Intermountain Health’s Colorado hospitals were recognized by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for efforts to offer healthier food and beverage options and promote breastfeeding through the Colorado Healthy Hospital Compact and Colorado Baby-Friendly Hospital Collaborative. The initiatives are part of the state’s work to promote healthy eating and active living to reduce rates of death and disease from chronic illness among Coloradans. 

Only 45 hospitals in Colorado received the honor, and it’s an even bigger achievement since Intermountain is the first health system in Colorado to have each of its hospitals participate in the Compact. The care sites include St. Mary’s Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Platte Valley Medical Center, Lutheran Medical Center and Saint Joseph Hospital. 

The Compact is an agreement by hospitals that share a mission to protect and promote the health of their patients and their families, visitors and staff. It is a state-wide initiative for hospitals throughout Colorado to improve the nutrition environments by increasing the availability of healthier foods and beverages and reducing or eliminating unhealthy items using the Compact framework. In doing so, hospitals are working to develop a culture of wellness and contributing to the state's goal of making Colorado “the healthiest state.” 

Each care site participates in different ways and on various levels from eliminating sugary beverages, to offering a wider range of healthy eating options to getting rid of fried foods, and more. 

“The largest impact our hospitals have made is in the variety of healthy options available, particularly in our retail spaces,” said DeNae Alva, director of Food & Nutrition Services at Platte Valley and Good Samaritan. “Patient food has always been the focus and bringing in retail, catering, breastfeeding programs, etc., allows us to provide our patients, staff and communities healthy and delicious options. Our hospitals serve some vulnerable populations and it’s our job to make sure they have access to great food at an affordable price.”   

Since it began in 2014, the Healthy Hospital Compact has supported hospitals to change food and drink options in hospital cafeterias, vending machines and patient menus. Additionally, the number of Baby-Friendly-designated hospitals in Colorado has grown from three in 2013 to 14 in 2023. 

Nutrition is directly linked to recovery and overall health, reducing readmission rates for patients, preventing illnesses and more. This year, hospitals were recognized for their commitment to a healthy community by increasing the availability of healthy food and beverages and reducing unhealthy options as well as implementing evidence-based breastfeeding policies to support families and employees. 

Additionally, Colorado’s Intermountain care sites were among 41 hospitals with the Celebrate 6 Award of Breastfeeding Excellence. The hospitals have implemented at least six of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. These are proven policies and practices known to increase breastfeeding success and improve maternal and infant health outcomes. 

“A well-balanced diet and healthy offerings start on day one for our new moms so the Baby-Friendly designation our hospitals have, and this achievement is really special to us,” said DeNae. 

Learn more about the Colorado Healthy Hospital Compact at https://cdphe.colorado.gov/colorado-healthy-hospital-compact and the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative at https://cdphe.colorado.gov/breastfeeding-essentials. 

Broomfield and Aurora, Colo. (January 5, 2023) – Intermountain Healthcare and UCHealth are forming a new partnership to develop a clinically integrated network (CIN) with comprehensive patient resources. The venture will bring together 700 primary care physicians and hundreds of clinics and hospitals across Colorado, with support from specialists throughout the state. In addition, the partnership will help bring a new health insurance option to Coloradoans. 

The CIN aims to accelerate the transition to value-based care in the state by improving care coordination and providing higher-quality health care for more than 300,000 residents at lower costs. 

“For many years, UCHealth has focused on reducing healthcare costs, lowering insurance premiums, and improving the lives of our patients. We are excited to partner with Intermountain to advance these goals and to give Coloradans a new option for their health insurance that prioritizes value-based care,” said Elizabeth B. Concordia, UCHealth president and CEO.  “Together, we will help improve the overall health of the communities we serve.” 

Initially, Intermountain Health’s Colorado Quality Care Network and UCHealth’s Coordinated Care Colorado network will be brought together to create the joint venture CIN; other affiliated Colorado CINs/provider networks may join the venture in the future.

The partnership will also support health insurance products and programs offered through SelectHealth, which will provide Medicare Advantage and Individual ACA (Affordable Care Act) plans (pending regulatory approval) beginning on January 1, 2024. SelectHealth is a nonprofit health plan serving more than one million members in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. SelectHealth is a subsidiary of Intermountain Healthcare. 

“The CIN will treat SelectHealth just like all payers here. Any plan that aligns with the CIN’s goals of ensuring a better patient experience and health outcomes while lowering costs will be considered a valuable partner,” said Mark Korth, Intermountain Health’s regional president. “UCHealth and Intermountain look forward to the next evolution to our value-based care approach.” 

“UCHealth’s clinically integrated network, our employees, and the dedicated providers we work with have made significant strides in recent years, helping patients receive preventative care services, address chronic conditions, and utilize the most appropriate care. We have seen exciting results, including cost savings and improvements in our patients’ health,” said Michael A. Cancro, president of UCHealth Coordinated Care Colorado and chief strategy officer. “Together with Intermountain, these results will multiply, providing benefits for our entire state.” 

Though UCHealth and Intermountain are creating a new CIN partnership, the two health systems will remain separate and independent, and the CIN will be operated as an independent company. The two organizations expect their current contracts and relationships with insurance plans to continue as they work with all providers to improve quality and reduce costs. 

About Intermountain Healthcare

Intermountain Healthcare operates multiple clinics and hospitals in Colorado and six other western states. Intermountain is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,900 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called SelectHealth with more than one million members, and other health services. To help people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by consistently using evidence-based best practices to deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. 

About UCHealth

UCHealth is an innovative, nonprofit health system that delivers the highest quality medical care with excellent patient experience. UCHealth includes 29,000 employees, 12 acute-care hospitals, and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, southern Wyoming, and western Nebraska. With University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus as its academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the region, UCHealth is dedicated to providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. Offering more than 150 clinic locations, UCHealth provides extensive community benefits and pushes the boundaries of medicine through advanced treatments and clinical trials, improving health through innovation. 
 

• Good Samaritan Medical Center, Lafayette, Colorado 
• Lutheran Medical Center, Wheat Ridge, Colorado
• Saint Joseph Hospital, Denver, Colorado
• Platte Valley Medical Center, Brighton, Colorado
• St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center, Grand Junction, Colorado
• St. Vincent Healthcare, Billings, Montana 

“This national distinction celebrates our caregivers and their achievements in ensuring our patients receive the best possible care,” said Mark Korth, president of Intermountain Healthcare, Peaks Region. “As we continue to enhance our safety mission, we are united in our commitment to healthcare safety as we advance our mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible.” 

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization with a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring. 

“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.” 

To see Intermountain Healthcare’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in hospitals, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook, and via its newsletter.  

# # # 

About Intermountain Healthcare 

SCL Health is now part of the Intermountain Healthcare system. Based in Utah with locations in seven states (Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming) and additional operations across the western U.S. A nonprofit healthcare system, Intermountain Healthcare is comprised of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, and medical groups with some 3,800 employed physicians and advanced practice providers. To help people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by consistently using evidence-based best practices to deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. 

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.

Veterans Day is a time to honor those from every branch of the United States Armed Forces who have served our country. We celebrate and salute these heroes for their service and unwavering dedication to protecting our liberties and freedoms.  

Staff Sergeant Oomar Olivas is one of those heroes. Oomar is a member of the Colorado Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery Regiment. He joined the Guard in August 2011 and is a Platoon Sergeant in his unit. He is also one of our caregivers. Oomar joined SCL Health, now Intermountain Healthcare, three years ago as an End User Analyst in our System office in Broomfield.    

“Serving in the military was something I always wanted to do, but I decided to go to school instead,” said Oomar. “Even after graduating, I still wanted to pursue it.”   

As luck would have it, his wife helped make his dream a reality. As they drove down the street more than a decade ago, they passed an airman and Oomar’s face lit up. His wife suggested he join the Army National Guard so he could live his dream, serve the community, and still come home to his family at night.  

“Serving in the military, and specifically in the National Guard, gives me an opportunity to serve my community and help my neighbors and loved ones in a way that isn’t typical of active-duty Army,” said Oomar. “One of my biggest hopes was to be able to assist people during some sort of natural disaster and to be able to go out and help people in their times of need. Joining the Guard allowed me to do that.”  

Oomar assisted with the fires in late 2020, Washington, D.C.’s January 6, 2020 call for support, winter rescues and missing persons searches. He explained that while helping with local events has been extremely fulfilling, he’s also been able to serve on a global scale. He recently returned from his second deployment – his first was to Afghanistan and his most recent was to Syria and the United Arab Emirates.   

Oomar was deployed for just over a year and returned home in October of this year. “Returning home was a huge relief because I greatly missed my friends, family and work,” he said. “It felt like a burden had been lifted because while I was serving overseas, my family was serving just as much here at home. My wife took care of everything while I was gone, and my kids went without their dad. Relieving that stress on everyone felt phenomenal.”  

Since the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Veterans Day has held more meaning to Oomar because of how many people felt the impact.   

“Veterans Day is a time to reach out to my brothers and sisters to see how they’re doing, and to remember those who are currently serving and who have served,” he explained. “I really enjoy that people go out that day and enjoy the freedoms that are afforded to them here in the United States.”  

Oomar learned many important military lessons and skills that he applied to his job at Intermountain Healthcare, as well as skills he learned on the job that he applied to his military service.  

“Leadership takes practice and intentionality and it’s not always my way or the highway,” said Oomar. “Those less experienced often have fresh ideas and perspectives and it’s important to consider everyone’s input to continue to grow as a leader. A good leader never stops growing.”  

Oomar’s message for Veterans is that there’s always time for self-improvement. “It’s important that we continue to build on our skills and utilize the resources provided to us no matter how difficult they are to get to,” he said. “That’s the way we make the workplace better and that’s the way we make ourselves better. When it comes down to it, that’s the way we all move forward.”  

We thank Oomar and all our caregivers who have served and are currently serving our country. You are true heroes, and we are grateful for all that you do! 

Five SCL Health, now Intermountain Healthcare, hospitals in Colorado received the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) award for their dedication to ensuring all stroke patients have access to best practices and life-saving care. The award, given by the American Heart Association (AHA), recognizes their performance in the GWTG-Stroke program.

The AHA is recognizing Good Samaritan Medical Center, Saint Joseph Hospital, Lutheran Medical Center, Platte Valley Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Center nationally for the Gold Plus, Target Stroke Elite Honor Roll and Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll awards. This recognition is based on the 2021 data submitted. 

The award demonstrates our commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the best treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines that lead to more lives saved and reduced disability in stroke patients. To qualify for this award, hospitals must demonstrate how they’ve committed to providing quality care for stroke patients, as well as educating patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

This is a huge accomplishment and a true testament to each hospital’s incredible cardiovascular caregivers who go above and beyond to provide their patients with world-class stroke care.

According to the AHA, Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the AHA and the American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research and evidence-based guidelines. Get With The Guidelines - Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

The Target Stroke Elite Honor Roll award is given to hospitals that meet specific criteria that reduce the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster drug, Alteplase. The Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award is given to hospitals that assure patients with Type 2 diabetes receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to a stroke.

The AHA will celebrate all award-winning hospitals nationally by including them in the AHA advertisement in US News and World Report “Best Hospitals” print and digital editions, and at AHA national conferences, including the International Stroke Conference & Scientific Sessions. 

For the full list of award-winning hospitals and EMS providers, visit the AHA website at www.heart.org/quality. 

SCL Health and Intermountain Healthcare have merged to form a new organization serving patients and communities in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. 

The scope and scale of the merger will enhance care provided at SCL Health’s legacy hospitals and clinics. Patients can access the same excellent providers and facilities, and use their same insurance plan with trusted caregivers. 

It’s also important to note that the names and focus of SCL Health’s hospitals, such as Lutheran Medical Center, will remain the same – to improve the health of the people and communities they serve and help them live the healthiest lives possible.  

The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth found creative ways to provide healthcare in Colorado, Kansas, and Montana more than a century ago. Intermountain Healthcare will continue working through strong community partnerships, evidence-based programs, and services to help people outside the hospital walls. (link to rest of story: https://www.sclhealth.org/blog/2022/04/the-future-of-healthcare-is-here-scl-health-and-intermountain-healthcare-have-merged). 

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over thirty national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. 

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital rating program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring. 

“As our healthcare system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership of the legacy SCL Health System, now Intermountain Healthcare, for sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement and one that is impossible without a 24/7 effort by the entire healthcare workforce to protect patients from harm. This community should be proud.” 

To see the top-grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org. 

About The Leapfrog Group 

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward for patient safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. 

About Intermountain Healthcare 

Good Samaritan Medical Center, Lutheran Medical Center, Saint Joseph Hospital, Platte Valley Medical Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center, and St. Vincent Healthcare iis part of the Intermountain Healthcare system. Based in Utah with locations in seven states (Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming) and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit healthcare system comprised of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,800 employed physicians and advanced practice providers. To help people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs.

On April 1, SCL Health merged with Intermountain Healthcare to enhance the care of our patients and to create a nonprofit healthcare model of the future focused on keeping people healthy and providing high-quality, affordable and accessible care.

To celebrate the merger, on Tuesday, April 5, Intermountain Healthcare President and CEO Marc Harrison, MD, traveled from Utah to visit all four SCL Health front range hospitals to share the vision for our combined future. 

Dr. Harrison is a pediatric critical care physician with a track record as a top operations executive worldwide. As CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, his innovations designed to put patients at the center of care make him one of the most sought-after voices in healthcare. 

Dr. Harrison was joined by Lydia Jumonville, president and CEO of SCL Health, charged with leading the integration of the two organizations, and Mark Korth, regional president of Intermountain Healthcare.

The second hospital visited was Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, where Dr. Harrison had the opportunity to meet caregivers and associates. Afterwards, he took some time to share his thoughts about our organization’s future and expressed gratitude to all caregivers for their incredible commitment to our patients during the past two years of the pandmenic.

“As we start a new chapter today, I want to thank you for not allowing the merger to distract us from our primary mission – taking care of our patients, ourselves and the communities we serve,” Dr. Harrison said.

There was a great deal of buzz and excitement in the air as our new leaders spoke about our future as one Intermountain Healthcare, saying that we will create a model for the future of healthcare in our country that will focus on keeping people healthy, while addressing the causes of illness.

“This is an incredible day for all of us to be able to be here and to kick this off right,” said Mark Korth. “Your presence means a lot. You all are an amazing team at Saint Joe’s. Your culture, vibe, the way you work together, serve the community and honor our heritage doesn’t go unnoticed. We’re here to celebrate a new beginning and to be able to embrace the concept of what we are today as Intermountain Health.”

Dr. Harrison spoke next, saying, “Our reason to be is to help people live the healthiest lives possible, to keep people well, and to have their care be affordable, humane and equitable, and I can’t think of a better place to give this talk than right here at Saint Joe’s. This is your history. We’re really eager for the new system to come together. It’s a huge privilege and pleasure to be introduced as your new president and CEO. I hope that each and every one of you connects on a daily basis to your reason for being, which is to help your neighbors in all kinds of ways. Together we can truly do extraordinary things.” 

He explained how the merger came to be because SCL Health was looking for an opportunity to move into the future with a different footprint and scale and a different set of opportunities, and was very intentional about seeking out and evaluating all possible options. It brought two great, strong, clinically excellent community leading groups together and formed it into one. 

“I am really excited to be a part of this community,” he said. “I’m here to listen and learn because together great things can be done. Together we will set the standard for population health and value. Together we will set the standard for what rural healthcare should look like in the United States. Together we will set the standard for what dignity for our neighbors looks like, while stamping out inequity and disparity. It’s a privilege for me personally and I hope for all of you to be part of that journey.”

“What an exciting and historic day this is!” said Lydia Jumonville. “It’s one we’ve been looking forward to and working very hard to get to for many months now. I’m personally and professionally very excited to see the great things we’re going to do together at Intermountain Healthcare. Thank you to each of the 60,000 caregivers that make up Intermountain. You all have been through two of the toughest years in healthcare that any of us can remember. The great thing for me, Marc and the rest of our leadership team is that we could focus on the merger and look forward to the future because we knew you were taking care of all of our patients and our communities and that you wouldn’t miss a beat. We are so indebted to you and incredibly grateful.”

The event concluded with a crowd of more than 100 people launching confetti cannons into the air to celebrate our new beginning. 

We gathered today to celebrate @SCLHealth's official merger with @Intermountain. Thank you to Marc Harrison, CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, for visiting Lutheran and kicking off today's celebration! pic.twitter.com/jcrI1w8g9I

— Lutheran Medical Ctr (@lutheranmedctr) April 5, 2022

This combination employs more than 59,000 caregivers, operates 33 hospitals (including one virtual hospital), and runs 385 clinics across seven states while providing health insurance to one million people in Utah and Idaho. With the close of this merger, Intermountain Healthcare is the eleventh largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. 

Mike Leavitt will serve as the new Board Chair for the combined organization. In previous roles, he served in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Secretary of Health and Human Services and as a three-time elected governor of Utah. 

The Board includes representation from the pre-merger boards of both Intermountain Healthcare and SCL Health. The most recent Intermountain Healthcare Board Chair, Gail Miller, and most recent SCL Health Board Chair, Michael L. Fordyce, will continue as members of the combined board. Fordyce will serve as Board Vice-Chair of the Intermountain Healthcare Board and as Board Chair of the Intermountain region board based in Broomfield, Colorado, and Miller will serve as Board Chair of the new region board based in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

The new organization, named Intermountain Healthcare, is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with regional offices in Broomfield, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Intermountain Healthcare President and CEO Marc Harrison, MD, is confident about this united effort.

“With this merger, we’ll create a model for the future of healthcare that focuses on keeping people healthy and proactively addresses causes of illness through high-quality, affordable, and accessible care to more patients," Harrison said. "The merger provides a model for healthcare for the rest of the country.” 

Dr. Harrison leads the new organization. Lydia Jumonville, as the Executive Sponsor, will lead the integration of the two systems and work in partnership with Harrison and serve as a member of the new Intermountain Board. In addition to the newly integrated Board of Trustees, the enterprise leadership team has been selected from both systems as the dynamic integration process is now moving forward. 

“We’re pleased with how our organizations have come together,” said Jumonville. “Our work is well underway, and we are being very thoughtful about moving the best of our systems forward to continue providing the highest quality of care in the communities we serve. We will advance our mission and better serve the entire region together.” 

SCL Health’s Catholic hospitals retain their distinctive Catholic names and continue to operate according to existing practices. 

About Intermountain Healthcare 
Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, 42,000 employees, a medical group, SelectHealth insurance company, and other health services in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. 

About SCL Health 
SCL Health is a faith-based, nonprofit healthcare system of eight hospitals, 160 physician clinics, and 16,000 employees. Founded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in 1864, SCL Health today provides comprehensive, coordinated care at its hospitals, clinics, home health, hospice, mental health, and safety-net locations in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and Kansas.

Denver, Colo. – Saint Joseph Hospital attained Magnet recognition again in January 2022, a testament to its continued dedication to high-quality nursing practice. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes health care organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence. This credential is the highest national honor for professional nursing practice.

Receiving Magnet recognition for the second time is a great achievement for Saint Joseph Hospital, as it continues to proudly belong to the global Magnet community – a small, select group of domestic health care organizations and hospitals in the U.S.

“Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to this community,” said Amanda Feild, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Director, Professional Practice and Magnet Program. “To earn Magnet recognition once was a great accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for our nurses. Our repeated achievement of this credential underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drive our entire staff to strive harder each day to meet the health care needs of the people we serve.”

Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, such as:

·       Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information.

·       Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates.

·       Higher job satisfaction among nurses.

·       Lower reports of intentions to leave their positions by nurses.. 

Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence and is a factor when the public judges health care organizations. U.S. News & World Report’s annual showcase of “America’s Best Hospitals” includes Magnet recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care. 

The Magnet Model provides a framework for nursing practice, research, and measurement of outcomes. Through this framework, ANCC evaluates applicants across a number of components and dimensions to gauge an organization’s nursing excellence.

The foundation of this model comprises various elements deemed essential to delivering superior patient care. These include the quality of nursing leadership and coordination and collaboration across specialties, as well as processes for measuring and improving the quality and delivery of care.

To achieve initial Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. This process includes an electronic application, written patient care documentation, an on-site visit, and a review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition.

Health care organizations must reapply for Magnet recognition every four years based on adherence to Magnet concepts and demonstrated improvements in patient care and quality. An organization reapplying for Magnet recognition must provide documented evidence to demonstrate how staff members sustained and improved Magnet concepts, performance and quality over the four-year period since the organization received its 2021 recognition.

“We’re a better organization today because of the Magnet recognition we first achieved five years ago,” said Dina Bush, BSN, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer. “Magnet recognition raised the bar for patient care and inspired every member of our team to achieve excellence every day. It is this commitment to providing our community with high-quality care that helped us become a Magnet-recognized organization, and it’s why we continue to pursue and maintain Magnet recognition.” 

About Saint Joseph Hospital 

Founded in Denver in 1873 by the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth, Saint Joseph Hospital was the first private hospital in Colorado. Today it is recognized as one of the top hospitals in the nation and largest private teaching hospital in Denver. Specializing in a variety of areas including advanced heart care, pregnancy and childbirth and cancer treatment, Saint Joseph Hospital continues to offer the high-quality, affordable health care that has served Denver for nearly 140 years. By working closely with top physicians, Kaiser Permanente and National Jewish Health, the leading respiratory hospital in the nation, Saint Joe’s is able to provide some of the best inpatient and outpatient care in Colorado. Saint Joseph Hospital’s parent organization, SCL Health, is a faith-based, non-profit healthcare system that operates 8 hospitals, more than 210 physician clinics, home health care, hospice, mental health care and safety-net services in three states – Colorado, Kansas and Montana. 

About ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program

The Magnet Recognition Program — administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world — identifies health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice.

The Magnet Recognition Program serves as the gold standard for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit www.nursingworld.org/magnet. 

When Carl Craigle was just 14 years old, he was standing on a street corner with some friends across the street from a fire station in a small town outside of Philadelphia. Someone from the fire station walked across the street, grabbed Carl and told him to come with him, then told his friends to stay put. Carl followed the man back to the fire station and never looked back. 

Years later, he realized that “chance encounter” was likely a favor to his parents to keep him out of trouble as a teenager. What he didn’t know at the time was that he was entering into his now 38-year-long career in EMS. Though he fell into the role by accident, it has become his life-long passion. 

Carl began answering ambulance calls at 15 years old. He became an EMT at the age of 16 and by 19 he was a paramedic. 

Two decades ago, he was working as a paramedic supervisor in Commerce City when a friend told him about a job opening for ambulance service chief at Platte Valley Medical Center. He didn’t think he’d get the job, but 20 years later, he’s still here and still loves every minute of it.

As he celebrates his 20th anniversary in the Platte Valley family, he’s been able to reminisce on his long career. 

“I’ve been lucky since day one,” said Carl. “I’ve been surrounded by talented people who really drive the vision of this place. I’ve had the pleasure of watching the vast majority of my team come in at entry level and then see them grow from EMT to paramedic and all the way up to battalion chief.”

Though Carl isn’t a front-line paramedic anymore, he leads and oversees the department’s budget, strategic planning, marketing, accreditation processes, training and education, billing and payroll. 

“Working at Platte Valley has truly been a humbling experience, he said. “The people here are strong and they are staunch patient advocates. I’ve never worked at a place where the people take care of patients like they do here. We have a person-centered focus, meaning we don’t just see you as a patient. We see you as a person. It’s a huge privilege to be part of their healing journey.”

Carl oversees and leads his department of 53 people. “I’m old, slow and disorganized,” he said with a laugh. “I watch my people run circles around me and that’s okay. I miss being a front-line paramedic but my focus has to be on different things now. I have to take a step back and keep my arms around a 15,000 foot view. I get to watch my team do their thing with excitement and creativity. They have to think around corners to do their job and to do it well. I try to give them the tools they need and then I get out of their way.”

Carl finds the most challenging part of his job to be politics. He admits he didn’t have a lot of diplomacy skills when he first came on board as a rookie EMT, but said he’s had great teachers that have helped him along the way.

“John Hicks, the previous CEO, was patient with me and was a great guide in teaching me the art of diplomacy,” said Carl. “Jamie Campbell, our new president, is awesome. She’s really setting the place on fire, figurative speaking.”

Carl’s advice to new EMS professionals coming into the industry is to have balance and be patient. He explained that there’s a great deal of excitement and lore around emergency services that television has you think is reality when it’s not.

“You’re not dodging bullets and swinging from ropes like you see on TV,” he said. “In reality it’s quiet. It’s humble. It’s taking care of people. When you first enter, you want to be part of the action, so you put your everything into it. You work long hours and miss family events. It’s important to strike a balance between work and family and to stay on top of your mental, physical and emotional health or this job will chew you to pieces.”

Carl is grateful to still be serving the community. “This job means the world to me,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of people who stay in top leadership positions for this long. I want to go out on a high note and I want to leave the place in a better state than when I found it. Many leaders stay too long and become stagnant instead of continuing to move the organization forward.”

Still, Carl is only 52, and retirement isn’t anywhere in his near future.

“I want to make sure I’m still making a difference,” said Carl. “I ask myself if I’m still relevant and helpful so I know when it’s time for me to step back and let new leaders step into my role.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, healthcare organizations had to look for solutions to new problems they had never faced. A team at SCL Health was formed to create an innovative and multidisciplinary approach to the challenge of proning patients. They found a better way to conduct patient proning, which involves placing patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) on their stomachs to allow better distribution and air volume in their lungs. 

“It became apparent how connected the safety of our caregivers was to the safety of our patients,” said Heidi Wald, MD, Vice President Chief Quality and Safety Officer at SCL Health. “Our mantra became: "We need to keep our people safe to keep our patients safe." 

SCL Health’s Good Samaritan Medical Center and Saint Joseph Hospital piloted the process transformation that is now being used at all eight hospitals system-wide. Nancy McGann, Manager of Clinical Associate Safety at SCL Health, said, “The interdisciplinary team came together and rapidly created a toolkit to reduce caregiver injury, hospital-acquired pressure injuries and save time for our stretched critical care workforce. I am very proud to be a part of their work!" 

The team developed a toolkit that included a 3-tiered flow diagram, and the supply chain ensured all items were available system-wide. Positioning equipment included ceiling and mobile lifts, wedges, fluidizers, foams, tape, aerated mats, and operating room prone positioners. The toolkit also included videos, job aids, and a proning checklist disseminated system-wide before the second surge in Colorado. SCL Health has shared this work nationally on several occasions, and a copy of the PSQH Innovation Awards article can be found here. 

# # # 
About SCL Health 
SCL Health is a faith-based, nonprofit healthcare organization dedicated to improving the health of the people and communities we serve. Founded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in 1864, our health network provides comprehensive, coordinated care through eight hospitals, 160 physician clinics, home health, hospice, mental health, and safety-net services in Colorado and Montana. 

About PSQH 
Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare (PSQH) provides insights and analysis on issues related to healthcare improvement, quality, and safety, across all settings. Published daily online, PSQH serves the needs of those dedicated to ensuring the highest levels of quality and safety, including the c-suite, quality and safety management, and their teams.

Carmen Hart went into labor and delivered her daughter when she was just 27 weeks pregnant in July 2016. Born three months early, Penelope, or Penny as her family calls her, spent the first 101 days of her life in the NICU at Saint Joseph Hospital. 

Carmen remembers the experience after Penny was born when Saint Joe’s literally became their home during that time. The cafeteria became her husband’s office and the Dazbog counter inside the hospital became their neighborhood coffee shop because they were there every single day. They ate almost all of their meals on the patio off the fourth floor near Penny’s room and they watched football games in the NICU parent lounge. 

“We weren’t planning on having her at Saint Joe’s, but we’re so glad we did,” said Carmen. “The doctors, nurses and therapists did so much for Penny and our family and we are so thankful.” After more than three months of expert and compassionate care from the Saint Joseph Hospital NICU team and non-stop support from her family, Penny Hart went home. 

“I’ll never forget the day we left the hospital because I was so overwhelmed with gratitude. The problem was that I didn’t know how to go around the NICU to say thank you for everything the staff did for us.”

So, Carmen took that immense gratitude, along with inspiration from her daughter, and wrote a children’s book called Penny and Her Butterfly that is dedicated to all the NICU staff who provide care to the tiniest and most fragile humans. 

“The book was a way for me to say thank you in the best way that I could,” Carmen said. “It’s a tribute to all of the staff that took care of Penny, but it’s done in a very light, playful and fun way.” 

The plot of the book is that when Penny's favorite butterfly picture goes missing, she heads out to search in the hospital and asks for help from the NICU team and her family. 

The book features Penny’s caregivers including Neonatologists Dr. Annie, Dr. John, Dr. Ellina and Dr. Mark, along with her primary day nurse Krista, primary night nurse Angie and occupational therapist Shannon. In total, there are 15 characters, including Penny, her parents and 12 other members of the Saint Joe’s NICU team. 

Carmen wrote the words and Mark Nino Balita, an illustrator from the Philippines, drew the pictures. The characters in the book are wonderfully illustrated as animals, and each page is a shout-out to the real-life team at Saint Joe’s. “We had a really tall nurse who is depicted as a giraffe. Another nurse had a long gray ponytail so she’s depicted as a gray horse.” Carmen credits Mark for really bringing the books to life.  

SPOILER ALERT: Penny eventually finds the picture and after 101 days, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, she is able to fly home. This beautiful tribute to prematurity is about a little girl's fierce determination and the power of love from those around her. 

Penny and Her Butterfly was five years in the making. Originally, Carmen set a goal of having it finished by Penny’s first birthday, but life got busy. The Hart family had another baby girl and Penny has grown into a healthy, happy and vibrant 5-year-old girl, who loves playing with her baby sister and is preparing to start kindergarten in the fall.

“This whole thing was a very unexpected situation, but looking back, it has turned into a very special time in our lives,” Carmen said. “Our family is forever grateful for the care we received at Saint Joe’s, and this book allowed us to capture that.”

Penny and Her Butterfly can be purchased on Amazon, and is also sold in the gift shop at Saint Joseph Hospital. Proceeds from the book will be donated to organizations that help NICU families. They include March of Dimes, which funds lifesaving research and programs to end premature birth, and the Saint Joseph Hospital Parent2Parent Support Group that helps families currently experiencing a NICU stay. Carmen is part of the Parent2Parent support group and remains friends with some of the staff who took care of her baby girl to this day. 

Platte Valley Medical Center recognizes that caregivers have experienced unprecedented levels of stress, trauma and burnout during the last two years while battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Lack of certainty, stability and safety generate anxiety and exhaustion in the hospital setting. While the challenging elements of COVID may dominate our days, there are aspects we can control, like how we respond individually, as teams and as an organization. 

It's imperative that the needs of staff be addressed and support is offered in a variety of ways. That's why we’ve launched a new RESET program.

RESET stands for Resilience, Empathy and Support for Employees and Teams. This program was established to promote individual self-care tactics, develop customized programs for specific departments, support leaders and make well-being a priority.

Last year, Karen Vizyak, Resilience Integration Specialist at Platte Valley Medical Center, and several associates went through a Train the Trainer program through the Tend Academy based out of Canada. The Academy works with first responders and others in fields associated with trauma to help deal with things like burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and more. 

The program’s training and resources were the catalyst for creating RESET. A committee was formed in fall 2021, and in January 2022, the program was rebranded into RESET. The RESET Committee consists of a core implementation team and a nursing resource team who joins monthly to get feedback from and bounce ideas off of each other.

One of RESET's kick-off events was the Care Fair, which took place in February. Staff was invited to stop by several interactive stations which incorporated ways to take care of body, mind and soul. Breathing, stretching and mindful movement techniques were demonstrated, spiritual care resources were available, aromatherapy was offered, and much more. Staff also enjoyed pet therapy, spinning a wheel to win prizes and writing things they were grateful for on posterboard for all to see. 

“There are a lot of different directions we’re going to take,” said Karen. “One thing we started to do is deeper dives into specific departments. We present an overview of the occupational hazards associates may be experiencing, naming and normalizing the symptoms of burnout, secondary trauma and empathic strain. Then we explain interventions we can provide to improve well-being for individuals, teams, leaders and the organization as a whole."

Karen’s team is also surveying different departments with the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) survey and interviewing people to get a better understanding of what they’re feeling and what challenges they’re facing, since challenges vary greatly from department to department.

Once that data is collected, the team customizes plans to meet specific department needs. These plans can include everything from improving systems, workflows and efficiency, to boosting the culture of the team and how they work together, to implementing well-being practices that can be interspersed throughout the day, or whenever people are feeling stressed. 

In addition,a monthly hospital-wide event is held. In January, staff participated in RESET at Recess, where they were invited to take a break, make hot chocolate with their unit, and log one thing they were grateful for that day. 

“Employee well-being affects everything from engagement and retention, to safety, patient experience and decreasing chances of errors,” said Karen. “If your staff isn’t in a good place, it’s going to affect every other area. We want to highlight that and make it a bigger priority. If we can be the kind of organization that really supports our staff it can make a huge difference.”

The Lutheran Medical Center Foundation has announced members of The Legacy Continues Comprehensive Campaign Committee. The committee is charged with the responsibility of overseeing the campaign process  including:

●     Campaign objectives, goals and strategy

●     Ensuring the recruitment of key donors, particularly leadership donors

●     Participating in solicitations and stewardship activities when appropriate

●     Committing to be financially supportive of the campaign

Leading the group are co-chairs Zachary Urban and Dr. Jennifer Caskey. Urban is a prominent Wheat Ridge community member and a recent past City Council member. He has been an active participant on the Lutheran Foundation Board for six years. Urban recently accepted the role of Director of the Office of Public Housing for Region 8 with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Dr. Caskey is a devoted supporter of Lutheran and the Foundation. She is a retired Lutheran oncologist and has been a member of the Foundation board since 2017. Lutheran is her number one organization to support and she is looking forward to inspiring others to do the same.

Members of the committee include:

●     Dr. Betsy Brew - Dr. Brew is a surgeon with Surgical Specialists of Colorado. She has been a member of the Lutheran Foundation for six years and chaired the Board for the last few years. She now provides guidance as past chair and is committed to the success of the campaign.

●     Dr. Steve Brown - Dr. Brown served on the Foundation board for six years and continues as a member of the finance and investment committee. He is the Chief Medical Officer at Lutheran. He is a radiologist and was previously with Rocky Mountain Radiologists. He is a third-generation Coloradan and lives in Golden.

●     Dr. Doug Hunter - Dr. Hunter is a retired radiologist from Rocky Mountain Radiologists. He joined the Lutheran Foundation Board of Directors in 2020. He is a past chair of the Lutheran Medical Staff Quality Improvement Committee. Dr. Hunter is excited to be a part of the campaign committee and the new, replacement Lutheran project.

●     John O’Dorisio - O’Dorisio has been a Lutheran Foundation Board member since January of 2020. He is an attorney and co-managing shareholder and director with Robinson, Waters & O’Dorisio, P.C. He has been a part of the Wheat Ridge, Golden, Lakewood community since 1960 and he and his family call Lutheran their hospital.

●     Guy Nahmiach - Nahmiach is a senior broker, productivity coach, and recruiter with KellerWilliams. He is an engaged and involved citizen of Wheat Ridge, having served on numerous boards and commissions within the city and Jefferson County. Nahmiach recently acquired The Neighborhood Gazette, a popular local newspaper circulating in Wheat Ridge and Edgewater. His wife, Jane Newman, is an ICU nurse at Lutheran. Nahmiach believes the new Lutheran will bring many opportunities to Wheat Ridge and its surrounding communities.

●     Diane Nyberg Ericsson - Diane grew up in the Wheat Ridge area. She recently retired from a career at Xerox in Sales, Sales Management, and Finance. Diane and her sister consider Lutheran their family hospital and have established a Lutheran junior volunteer scholarship endowment in their parents’ name. They have also funded the refurbishment of the gardens at Collier Hospice. Diane has been volunteering with the Foundation for the last three years and is excited to work on the Legacy Continues Campaign.

If you haven’t passed by the site at Clear Creek Crossing lately, the Lutheran  replacement hospital has passed a couple of construction milestones. 

A recent decision by the SCL Health Board of Directors has directed us to build out some of the planned shell space to add even more flexibility in the number of available inpatient beds. This will allow us to slightly increase the number of beds, all of which can be converted to ICU beds in the event of future need, such as another pandemic. 

Once complete, the capacity for inpatient, ER, OR and other services will still be similar to the capacity we now have at the current hospital. 

This also means that the topmost steel beam will be raised onto the structure in August, in what is called a “topping off” milestone. After that, the entire building will begin to be enclosed and interior work can start in earnest.

We are well on our way to creating the hospital of the future in Wheat Ridge, with better access, even more efficiency and a more flexible design to meet future healthcare needs. 

In early April, SCL Health and Intermountain Healthcare expect to finalize a merger agreement begun last year. During the two-year transition process, our logo may change, but our mission and our commitment to building a brand-new replacement hospital remain the same. Lutheran Medical Center plans to deliver high-quality care, dedicated to patients and the community for many years to come.  

As the hospital building takes shape, the rest of the first phase of the medical campus will be built out, to include a parking garage and the first medical office building, which will break ground in the coming months.

The current, legacy campus will remain largely as it is until the move to the new site. After the move, Lutheran Hospice at Collier Center will remain on the legacy campus, as will the current medical office buildings. 

West Pines Behavioral Health will relocate to a new site that has not yet been determined. SCL Health, in partnership with Acadia Healthcare, is building a new 144-bed inpatient behavioral health hospital to serve the northwest metro community, with expanded access to inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services. We anticipate this facility will open in 2023. 

Lutheran Medical Center has an ongoing mission to care for Jefferson County and West Denver families, and it always will.

At SCL Health, now Intermountain Healthcare, we are dedicated to engaging with our communities to better understand how we can provide healthcare and services to meet local needs.

Please join us for an hour and a half virtual public meeting to learn more about our community impact on health and wellness from Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton, St. Mary's Medical Center in Grand Junction and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette.

To register for Saint Joseph Hospital/Lutheran Medical Center:

Please join us for an hour and a half virtual public meeting on Monday, November 14, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. to learn more about our community impact on health and wellness from Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver.

Visit https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlde2upzssHNXc_B6Cp-z7swsmwYxfjNXe to register.

To register for Western Colorado:

Please join us for an hour and a half virtual  public meeting on Tuesday, November 15, from 5:00- 6:30 p.m. to learn more about our community impact on health and wellness from St. Mary’s Medical Center in Mesa County. 

Visit https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApc--tpzMoGNHtNrnT3A2ULAGAfuQllqgS to register.

To register for Good Samaritan Medical Center/Platte Valley Medical Center:

Please join us for an hour and a half virtual public meeting on Thursday, November 17, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. to learn more about our community impact on health and wellness from Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette and Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton.

Visit https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEucuuuqjMoGNIfi40QSMd660OfCJExtARJ to register.

On January 27, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized notable, innovative achievements of only 18 businesses across the nation that participated in the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge in 2020 and 2021. Good Samaritan Medical Center’s Nutrition Services team was honored as a national award winner for its efforts to prevent food waste.

Leanpath was the waste recovery program launched at Good Samaritan in 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the leadership of Natosha Jergensen, director & general manager of Nutrition Services, the entire Nutrition Services team was engaged in the process to identify opportunities and develop strategies to reduce the amount of food waste.

It was a challenging time yet they overcame hurdles. A critical challenge was continued turnover in the executive chef position, which the team relied on to drive this program. With each change, the team continued to embrace the food waste prevention program because they truly believed in the importance of the initiative. Each of the chefs contributed, and by the end of 2020, the team knew that, regardless of what was going on at the director level, they were making a valuable impact and stayed committed to the progress of Leanpath. 

The data clearly demonstrated the team had achieved their goals. In 2020, they reduced food waste by 25 percent, which equates to 6,290 pounds of food. The team also saved more than 5,240 meals through composting equivalent to preventing 20 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. They finished 2020 by embracing Good Samaritan Medical Center’s “Good Sam Goes Green” initiative, implementing composting, and transitioning from disposable kitchenware to compostable or recyclable serviceware, from straws to containers.  In 2021, another 50 metric tons of CO2 was prevented, demonstrating the program was not only successful, but sustainable. The good work continues into 2022.

“Our success with waste reduction throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is truly a testament to our team and their resiliency, consistency, and hard work,” said Natosha Jergensen who spearheaded the initiative.  “We believe sustainability isn't just a trend, and we are committed to improving our efforts daily. We see it as our mission now and in the future.”

About Good Samaritan Medical Center

Good Samaritan Medical Center is an award-winning, 234-bed acute-care hospital in Lafayette, CO. Opened in 2004, Good Samaritan brings comprehensive, quality care to everyone in Boulder County and northwest Denver. Good Samaritan is a Level II Trauma Center, a Joint Commission Primary Stroke and Chest Pain Center, a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery, and a designated Baby-Friendly Hospital. Based on a culture of caregivers who put patients and families at the center of everything they do, Good Samaritan has become one of the highest-rated and most trusted hospitals in the communities we serve. 

Effective March 1, the following Cancer Centers of Colorado-Lutheran Medical Center Medical Oncology services moved to a new location in Golden. 

• Outpatient Medical Oncology Clinic
• Cancer Rehabilitation, including Lymphedema Clinic
• Infusion Center
• Oncology Support Services
• Genetic Counseling

Radiation Oncology moved to this new location last May. Patients will access these cancer services at the new address: 

New Address: 400 Indiana St., Golden, CO 80401 
Cancer Centers of Colorado-Lutheran Medical Center-Medical Oncology, Cancer Rehabilitation, and Genetic Counseling

Dr. Karng Log, Dr. Jeff Owsley, and Samantha Cinadr NP
Suite 300  
Medical Oncology Phone: (303) 403-7333  |  Lymphedema Clinic Phone: (303) 425- 2314

Cancer Centers of Colorado-Lutheran Medical Center-Infusion Center, Oncology Support Services
Suite 310  
Infusion Center Phone: (303) 425-8264  |  Oncology Support Services Phone:  (303) 403-3608

These departments will remain a part of Lutheran Medical Center and they will continue to offer all the same state of the art cancer  services and quality care. Their patients will receive the same level of personalized care they have come to expect and will be cared for by the same outstanding team. 

The Circle of Care program seeks to recognize and celebrate caregivers who work endlessly to provide exceptional care every day. The Foundation has been honored to share the appreciation from grateful patients and their families to our amazing caregivers. 

Many times patients contribute financially to support the Foundation because they are grateful for the amazing care received at Lutheran. And many times, these gifts are accompanied by a letter from the patient or family, which indicates their gratitude for the clinicians who cared for them. 

The first three ceremonies recognized Lutheran Hospice at Collier Center, Lutheran Heart and Vascular Care and Environmental Services, and Lutheran Medical Center Radiation Oncology. These groups received Circle of Care pins and cookies, including sugar cookies from Cakes by Karen, a local bakery with which the Foundation has partnered, during recognition ceremonies.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our donors and caregivers, helping us make gratitude come full circle. The Foundation looks forward to many more Circle of Care awards!

Lutheran Hospice at Collier Center

A note of gratitude came from the husband of a patient who recently passed away while being cared for at home by our hospice team.

The grateful patient mentioned Jean Meyers, RN, in a note saying, "Jean, please accept our donation on behalf of all of your associates who took care of my sweet wife. She loved to see each and every one that came into our home."

Lutheran Heart Center and Environmental Services

Dr. Bohuslav Finta, a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist, and the Heart Center staff received a donation in their honor from a grateful patient who thanked them for their care during her recent heart surgery. 

This patient also wrote an extraordinary letter applauding the housekeeping staff for their daily cleaning, fresh linens and kind gestures during her stay at Lutheran. “The housekeeping staff members represent the values of Lutheran Medical Center well,” she said.

Lutheran Medical Center Radiation Oncology

The Foundation traveled to the Red Rocks Medical Center to visit the relocated office of the Cancer Centers of Colorado – Lutheran Medical Center Radiation Oncology. 

Dr. Tyler Kemmis of the Radiation Oncology team was recognized by a patient through a donation made on Colorado Gives Day. Dr. Kemmis and the team embody our values of Excellence and Caring Spirit by providing exceptional care to patients and their families that are facing the challenges of cancer. 

(February 28, 2022, Broomfield, CO) – SCL Health has achieved recognition as an Adopter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s PATIENT FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS BEST PRACTICES®. As a Best Practices Adopter, SCL Health demonstrated that it follows nearly 100 best practices covering all aspects of financial interactions that take place in a variety of care settings. 

“In a time when patients are paying more out-of-pocket for their health care, the financial conversations we have with patients have never been more important,” said Troy Spring, Vice President Revenue Cycle. “We have taken steps to ensure that patients are treated with compassion and respect in financial matters, and this recognition confirms that.” 

“When people are dealing with health issues, they should be focusing on their health, not trying to decipher confusing financial information,” said HFMA President and CEO Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA, in learning of the award. SCL Health has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that patients have a good experience when it comes to the financial aspects of their care.” 

SCL Health joins a select group of hospitals, health systems, and physician practices that have received this first-of-its-kind, national recognition. A blue-ribbon task force developed these best practices to help improve communication between healthcare providers and consumers about financial matters. The task force included representatives from major industry groups, including the American Hospital Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the National Patient Advocate Foundation, among others. The best practices are part of HFMA’s HEALTHCARE DOLLARS & SENSE® initiative. More information is available at hfma.org/dollars.

American Heart Month is designed to bring awareness to many factors surrounding heart disease, such as risk factors, symptoms, complications and new treatment options and tools. Mostly, it’s designed to encourage people to make heart health a priority. 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. American Heart Month reminds us that making small changes now can lead to a lifetime of good heart health. 

John Goolsby experienced these changes firsthand. In August of 2021, John got up from lying down, put on his shoes to walk his dogs, and felt a jolt in his chest. The feeling spread down both of his arms, but he went outside with the dogs anyway. After 5-10 minutes, he couldn’t seem to relax and couldn’t shake the discomfort. He began feeling anxious and his respiration was climbing. That’s when the fear of a heart attack came to mind.

John drove himself to the nearest emergency room and was transported by ambulance to Good Samaritan Medical Center. Once there, the doctors did an EKG and determined he had suffered a heart attack. In fact, he had suffered a severe heart attack known as STEMI, or ST-elevation myocardial infarction, which carries the worst morbidity and mortality as compared to other forms of heart attack. 

The heart and vascular team at Good Samaritan Medical Center put in a stent later that evening. John spent an extra day in the hospital because he went into AFib, or abnormal heart rhythm, but fortunately it corrected itself on its own. 

John’s follow-up care has been led by the Medical Director of Cardiovascular Service Line at SCL Health and Vascular Institute and Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Services at Good Samaritan Medical Center, Dr. Wojciech Nowak.

“Dr. Nowak has been a huge wealth of information for me following my procedure,” said John. “Everyone at Good Samaritan was absolutely top-notch. Every single person is there because they genuinely care for people. It couldn’t have been a better experience. I was extremely impressed. It was humbling the way they care about total strangers. I truly believe a person couldn’t land in a better hospital.”

John spent the next three months going to rehab therapy three times a week. Part of his rehab included nutrition classes. That’s where he learned about the crucial role your diet plays in your overall health and physical fitness. 

“The rehab nurses were amazing and they were completely interested in my care, my life and my lifestyle,” John said. “They always had answers to my questions, and if they didn’t, they would find the answers and follow up with me.”

Through these classes, he learned that he had the power to make a difference in his health. He had always been a fit guy who exercised regularly, but he spent years eating just so-so. 

“Our food sources are marinating in sodium and cholesterol,” John said. “We eat deep fried foods and our big plates are a true sign of the times. Our parents and grandparents didn’t eat the portion sizes we eat, so why are we?”

John spent decades eating a meat-based diet, but has since switched to more plant-based because he’s learned how critical good nutrition is to overall heart health. He loves riding his dirt bike and is back to working out as hard as he did when he was younger. His energy levels are up post-procedure and he’s lost 15 pounds.

“Unless someone has experienced a cardiac event personally, they probably don’t think much about it, and won’t until something goes wrong,” said John. “I want people to know there are ways to keep yourself healthier, and diet and exercise are two of the most important. Learn, change, and move out of the path of least resistance. The earlier you change, the better off you’ll be. If I had eaten better, I probably could have avoided this whole ordeal.”

Ten years ago, Laboyd Spradley found out he had a heart arrhythmia, but at the time didn’t do anything about it. He was healthy and felt great, and didn’t see any reason to be alarmed. 

On December 23, 2021, Laboyd went in for a routine checkup with his primary care physician. His heart rate was 35 beats per minute, so his doctor did an EKG and it showed a total blockage. He was experiencing an abnormal heart rhythm, known as AFib, the most common type of treated heart arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is when the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular way. It can lead to blood clots in the heart and increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

Laboyd was immediately taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Medical Center. He was supposed to go to a different hospital but was diverted, a pleasant surprise to Laboyd’s wife, Robin, because she is the clinic manager at SCL Health Medical Group-Superior OB/GYN.

When he got to the emergency room, he had no signs or symptoms, which left the doctors perplexed. Typically, someone with that condition could have a myriad of symptoms ranging from fatigue and shortness of breath, to weakness or dizziness. Other staff members came into his room and told him they had heard his story and couldn’t believe he felt normal, given his condition.

The next day, on Christmas Eve, Laboyd and Robin had a consultation with Dr. Wojciech Nowak, Medical Director of Cardiovascular Service Line at SCL Health and Vascular Institute and Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Services at Good Samaritan Medical Center. He told Laboyd he would need a pacemaker. 

“Dr. Nowak told us there was no way around it because if he didn’t get it, he would die,” said Robin. “We weren’t scared though. He explained the procedure in great detail. My husband and I were so impressed with his expertise and confidence that making the decision to move forward with the procedure that afternoon was a no-brainer. We consented!”

The two-hour-long procedure went great and left Laboyd with a bit more energy. He spent a total of three days at Good Samaritan, and came back a few weeks later for an echocardiogram that showed everything was going well and the surgery was a success.

“The staff was amazing,” Robin said. “I want to include the entire staff on the cardiac floor who took care of him. They were so nice and attentive and we had the best experience, from the moment we got there to discharge, from the entire care team. We feel very blessed that he was diverted to Good Samaritan.”

Laboyd echoed her sentiment saying, “The cardio team is top-notch. Everyone from the doctors to nurses to nursing assistants were incredible. Dr. Nowak is no nonsense. I was never worried because he did such an amazing job talking me through the entire procedure, before and during. The doctors and nurses kept coming in to check on me. They were on it, day and night.”

Robin said she wishes she would’ve been more involved in his health so she would’ve known he had an underlying issue. She stressed that it’s important to talk to your loved ones about their health so you understand what’s going on with them and the potential risks.

“Laboyd and I are forever grateful to Dr. Nowak for saving his life and for showing the care and compassion that he showed us,” said Robin. “It really was the best experience. We still talk about how wonderful Dr. Nowak, the nurses and the entire care team were to us. Best Christmas gift ever!”

At his wife’s urging, during his annual physical in April 2021, Stan Foxx told his primary care physician, Dr. John Hornsby, that he occasionally experienced pain in his upper right quadrant while walking up inclines on his daily walks. Dr. Hornsby suggested that he get a stress test and referred him to Dr. Wojciech Nowak, Medical Director of Cardiovascular Service Line at SCL Health and Vascular Institute and Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Services at Good Samaritan Medical Center. 

Much to Stan’s surprise, he failed the stress test and Dr. Nowak urged him to undergo a cardiac catheter procedure.  

“I figured no worries, if there was any kind of blockage he would insert a stent and I’d be on my way,” said Stan. “Not so much. While undergoing the procedure, Dr. Nowak pointed out three blocked arteries and noted that I would probably require bypass surgery. He said that had my body not created a corollary blood supply, I would have likely suffered a fatal cardiac event.”  

Dr. Nowak referred Stan to Dr. Jason Shofnos at Saint Joseph Hospital. After Stan and his wife met with him and reviewed the catheter study, Dr. Shofnos agreed that bypass surgery was necessary.  

Stan’s youngest son was scheduled to get married in the beginning of July so he asked if the surgery could be put off until after the wedding. Given the fact that he had lived so long with the corollaries in place, he was given the green light to wait.

The Thursday after the wedding, Stan underwent what turned out to be a quadruple bypass. The procedure went great and he was discharged from Saint Joe’s six days later. 

“The teams of doctors, nurses, PA’s, rehab specialties, etc. that took care of me did an outstanding job and I will always be grateful for their care and compassion,” said Stan. “That said, thank God I don’t have anything with which to compare them to, but I can’t imagine a more dedicated, skilled, talented group of professionals than those assembled by Dr. Nowak at Good Samaritan and Dr. Shofnos at Saint Joe’s.”

Six weeks after Stan’s surgery, he embarked on the trip of a lifetime to Africa, where he spent three weeks in South Africa and went on a safari to Botswana.

“As someone who has exercised regularly, ate a fairly healthy diet all of my adult life and was in pretty decent shape for an older guy, I never expected to be faced with the prospect of having to undergo heart surgery,” Stan said. “It just never occurred to me. Therefore, I would urge anyone who doesn’t exercise, and who takes their heart health for granted, to reassess their lifestyle. In other words, if this could happen to me in good shape, it could happen to anyone.”

Good heart health is crucial to one’s overall wellbeing. American Heart Month is the perfect time to remind yourself that it’s never too early, or too late, to go see your doctor and take the steps needed to achieve great health and a happy heart.

“I can’t urge folks strongly enough to find out what you need to do to keep yourself and your heart healthy,” said Stan.

When he was just seven months old, Mitchell Wennberg started presenting polio-like symptoms. After years of doctor visits and his leg not recovering, he was finally diagnosed with a rare case of Enterovirus D68, a virus without vaccines or treatment available. The virus caused acute flaccid myelitis, leaving his right leg paralyzed.

Initially, Mitchell’s family was told he'd have no recovery or movement in his right leg. They sought care at Platte Valley Medical Center and at the time he was using a reverse walker to ambulate. The doctors decided to try the use of an HKAFO, which is a full leg orthotic with a strap that goes around the waist. Over time, he was able to decrease the size of his brace and now uses a KAFO, which is an orthotic that only controls the knee, ankle and foot.

After participating in physical therapy and finding the right leg brace, Mitchell, now 9-years-old, has found a way to participate in activities he loves, in particular, ice hockey. Though, it’s a modified version of the typical sport.

"It's like hockey for disabilities," Mitchell said. "You're closer to the ice and you can actually pass under your sled.”

Mitchell started playing sled hockey about a year and a half ago, where he maneuvers on his sled and finds comfort in being around other people like him.

"My husband and I love hockey,” said Kristy Wennberg, Mitchell’s mom. “We met while playing hockey. We love the fact that he's doing this."

Sled hockey is a sport the U.S. has won a gold medal in the last three Paralympics games.

One of Mitchell’s idols is Team USA sled hockey Paralympian Nikko Landeros, who he met at the Greeley Ice Haus after getting involved with the youth team. Nikko has helped Mitchell with his blades and ice skills and has become an inspiration to Mitchell. Now, Mitchell hopes to participate in the Paralympics games one day and be like Nikko.

“He is thriving in this sport that is uniquely adapted to allow for Mitchell to develop all of the wonderful qualities that kids learn from participation in team sports such as teamwork, dedication, competitiveness, and how to both win and lose with pride,” said Kim Rising, Mitchell’s physical therapist at Platte Valley.

Proper orthotic design, fabrication and materials were crucial in giving Mitchell the freedom to walk and run without assistance. This independence, in combination with physical therapy, has allowed Mitchell to build his confidence and tap into his strengths during physical activities that may have otherwise been impossible for him.

“Mitchell is one of the most motivated, positive and trusting people I know,” said Kim. “His drive and work ethic have propelled him to where he is today and in the future, I truly hope that he continues to push boundaries and move mountains.”

Mitchell and his parents hope to inspire other children and parents in similar situations with their story. 

Watch Channel 9 NEWS' coverage here: https://www.9news.com/article/sports/olympics/colorado-kid-paralympic-sled-hockey/73-d2142681-b829-4c2e-84e6-d0966e3fb00d

St. Mary’s Medical Center has achieved the prestigious Magnet recognition as a demonstration of its commitment to nursing professionalism in a collaborative, inter-professional culture. The Magnet Recognition® Program, administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, distinguishes organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence and are able to consistently deliver excellence in patient care.

St. Mary’s has also received additional recognition in the form of five Magnet Exemplar accolades. Magnet® Exemplars are stories that highlight excellence in nursing practice with positive outcomes. They showcase nurses' contributions to high quality and patient-centered care. Being recognized as exemplars in five different inpatient and outpatient categories means that St. Mary’s has outperformed the majority of other organizations through these outstanding examples of best practice. 

“Earning Magnet recognition is an honor that reaffirms St. Mary’s  culture that values the integral role that nurses play in caring for our community every day,” said Michelle Shiao, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President, Patient Care Services at St. Mary’s. “This process was both rigorous and thorough for all involved—from the bedside nurse clinicians to the department leaders, executive team, and members of the board of directors.”

Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and the communities they serve including improved patient safety, higher patient satisfaction and higher job satisfaction among nurses.

“Magnet designation is an impressive and important distinction for our organization and associates as well as the communities we serve,'' said Bryan Johnson, President of St. Mary’s Medical  Center. “Our entire team can be proud of this historic distinction.”

Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence and is a factor when the public judges health care organizations. To achieve Magnet accreditation, St. Mary’s passed a rigorous and lengthy process over several years that required widespread participation from every discipline and across every level of the organization. The process included submission of an electronic application, written patient care documentation, a virtual site visit and review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition.

About ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program

The Magnet Recognition Program — administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world — identifies health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program is the highest national honor for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit: https://bit.ly/2ZzQYQ4. 

One hot summer night in August of 2021 in Grand Junction, Teyen Shiao, MD, was awoken in the middle of the night with pressure in his chest. At only 48-years-old and with no risk factors, the Grand Valley general surgeon assumed he was experiencing heartburn or an esophageal spasm.  But, after 5 hours, the chest pressure persisted and Shiao told his wife, Michelle, who happens to be the Chief Nursing Officer at St. Mary’s Medical Center, that something just didn’t feel right. 

“I told Michelle I was just going to go mow the lawn and see if it got worse, but she told me I was crazy and insisted we go to the emergency room,” Shiao explained. 

Without a second thought, the Shiao’s went to St. Mary’s, where they knew they would be in the best of hands. 

“It’s always kind of embarrassing to go into the hospital where you work,” Shiao said. “You don’t want to be that person who has a false alarm.”

Emergency Room physician Holly Buschhorn, MD, ran a series of tests on Shiao and despite his lack of risk factors it was quickly discovered that his troponin levels were elevated and two of his heart vessels were completely blocked. He was admitted into the cardiac unit under the care of St. Mary’s cardiologist Soubhi Azzouz, MD. But when the name Teyen Shiao appeared on his patient list, Azzouz was shocked. 

“I thought to myself, no way is this Dr. Shiao,” said Azzouz. “It’s probably his father or someone with the same name. And really, I hoped it wasn’t him. Then I walked into the room and was like oh my gosh, it’s him. I was completely surprised.”

Azzouz and Shiao knew each other well professionally. They sit on the hospital’s peer review committee and oftentimes share patients and confer on cases. But never had Shiao ever imagined he’d be his patient. 

“I’m always on the other end, performing the surgery,” said Shiao. “I definitely felt very vulnerable. It’s weird because I was terrified, but at the same time, I work with these people every day and had complete confidence that I was in the very best hands.”

Treatment options were thoroughly discussed between the two physicians and Azzouz performed a heart catheter through Shiao’s wrist artery to open up the two vessels.  According to Azzouz, this type of procedure comes with a potential, but unlikely risk that something could happen to the artery, causing the patient to lose feeling in the hand. 

“My living is based on using my hands,” Shiao explained. “God forbid if there were any complications my career as a surgeon is over. But I never doubted his capabilities and I trusted Soubhi completely.”

The heart catheter procedure was a success and Shiao was cleared to go home after 48 hours. The St. Mary’s cardiology team continued to monitor his heart function remotely.

“If I’m being honest, it’s a little bit different when you’re doing a procedure on someone you know personally and you work with in the medical field,” said Azzouz. “But at the end of the day, we treat them like any other patient and things will be okay and that’s what happened here.”

Shiao was fortunate to have a complete recovery of the heart function without any sustained damage. He is able to live life normally without any restrictions, except for his diet. 

“I love French fries, and now I almost never get to eat them,” Shiao said. “I love savory foods and now everything I eat has to be low sodium. But it’s been good and it’s well worth it. It’s all about perspective.” 

For both Shiao and Azzouz, this unexpected meeting has brought them even closer. 

“When I see Soubhi in meetings now, we’re still both very professional, but I’d say there’s more of a fuzzy feeling,” Shiao smiled. 

“I feel like now there is a bond that’s different than before,” Azzouz said. “This is a man who trusted me with his life and he had lots of options.” 

For Shiao, out of this life threatening event came two big life lessons learned. 

“I’m not the poster child of someone who is having a heart attack, yet I had one. Always listen to your body, and your wife,” he said with a laugh. 

And for Azzouz, “I’m just hopeful he won’t pay me back and I won’t end up on his table one day.”

Olga Firstbrook, a 64-year-old nurse, has worked in all areas of healthcare, including pediatrics, cardiac care, ICU, oncology and various management positions. She’s spent decades taking care of patients, which came naturally to her. However, when she had to learn how to become a patient, that wasn’t as easy.

A few years ago, Olga began experiencing atrial fibrillation (AFib)-related issues that included a rapid heart rate. AFib is the most common type of treated heart arrhythmia that happens when the heart beats too slowly, too fast or in an irregular way. It can lead to blood clots in the heart and increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

Olga’s heart was beating at 120-140 beats per minute. For most healthy adult men and women, resting heart rates range from 60 to 100 beats per minute. Her doctor ran tests and she was prescribed a couple of medications. She continued to deal with her health in a proactive way, going back every 3-6 months to check on her heart. Her doctor conducted diagnostic testing, monitored her heart health with an echocardiogram, MRI, and EKG, and performed cardiac catheterization.

After moving to Colorado in September 2020, Olga began experiencing more frequent incidents of rapid heart rate, and overall was not feeling great. She went to a cardiologist in Boulder, who recommended she find a cardiothoracic surgeon. After doing extensive research online, she decided to seek care at Saint Joseph Hospital. 

In July 2021, Olga was told she needed to have a valve repaired. The surgery, which was actually three procedures in one, included a tricuspid valve repair, a right/left Cox-maze procedure to treat her AFib, and an AtriClip to block the left atrial appendage to help reduce the risk of blood clots. She was in the hospital for five days. 

“The doctors completely put my mind at ease,” said Olga. “They provided an in-depth explanation of my surgery and walked me through exactly what would happen from the moment I walked in the door to the day I was discharged. Being a nurse, I’m very particular and have extremely high expectations. I knew what to expect, but throughout the entire experience I had to learn how to act like a patient, and not like a nurse.”

Olga’s surgery at Saint Joseph was a success. For her cardiac rehab, she went to Lutheran Medical Center. Her daughter delivered her baby at Lutheran in 2020 and received excellent care, so Olga was already confident in the staff and the care.  

“It feels like a real family environment,” said Olga. “After receiving care at Saint Joe’s and Lutheran, you can tell they have a passion-driven mission. The staff truly cares and it’s a great place to be. The doctors, nurses, office staff, cleaning crews and food service workers were outstanding. They all showed such compassion to me – and to each other. Working in the healthcare field during COVID-19 and still experiencing that demeanor is incredible.” 

Olga was off work for three months in order to give her body time to heal. She began cardiac rehab about seven weeks after her surgery. Cardiac rehab is a medically supervised program designed to improve your cardiovascular health for people who have experienced a heart attack, heart failure or heart surgery. It consists of exercise counseling and training, education for heart-healthy living and counseling to reduce stress.

The rehab sessions, held three times a week, included exercising, strength building, nutrition classes, endurance and tolerance training, breathing training and various educational pieces. While participating in cardiac exercises, the therapists would check her oxygen levels, blood pressure and heart rate. 

“The classes were designed to educate and then re-educate us,” Olga said. “There was a real comradery with the other patients. The rehab facility essentially became my gym and it was like a pep rally with everyone encouraging each other.”

The doctors told Olga it would take 6-12 months for her to completely feel like her old self again, but she is recovering nicely. She stressed the importance of listening to your body and not ignoring your symptoms.

“If something doesn’t feel right, go to your doctor,” said Olga. “You have to investigate and you also have to be a willing participant in your health. There are many lifestyle changes you can do to help keep your heart healthy, like good nutrition and exercise. You only get one time on Earth and you have to take advantage of it. If you don’t, the consequence could be you might not be here.”

Wheat Ridge, Colo., and Franklin, Tenn.– SCL Health has formed a joint venture partnership with Acadia Healthcare, a national behavioral healthcare provider, to expand its commitment to providing behavioral health services. The joint venture will allow SCL Health to help meet the growing demand for behavioral health treatment for members of the community of all ages.

Acadia is committed to patient- and family-centered care, clinical outcomes, and it has a proven track record of collaborating with similar health systems across the country. “We believe that access to high-quality mental health care is important to our community, and we are partnering with Acadia to expand that access significantly in the coming years,” said Lydia Jumonville, President, and CEO of SCL Health.

During the first phase of the partnership, SCL Health West Pines will continue to deliver high-quality behavioral health services as it has for three decades at its current location. A transitional management agreement allows both organizations to work closely together to ensure a smooth transition and maintain a strong philosophy of care.

“Acadia is proud to be partnering with a premier health system like SCL Health,” said Debbie Osteen, Chief Executive Officer of Acadia Healthcare. “As part of the ongoing phases of this partnership, we look forward to creating a new patient-centered facility that will provide healing for those in need.”

The joint venture between SCL Health and Acadia Healthcare plans to build a new and expanded behavioral health hospital in the same region with an anticipated opening date in the middle of 2023. When the new facility is operational, the next phase of the partnership will begin.

“This partnership solidifies our commitment to meeting the growing demand for safe, accessible, compassionate, affordable, and high-quality behavioral health services in the communities we serve,” said Grant Wicklund, Lutheran Medical Center President.

About Acadia Healthcare
Acadia is a leading provider of behavioral healthcare services across the United States. As of June 30, 2021, Acadia operates 229 behavioral healthcare facilities with approximately 10,100 beds in 40 states and Puerto Rico. With more than 20,000 employees serving about 70,000 patients daily, Acadia is the largest stand-alone behavioral health company in the U.S. Acadia provides behavioral healthcare services to its patients in various settings, including inpatient psychiatric hospitals and specialty treatment facilities, residential treatment centers, and outpatient clinics.

Wheat Ridge, CO - The summer of 2024 may seem like a long way off, but as we watch the new Lutheran Medical Center rising out of the ground at Clear Creek Crossing, the opening date is starting to feel like it is right around the corner.

The last, topmost steel beam will be placed during the second week of February, marking the ceremonial “topping off” of the new hospital building. In keeping with construction tradition, Lutheran caregivers will have an opportunity to sign their names and other messages on the beam before it is placed at the top of the steel structure.

Thanks to the planning and foresight of our construction partners, progress on the replacement hospital is right on target and has not been affected by recent supply chain issues.

Plenty of construction activity is happening around the site. Parking lots are being laid out, and a medical office building is in the early stages of planning.

The Clear Creek Crossing development is also preparing to welcome one of the first businesses to open, the Foothills Credit Union. The credit union will be opening its third branch and new corporate office in late February. It will be full-service, including drive-up banking and an ATM.

SCL Health recently announced its intent to merge with Intermountain Healthcare. This process may be finalized by late spring 2022 and will bring together two strong and stable healthcare systems to better serve patients, caregivers and the communities in a six-state region. SCL Health is committed to building the Lutheran replacement hospital at Clear Creek Crossing and moving forward with the redevelopment of the current Legacy Campus. The merged systems will continue to support both projects.

We look forward to watching the construction progress of the new hospital over the next 18 - 20 months. You can watch it too on our website: TheLutheranLegacy.org.

Wheat Ridge, CO - After extensive community and focus group input, campus tours, and public meetings, final approval has been given for the Lutheran Legacy Campus master plan. The Wheat Ridge City Council adopted the plan at an October public meeting, following approval by the city's Planning Commission.

The planning process, begun in March of this year, was a combined effort of SCL Health and the City of Wheat Ridge, with support from MIG Consulting. The master plan was designed with the flexibility to reflect the community’s vision and to ensure a well-defined, coordinated redevelopment strategy over the next decades.

SCL Health engaged in supporting new opportunities and benefits for residents and neighbors while maintaining respect for the history and legacy of Lutheran’s role in the community.

The master plan lays the groundwork for future developers to apply to the City for rezoning other than medical use. Several scenarios for potential future redevelopment were laid out in the master plan framework, including mixed-use, retail, lower- and mid-density housing, and open space.

Some community members expressed interest in several structures on the legacy campus, including the Blue House, the Chapel of the Good Samaritan, and the TB tent. The City of Wheat Ridge and SCL Health Lutheran Medical Center acknowledge and respect the historical significance of these buildings and their importance to the community. Once we begin to identify potential developers for the property, it will be important to include potential opportunities for these buildings as part of any proposals under consideration.

With the adoption of the master plan for the city, the process for future development has reached the first, early stages. Lutheran Medical Center will continue to occupy the property until the move to Clear Creek Crossing in the summer of 2024. Plans for the development of the legacy campus will occur gradually in stages over the next few years, and we will continue to work with the City of Wheat Ridge to keep the community informed about the process.

The master plan is available on the City of Wheat Ridge site.

Billings, MT - The SCL Health Montana Mission Fund at the Montana Community Foundation (MCF) has announced a $100,000 grant to United Way of Yellowstone County to support Off The Streets, a COVID-19 isolation and low-barrier shelter in downtown Billings. Tyler Wiltgen, St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation Director, and MCF President & CEO, Mary Rutherford, presented the check to United Way of Yellowstone County on November 13.

Off the Streets opened in 2020 to meet the pandemic emergency and was set up by the Yellowstone County Continuum of Care, a coalition of local social services and health care organizations working to address homelessness in the community.

The shelter is located in the former Western Inn on Second Avenue North and provides a low-barrier shelter and quarantine site to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The mission of the Yellowstone County Continuum of Care is to create sustainable pathways to safe and stable housing for people who are at risk of or are actually experiencing homelessness.

The SCL Health Montana Mission Fund was established at MCF by SCL Health in 2019. Since its inception, SCL Health has granted a total of $1.9 million from the fund to support organizations working to improve community health by improving access to health services, enhancing public health, advancing knowledge through education or research, or relieving government burden for health.

Read Billings Gazette Coverage

Broomfield, CO - During the unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic, SCL Health’s digital communications efforts are nationally recognized for helping educate and engage patients and protect the communities it serves. “This recognition is an honor and highlights the power of innovative collaboration when it comes to delivering amazing digital experiences to our patients and consumers,” said Mona Baset, Vice President of Digital Services, SCL Health. “Our dedicated group of associates across Information Technology and Digital Services, Marketing, Communications, and more, come together daily to make that happen.”

The eHealthcare Leadership Awards honor the best websites and digital communications from a broad spectrum of healthcare organizations. SCL Health won a total of seven eHealthcare Awards for 2021, more than ever before, in a single year:

Mark Gothberg eHealthcare Organizational Commitment Award: Winner

• Best Doctor Directory: Platinum
• Best Digital Patient Experience: Gold
• Best Internet Home Page: GoldBest Intranet: Gold
• Best Annual Report: GoldBest Site Design: Silver

SCL Health was one of only three healthcare organizations from around the country that received the Mark Gothberg eHealthcare Organizational Commitment Award -- the highest honor, recognizing industry leadership, innovation, and commitment. Craig Richardville, SCL Health’s Chief Information and Digital Officer, said, “SCL Health is part of an exciting and dynamic industry, and we are proud to help lead the way in digital transformation for our patients and consumers. We believe there is no limit to innovative ideas and approaches in our industry and are always happy to be the accelerator to pursue the possibilities.”

This year, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards recognized winners in 22 categories. Read an overview of the 2021 eHealthcare Leadership Awards program here.

Broomfield, CO – SCL Health announced that Dawn J. Anuszkiewicz, MHSA, will be the new President of Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, Colorado. Her first day in the role will be November 29, 2021. Anuszkiewicz takes the help from Jen Alderfer, MBA, MHA, FACHE, who was recently named president of SCL Health’s Montana Region and St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, Montana.

Anuszkiewicz comes to SCL Health with a wealth of healthcare leadership experience. She served as the Chief Operating Officer of Reading Hospital - Tower Health, a 714 bed hospital in West Reading, Pennsylvania, for more than two years. Before that role, she spent seven years as the Chief Executive Officer of Ochsner Baptist in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has spent the majority of her career in healthcare management, serving in various roles ranging from Director of Medical Education to Administrator of Academic Services.

“Dawn has a proven track record of fostering a strong and collaborative culture, supporting teams in being successful, and helping organizations to grow,” stated Mark Korth, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for SCL Health. “I know she will continue to build upon the great foundation that’s in place to lead the Good Samaritan team to continued operational and quality improvements.”

Good Samaritan Hospital has been in the top 1% in the nation for three straight years, and most recently, it was named one of the top hospitals in Colorado by U.S. News and World Report. “I can’t wait to start working with our physicians, associates, board members, and community partners as we continue to provide the very best health care services in these challenging times,” stated Anuszkiewicz. “I am grateful for the ongoing dedication of the Good Samaritan.

Dawn’s recent professional accomplishments include developing an incident command structure to support Reading Hospital’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and leading the hospital team through operational optimization to improve overall hospital performance. Dawn has an Executive Education Certificate from the Harvard Business School’s Managing Healthcare Delivery Program, a Masters of Health Services Administration from The George Washington University, and a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University.

Dawn has a strong commitment to community engagement, most recently serving as a Trustee for Albright College and Board Member of the Greater Reading Chamber Association. She looks forward to finding similar opportunities for engagement within the Lafayette, Colorado, community soon.

About Good Samaritan Medical Center
Good Samaritan Medical Center is an award-winning, 234-bed acute-care hospital in Lafayette, CO. Opened in 2004, Good Samaritan brings comprehensive, quality care to everyone in Boulder County and the northwest Denver metro area. Good Samaritan is a Level II Trauma Center, a Joint Commission Primary Stroke and Chest Pain Center, a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery, and a designated Baby-Friendly Hospital. Based on a culture of caregivers who put patients and families at the center of everything they do, Good Samaritan has become one of the highest-rated and most trusted hospitals in the communities we serve.

SCL Health today announced that Jen Alderfer, MBA, MHA, FACHE, has been named president of the Montana Region and St. Vincent Healthcare. Alderfer was selected for this role following a national search process and was chosen as the top candidate based on feedback from Montana Regional Board members, Medical Staff, and local and system leaders. Alderfer will assume her new role in Montana on Monday, November 29, 2021.

Alderfer is no stranger to SCL Health. She has been a leader at SCL Health for more than four years, serving as both the President of Good Samaritan Medical Center and as the Transformation Officer for SCL Health. “Jen has had great success leading the Good Samaritan team and our entire system in operational and quality improvements,” said Mark Korth, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of SCL Health. “We are fortunate to have Jen’s strong experience and expertise in the Montana Region, and we look forward to continuing to advance our shared vision for the future of SCL Health Montana together.”

Under her leadership, Good Samaritan Hospital has been recognized as one of the top 1% in the nation for three straight years, and most recently, it was named one of the top hospitals in Colorado by U.S. News and World Report. “I am honored to have the opportunity to work collaboratively in Montana with our physicians, associates, board members, and community partners as we continue to offer residents of the communities we serve the very best health care services,” Alderfer said. “Providing the best possible care in challenging times continues to be our focus as we deal with another COVID-19 surge. I know our care teams balance the concerns that we all have for our families, friends, and community. I am so proud of our teams and their ongoing dedication to providing the high level of care people come to trust from us. We all hope and pray this pandemic ends soon, and until it does, we are all in this together.”

Jen has helped to diversify the service offerings at Good Samaritan and has built many meaningful community partnerships. She will continue to build upon the strong relationships in Billings and all of the communities SCL Health serves. Before joining SCL Health, Jen spent 17 years in leadership roles for HealthONE, which included 11 years as the President and CEO of North Suburban Medical Center in Thornton, CO.

Alderfer and her husband have three children. Outside of work, she and her family enjoy spending time together outdoors camping, boating, and four-wheeling - adventures they look forward to continuing in Montana.

Luna, the leading provider of on-demand physical therapy, today announced a partnership with SCL Health to deliver outpatient rehabilitation care in the home setting throughout the greater Denver service area. Via the partnership with Luna, SCL Health patients will conveniently schedule and receive physical therapy in the comfort of their own home.

As an extension of SCL Health’s outpatient physical therapy clinics in the Denver area, patients will gain the opportunity to use Luna’s technology platform to request an appointment and then be matched to a local therapist based on specialty, geography, schedule, and other factors.

“The Luna platform enables SCL Health to extend the reach of our physical therapy services, making them more convenient and accessible to patients who prefer the delivery of care to them at home,” said Tajquah Hudson, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, SCL Health.

Therapists using the Luna platform create individualized care plans for each patient, communicate with the patient between appointments, prescribe exercises, and track overall recovery. The same therapist will work with the patient until the end of the treatment plan, ensuring consistent and quality care.

“The status quo in physical therapy is not working for most patients,” said Palak Shah, co-founder and head of clinical operations at Luna. “Physical therapy is often just as important as the procedure itself, so patients who do not complete their treatment plan are at increased risk of poor outcomes. They are often forced to wait too long before starting their physical therapy care, and 70 percent never complete their full treatment plan. We are proud to work with SCL Health to help them ensure that their patients have access to quality care when and where they need it.”

Luna seamlessly matches patients to a therapist based on specialty, geography, schedules, and other factors through its technology platform. Luna’s broad network of local physical therapists provides the same high-quality care in the home that might be administered in a traditional clinic. Therapists will visit the patient at the time and location of the patient’s choosing, and the same physical therapist will treat the patient for the entire treatment plan. Between visits, patients can use the Luna platform to communicate with therapists, set next appointment times, perform therapist-prescribed exercises, and track the recovery process.

The partnership with SCL Health follows recent collaborations from Luna with Emory Healthcare across Atlanta and Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation across Dallas.

To learn more about how Luna is reimagining physical therapy for patients, therapists, clinics, and health systems, visit getluna.com.

About Luna Luna is the leader in on-demand physical therapy, delivering outpatient physical therapy beyond the four walls of a clinic. For patients, Luna has reimagined the physical therapy experience, matching them with a therapist for in-person care at the time and location of their choosing and ongoing coaching through an easy-to-use app. For physical therapists, Luna enables them to manage their careers with flexibility and autonomy, using a platform that makes scheduling efficient, documentation easy, and billing automatic. For leading health systems and orthopedic groups, Luna improves revenue for rehabilitation services by dramatically expanding access and reach, improving adherence, reducing costs, and standardizing quality. Luna is the fastest growing physical therapy provider, with more than 1,000 exceptional therapists providing services in 19 states across the country. For more information, please visit www.getluna.com.

Salt Lake City, UT/Broomfield, CO - Intermountain Healthcare and SCL Health, two leading nonprofit healthcare organizations, have signed a Letter of Intent to merge and create a model health system that provides high-quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare to more patients and communities in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Montana, and Kansas.

Upon completion of the merger, the combined system will employ more than 58,000 caregivers and operate 33 hospitals. It will run 385 clinics across six states and provide health insurance to about one million people. Intermountain and SCL Health currently provide services in adjacent areas with no geographic overlap.

“We’re excited to merge with SCL Health to usher in a new frontier for the health of communities throughout the Intermountain West and beyond,” said Marc Harrison, MD, president and CEO of Intermountain. “American healthcare needs to accelerate the evolution toward population health and value, and this merger will swiftly advance that cause across a broader geography. We’ll bring together the best practices of both organizations to do even more to enhance clinical excellence, transform the patient experience, and support healthy lives.”

“SCL Health and Intermountain are pursuing our merger from positions of strength,” said Lydia Jumonville, president and CEO of SCL Health. “We are two individually strong health systems that are seeking to increase care quality, accessibility, and affordability. We will advance our missions and better serve the entire region together.”

Both leaders reiterated that it is an extremely busy time for everyone in healthcare, especially given the resurgence of COVID-19. As the merger moves forward, the organizations will continue to maintain focus on caregiver and patient well-being as a top priority.

The merged organization will serve as a model for faith-based (SCL Health) and secular (Intermountain) healthcare systems to come together to deliver high-quality and affordable care, extending their missions to more people. The resources and expertise of the merged organization will further extend its mission-focused approach to serving patients, particularly vulnerable populations, and accelerate meeting patient and community needs.

Intermountain and SCL Health are committed to excellence in clinical outcomes, quality, and safety, and both organizations have a solid operating and financial performance record. Intermountain brings a successful model of value-based care and population health expertise, a robust digital health platform, and an extensive telehealth network. SCL Health brings expertise in operating an integrated healthcare organization across multiple states, with proven success in competitive markets.

The merged health system will be headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a regional office in Broomfield, Colorado. Dr. Marc Harrison of Intermountain will serve as the president and CEO of the merged organization. Lydia Jumonville of SCL Health will remain in her current role during a two-year integration and serve as a board member on a new combined board to ensure the integration of the two systems. The newly integrated Board of Trustees and leadership team will be selected from both systems.

Under the Letter of Intent, while the organization will be named Intermountain Healthcare, SCL Health’s Catholic hospitals will retain their distinctive Catholic names and continue to operate according to existing practices. In addition to seven Catholic hospitals, SCL Health operates one secular hospital in Colorado.

The intention is that a definitive agreement will be finalized and signed by the end of 2021. The merger of the two companies is expected to close in early 2022, pending all approvals.

About Intermountain Healthcare

Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 25 hospitals, 225 clinics, 42,000 employees, a medical group, SelectHealth insurance company, and other health services in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare using evidence-based best practices to deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs consistently.

Billings, MT - Sr. Katherine Franchett and Sr. Bernadette Helfert joined the Sisters of Charity on the same day in 1957 and have been close friends ever since. After serving in leadership roles in education and healthcare ministries for more than 50 years, they offer important perspectives of experience and examples of service to associates continuing the mission of SCL Health.

The sisters recently joined a Leadership Roundtable at St. Vincent to share their story. In addition to sharing their journey, they offered advice to associates. When asked about how they approach leadership and staying focused in a fast-paced environment with emerging challenges, they offered a few simple reminders and everyday practices.

First, that taking time for prayer and silent self-reflection is essential. “When you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed, it is important to find a moment of quiet for reflection and prayer,” shared Sr. Katherine. With prayer as a central part of their lives, the sisters take time each morning for silent prayer and reflection and they shared that it can be a sustaining practice even when you feel that you may not have ‘time’ to do it.

They also reminded associates that staying connected to the mission and the ‘caring spirit’ of the sisters is a powerful way to remain grounded when faced with a difficult situation with a patient, visitor, or fellow associate. Sr. Bernadette shared the guidance of Mother Xavier Ross, founder of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, to welcome whoever comes through the door “as if they are Christ.” By acknowledging the dignity of each person, it provides an opportunity to encounter each other with respect and humility.

Finally, they shared the foundational, but important, ethic of excellence. As sisters, they are called to a commitment to excellence in all of their ministries, using their God-given talents and resources to do great work.

The sisters continue their connection and commitment to the organization in many ways, including volunteering together every Wednesday at guest services at St. Vincent.

“The legacy of the Sisters of Charity is important to the organization,” said Sr. Katherine. “By sharing it with current associates and leaders, we can help to extend that legacy knowing that the mission and charism of the sisters will continue into the future.”

In June, SCL Health held an official groundbreaking for the replacement Lutheran Medical Center at the Clear Creek Crossing development in Wheat Ridge. The foundation and steel beams are slowly beginning to take shape on the 28-acre parcel, marking the true start of construction on the new medical campus of the future.

Lutheran has been a part of the Wheat Ridge community for more than 100 years, from its beginnings as a tuberculosis sanitarium to becoming a Level II Trauma Center. The construction of a replacement hospital will provide updated state-of-the-art medical facilities for Wheat Ridge and Jefferson County residents for decades to come.

"We know that healthcare is one of the most critical foundations of a strong community. Maximizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity, residents and community leaders have asked us to build the ‘hospital of the future’ in Wheat Ridge," says Lydia Jumonville, SCL Health President, and CEO. "This replacement hospital will meet the demand for a more flexible and patient-centered facility that delivers high-quality, advanced care more efficiently."

Grant Wicklund, Lutheran President, says, "The replacement hospital will expand access to emergency and critical care for families up and down the Jefferson County and West Denver suburbs. We will elevate care in our community, and it will be one of the most efficient facilities in the region."

Once the replacement hospital is built and open, SCL Health Lutheran Medical Center will stop acute hospital operations at its current site (estimated to occur in mid-2024).

SCL Health has a vested interest in the community's economic success. We are excited to be a part of the new Clear Creek Crossing development that offers the residents of Wheat Ridge and our employees a place to live, work, play, and shop.

SCL Health leadership will ensure that the new site's current and future infrastructure needs will blend seamlessly into the surroundings and offer good transportation access.

To learn more about plans for the replacement hospital, including design renderings, visit TheLutheranLegacy.org.

Colorado Quality Care Network (CQCN), a new clinically integrated network from SCL Health, is a physician-led CIN designed to deliver high quality, collaborative patient care through shared decision-making, aligned incentives, and the application of in-depth analytics that create efficient and effective care. Through the CQCN, physicians can devote more to personalized patient care while having a more positive provider experience.

CQCN stands apart from other CINs in the Denver area thanks to: Meaningful physician leadership: Providers have input to decisions that improve their experience and patient outcomes.

Acute & Ambulatory Alignment: Making it easier for hospitals, employed and independent physicians to collaborate on reaching clinical and financial goals.

Patient-Centered Care: Effective population health management and care coordination.

Join CQCN Today
Become a member of CQCN for greater collaboration, quality, value, and efficiency. For more information, email us at Cindy.Sears@sclhealth.org.

Broomfield, CO - SCL Health today announced that Dr. J.P. Valin, Executive Vice President, and Chief Medical Officer, has received the What’s Right in Health Care® Healthcare Hero Award. The award was presented during the 19th annual What’s Right in Health Care® conference.

Dr. Valin is responsible for integrating and providing direction for all clinical activity across the continuum. In this role, he manages the full scope of the Medical Group and Provider Services division to achieve a thriving delivery structure, successful performance improvement standards, a successful practice environment for providers, and improved clinical quality, population health, and financial outcomes.

“Dr. Valin exemplifies what it means to be a healthcare hero,” said Lydia Jumonville, SCL Health President and Chief Executive Officer. “J.P. is a leader in the community and continues to improve our organization and the patient experience. I congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.”

The What’s Right in Health Care® Hero Award is given out by Huron, a global healthcare consultancy. The annual award honors individuals who are having a positive impact on the healthcare industry. They live the organization’s values and have significantly impacted results related to enhancing the patient experience, employee and physician engagement, improving the organization with innovative ideas, and providing outstanding service to improve the health within their communities.

The recipients of the 2021 What’s Right in Health Care® Hero Award include:

• J.P. Valin, MD, FACP, EVP, Chief Clinical Officer, SCL Health
• Sinziana Avramescu, MD, Ph.D., FRCPC, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto and Anesthesiologist, Humber River Hospital
• Erica Schneider, MBA, MSN, CNO, VP of Patient Care
• Steve Nuanez, Manager for Employee Well-Being

“These individuals are committed to transforming the healthcare industry and improving the patient experience,” said Debbie Ritchie, managing director at Huron. “They continue to position their organizations for performance excellence, and we congratulate them on this outstanding achievement.”

Broomfield, CO - The Delta variant continues to spread across the U.S., and SCL Health is asking all its associates to ensure they do everything they can to protect patients, communities, and each other.

SCL Health requires all Colorado associates and providers, medical staff, contractors, vendors, temporary workers, students, and volunteers to prove COVID-19 vaccination by November 1, 2021. (Because of Montana state law, SCL Health associates working in Montana are exempt from mandatory vaccination. We continue to encourage these associates to get vaccinated.)

Anyone in the Colorado groups mentioned above without vaccination documentation or an approved exemption by November 1 will not be allowed to return to work at an SCL Health facility until they are compliant.

“It is essential that all people in the healthcare workforce get vaccinated against COVID-19 for the safety of our patients and our colleagues,” said JP Valin, Executive Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer of SCL Health. “We care about our patients and the associates who care for them. We ask anyone hesitant to receive the vaccine to consider the numbers. More than 300 million vaccines have been administered in the United States and nearly 4 billion doses administered worldwide, which shows the vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing severe illness and death from COVID-19.”

Associates who believe they meet the requirements for a medical or religious exemption must complete a form that will lead to a review process. SCL Health does not release nor does it have access to the current vaccination rates of associates.

Billings, MT - SCL Health has announced that Steve Loveless, President of SCL Health Montana and St. Vincent Healthcare, has made the decision to leave the organization. He plans to pursue the next step in his professional journey and become an executive coach to support and grow business leaders in their roles. Loveless has been with SCL Health since 2012 and has played a major role in moving many important initiatives forward.

“We are very appreciative of Steve’s many talents and contributions to moving the Montana region to a region-based operating model,” states Mark Korth, SCL Health’s Chief Operating Officer of Hospital Operations. “Steve has also done tremendous work improving quality and safety outcomes across the region and in earning and maintaining third-party recognition and accolades for all of our Montana care sites.”

In addition to his health care commitments, Loveless has been active in the Billings community, serving with the Big Sky Economic Development board, Rotary International and the MSUB Health Administration Program Advisory board. Korth emphasizes, “Our commitment to Billings and all of the communities we serve in Montana isn’t changing. We will remain actively involved at many levels -- it’s core to our mission.”

The search for a new president for SCL Health Montana and St. Vincent Healthcare has started. As part of the leadership transition, Michael Skehan, the current Chief Operating Officer for SCL Health Montana will serve as the interim president until a permanent replacement has been onboarded.

“I am honored to serve in this elevated role on an interim basis. We are a strong team with so many great associates and providers who are here to serve our patients,” said Skehan. “I look forward to continuing St. Vincent Healthcare’s deep legacy of care and healing within our community and leading our teams across the state as we provide the very best experience to our patients.”

The final day that Steve Loveless will serve in his current position will be Friday, April 30, 2021.

Denver, CO - Mount Saint Vincent is an SCL Health Care Site affiliate and the Rocky Mountain region’s premier provider of mental health treatment, foster care services, individualized education and trauma-informed training for children and their families.

Mount Saint Vincent (MSV) already demonstrates our value of caring spirit each day through the amazing services they provide to children and their families, but they are kicking it up a notch with some new outpatient services. Starting in 2009, MSV began offering innovative and proven services to children ages 3 to 17, including animal assisted therapy, art therapy, dance therapy and more. MSV had seen great results in their residential program similar inpatient clinics and wanted to expand services to the community, especially at a time when families were needing additional support during the pandemic and seeking new ways to strengthen the parent/child relationship.

Services like animal assisted therapy are especially helpful in getting children to feel more comfortable and trusting with their therapist. “When you bring an animal into a room with a child, the entire dynamic can change,” said Jay Voigt, Executive Director at MSV. “The children see a dog feeling safe with the therapist, and they may feel more comfortable – ultimately opening the door for us to talk about and address core issues.”

MSV currently has five dogs and three guinea pigs on staff. The dogs are required to go through intensive training designed to help them understand certain behaviors that may mean a child is uncomfortable or needing special attention. The dogs serve as not only a fuzzy, cuddle buddy, but also an intelligent companion.

The outpatient therapies that MSV provides is open to any child and their family. If you or someone you know could benefit from an outlet to process challenging events (of this year or beyond), MSV experts are ready to serve with giggles, wags, awesome dance moves and so much more.

In the U.S., men die by suicide at three and a half times the rate women do. And some face an even greater danger than others, new research finds.

Those who scored high on a scale measuring traditional masculine values were almost two and a half times more likely to die by suicide than those who didn’t. That means they identified more with traits like competitiveness, holding back emotions and aggression.

Why? “Manly” men may not seek help for depression or other conditions, believing it signals weakness. Plus, their anger and hostility might make it harder for doctors and others to detect mental health problems. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide rates were rising among men in every age category, from 10 through 74.

Now, experts predict even more mental health problems. Stress, loss and economic concerns could lead to more feelings of hopelessness. So, it’s more important than ever to focus on psychological well-being.

Thoughts of harming yourself or even taking your own life may arise when you don’t see a way out of your pain. But no matter how isolated you feel, you’re not alone. With help, you can feel better.

If you or someone you know is in need of support, please contact Colorado Crisis Services at 844-493-TALK (8255), text "TALK" to 38255 or go to coloradocrisisservices.org to access a live chat available in 17 languages.

Learn More

Let’s Talk Colorado was launched to improve access to physical and behavioral health care. Learn more at scl.health/journal-letstalk

Since the pandemic started in early 2020, the SCL Health Medical Group Transitional Care team has championed the characteristics of resilience and flexibility in how they care for the most vulnerable patients within our community. The team has adapted to protocols that often change weekly, and in some cases, daily. Their efforts always err on the side of caution to ensure the safety of those they serve, their fellow caregivers, and themselves, so they have truly come together as a team to face the challenges that the pandemic has brought to frontline caregivers and to help stop the spread.

The transitional care team consists of physicians and advanced practice professionals that focus on the aging-in-place population to provide acute and chronic care. This focus is specifically for long-term residents of nursing homes, skilled nursing for acute stays within nursing facilities for oversight of medical management and rehabilitation services, and for assisted and independent living facility patients. Now, during a pandemic, they have even had to adjust to taking care of patients with the novel coronavirus.

“Over the past year, we have cared for many patients with COVID-19,” said Jodi Peterson, PA. “We have made extra strides to accommodate and care for these patients, keep them comfortable, and keep them within their facilities.”

Each caregiver takes special precautions before entering facilities to protect the health of themselves and their patients. They get their temperatures taken daily, fill out questionnaires to make sure they aren’t exhibiting any symptoms or haven’t been around anyone with COVID-19, apply proper personal protective equipment (PPE), and, oftentimes, they take asymptomatic COVID-19 tests two or three times a week. Because of these special precautions, they have limited the potential transmission of the virus between caregiver and patient.

Since January 2020, the team has opened its arms to new challenges, expanding its reach from seven facilities within our community to eighteen. Some facilities are often spread thin with employees, so the addition of transitional care professionals allows the facility to provide more responsive care and expertise to sick patients.

“Sometimes we are the only ones that patients see for months at a time, due to visitor restrictions,” mentioned one member of the team. “It is truly a privilege to be able to help improve their overall quality of life.”

The pandemic may have presented challenges to the transitional care team, but there is one thing that hasn’t changed despite its hardships -- their compassionate, attentive approach to each and every patient.

“This team is incredibly passionate and dedicated to this work and to each patient,” said Wendy Ross, Manager of the Transitional Care Group. “Their determination and teamwork to provide compassionate care has made a profound impact on our community and exhibits SCL Health’s mission, vision and values.”

Broomfield, CO - We are proud to announce that SCL Health has been recognized by eHealthcare Leadership Awards with five leadership awards. The eHealthcare Leadership Awards honor the very best websites and digital communications and engagement from a broad spectrum of healthcare organizations.

SCL Health Digital Services, Marketing and Communications worked together to submit nine award entries alongside hundreds of healthcare organizations. SCL Health was honored with five awards, including the highest honor, the Mark Gothberg eHealthcare Organizational Commitment Award, awarded to only two health systems this year.

In addition to the Mark Gothberg Award, SCL Health won the following awards: Best Internet Home Page (Platinum), Best Overall Internet (Gold), Best COVID-19 Pandemic Related Communications (Gold), and Best Healthcare Content - Health 360 blog (Distinction).

“This recognition is an honor and proof of the dedication and excellence that the Digital Services, Marketing and Communications teams bring to SCL Health. These awards showcase the incredible initiatives our teams manage behind the scenes to help deliver the best care for our patients,” shared Mona Baset, Vice President of Digital Services, SCL Health.

SCL Health joins the ranks of other leading health systems across the nation, including Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins Medicine, UCLA Health and Yale New Haven Health System. View all awards and finalists at ehealthcareawards.com/2020-winners/.

December 14, 2020 will be remembered as a historic day. This was the day the COVID-19 vaccinations arrived at our hospitals and a handful of frontline workers received their first dose.

The enthusiasm of those in the photos below capture the excitement many of us are feeling about this news as we do our part to protect those around us and to stop the spread of the virus.

Vaccine recipient at St. Vincent HealthcareSCL Health caregivers lined up to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colorado and St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, Montana.

This is a very historic moment for SCL Health and for healthcare as a whole. We would like to extend a thank you to all our frontline workers for their continued dedication to our patients and to remind everyone from within our community to continue to practice masking, social distancing and other safe and healthy habits to continue to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.

SCL Health’s Enterprise Learning & Personal Development team has achieved silver certification through the Brandon Hall Group’s organizational Excellence Certification Program – a designation that only 20 companies worldwide currently hold.

As the only health system with this certification, we are further differentiating our ministry as an industry leader in learning and development. Our partnership with the Brandon Hall Group and this designation demonstrates our commitment to professional development, and it emphasizes the passion we collectively share to grow our skills to continue providing the best possible patient care and services.

Read the full news release from Brandon Hall Group.

Billings, MT - The recent surge of positive COVID-19 cases in Yellowstone County and surrounding communities, combined with the higher patient volumes the hospital typically experiences during the summer months, has led to an increase in hospital admissions at St. Vincent Healthcare. Ensuring adequate staffing to care for their COVID-19 patients and their non-COVID-19 patients is a priority the hospital has been closely monitoring and responding to.

St. Vincent’s incident command and leadership team has been working closely with their partners throughout the SCL Health system since the pandemic began. From sharing best practices and learning from the SCL Health Colorado hospitals, which experienced a high volume of COVID-19 patients earlier in the pandemic, to addressing supply and staffing needs, the support available to each hospital during these challenging times is what sets SCL Health apart.

When the SCL Health incident command and leadership team in Colorado were made aware of staffing concerns in Montana, they immediately took action, organizing a team of volunteer nurses, technicians and respiratory therapists from SCL Health hospitals in Colorado to travel Billings to support St. Vincent’s COVID-19 patients and associates.

“We all got into this profession for a reason and that’s to help people,” said Jared Stricker, an Emergency Technician with SCL Health Lutheran Medical Center, located near Denver. “And when your teammates need your help it instills that calling in you a little bit more. It’s a great feeling to come up here and assist during their time of need.”

More than 20 nurses, certified nursing assistants, respiratory therapists and technicians from SCL Health Colorado hospitals will call Billings “home” for the next few weeks as they provide support to St. Vincent Healthcare.

“This is a tremendous example of the power of being part of a larger health system,” said Steve Loveless, President of St. Vincent Healthcare and SCL Health Montana Region. “SCL Health is blessed with a talented, compassionate and dedicated team, all working together to support high quality, safe care and service during this pandemic. We are grateful to our Montana associates who are serving on the front lines and behind the scenes to care for our patients and we are grateful for our Colorado clinicians who are stepping up to support us and serve our patients. All of our brave healthcare heroes are to be commended for their ongoing service and sacrifice throughout the pandemic.”