Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center: New Replacement Hospital.

A State-of-the-Art Facility

Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center moved into its new facility at 1000 Rush Drive in Salida, Colo., on April 1, 2008. The design allows HRRMC to provide state-of-the-art care using advanced medical technology and practices. Patient care was the principal factor in the design.

The hospital is the healthcare center for the entire region, serving nearly 20,000 people, throughout the hospital district (Chaffee County and parts of Fremont and Saguache Counties).

How was the hospital financed?
The hospital released tax exempt bonds to the market in September 2006 to fund the new facility. The hospital learned at that time that the bonds sold at a rate of 5.25%. Had the hospital gone with USDA financing, the blended rate would have been between 7.5% and 7.75%.

Over the 30-year period of the $30.2 million loan, the hospital estimates it will save $16 - $17.8 million in interest payments—approximately $500,000 a year. Total annual principal and interest payments are estimated to be approximately $2 million annually.

“The savings are important to the future operations of this hospital and the people in our district," noted CEO Ken Leisher.

Who was the architect and contractor?
The architect was Davis Partnership from Denver and the contractor was a joint venture with Haselden Construction, Inc. from Centennial, Colorado, and Diesslin Structures, Inc. from Salida.

Site Design

For the past six years, HRRMC has received national awards for “Exceeding Patient Expectations." The hospital's design has key features such as a healing garden, patient waiting areas with lots of windows, private rooms for all patients, planned walking and/or bike trails with bike storage areas, planned wi-fi areas, etc., to ensure we continue to exceed not only the patients' expectations, but that of their family members, visitors, physicians and staff.

Staff circulation is separate from public circulation, minimizing confusion for visitors and allowing staff and materials to move efficiently throughout the hospital. An efficient facility keeps healthcare costs down by maximizing the hospital’s capabilities while maintaining the current staffing levels and minimizing operational costs.

The hospital is designed to be a healing environment for visitors, patients and staff. The building has been oriented so that the unique views from the site can be enjoyed by those patients and staff from inside the building.

Inpatient rooms are all on the 2nd floor with mountain views. All inpatient rooms are single rooms with private bathroom/shower.

The campus site plan is designed to allow for several more buildings to be added and still retain open green space on the site.

The mission of the hospital, its image, its functional planning, its efficiency, provisions for patient comfort and safety, and an attractive, healthy work environment for staff were the principle criteria in the planning of the hospital. There are no more important criteria than these.

Cost of Health Care

Government and insurance companies dictate medical care reimbursements. No patient is ever refused treatment because they cannot pay. Uninsured patients can make arrangements with the hospital to pay their bill in installments or take advantage of an affordable monthly payment plan through Sun West Bank.

HRRMC provided $860,397 in charity healthcare and wrote off another $1.5 million in bad debt in the year 2007 alone. That’s almost 10% of our net patient revenue.

Healthcare costs go up every year. The Hospital is committed to keeping these increases to that needed to continue to have the best staff, equipment and facilities.

Range of Services

Our state-of-the-art hospital is attracting physicians, medical staff and technicians to our district. As the area grows, the hospital will be in a position to add more services.

Wellness and preventive care are an important consideration. Rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and cardio pulmonary therapy are all services currently available, and all teach patients how to achieve their optimum level of wellness.