girls who were aspiring to become nurses. During the day the girls would attend school in town and go to the hospital in the evenings to work and continue their education. Sometimes the girls would board in the hospital. Haug said the new facility is “family friendly” and aids in the healing process. He said the hospital looks forward to serving the community and being “conducive to the healing process.”