Hayden residents seeking adult primary care can now receive it without traveling to Steamboat Springs or Craig.

UCHealth Primary Care — Hayden is located on the main level of the former Solandt Memorial Hospital at 150 W. Jackson. It includes two private exam rooms, a point-of-care laboratory and electrocardiogram testing capabilities.

The building has more than a century of medical history in the community.

Internal medicine physician Kevin Borgerding will care for adult patients at the clinic. Borgerding has lived in the Yampa Valley since 1994 and previously practiced in Steamboat Springs and at UCHealth Primary Care – Craig.

“Access to primary care is important to the health of any community,” Borgerding said. “I’m excited to provide that care to adults in the entire Yampa Valley and beyond.”

For rural residents, access can depend on more than whether a provider is accepting patients. Distance, winter driving conditions, work schedules and the time needed to reach an appointment can all affect whether a patient receives care, particularly when patients must balance appointments with work and child care.

Sanaya Sturm, interim director of clinic operations at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center, said some Hayden residents previously had to take substantial time away from work to attend appointments outside the community.

“Some lost half a day for a single appointment,” Sturm said. “Less travel time results in more time at home with family.”

Reducing that burden was one of the factors that led UCHealth to establish the clinic, she said. The decision was shaped by community need, the challenges of accessing health care in a rural area and a partnership between UCHealth and Hayden leaders.

“Hayden is a thriving community,” Sturm said. “There has been a gap in adult primary care in Hayden for over a year.”

The clinic will offer routine physicals, preventive care and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol. Point-of-care laboratory services and EKG testing will allow the care team to perform some basic diagnostic work in the clinic rather than sending patients elsewhere.

Sturm said those services can provide physicians with timely results, reduce the need for additional appointments and help prevent delays in care.

The clinic will also use UCHealth’s shared electronic medical record. If a patient needs a referral to a specialist or another service, providers at other UCHealth locations in the Yampa Valley and across Colorado can access the patient’s medical information.

That connection is expected to make referrals more efficient and reduce repeated tests or services, Sturm said.

Although the clinic is beginning with a focused range of adult primary care services, UCHealth will continue to evaluate staffing and services based on patient demand and the needs of the community.

The return of health care to the former Solandt Memorial Hospital also carries symbolic importance for Hayden. The building opened more than 100 years ago and remains a familiar landmark for generations of local families.

Sturm said some patients who have already visited the new clinic were born in the building or received care there earlier in their lives.

“We’re glad to be here and to carry forward the building’s original purpose of caring for the community,” she said. “It feels iconic when you walk into the building, and the rustic charm is not lost on patients and staff.”

The clinic’s location connects Hayden’s history with its present-day effort to build a more complete range of services for residents.

Trevor Gann, Hayden’s mayor pro tem, said the clinic strengthens the town by allowing residents to receive an essential service without leaving the community.

“This new clinic enhances the ability of Hayden residents to remain in Hayden,” Gann said. “It’s an added service that makes us less of a bedroom community and more of a full-fledged community.”

In many rural towns, the availability of health care can influence whether families remain in the community, whether older residents can continue living independently and whether prospective residents view the town as a sustainable place to build a life.

Sturm said health care joins housing and schools as one of the services people consider when evaluating a community.

“Hopefully, with UCHealth Primary Care – Hayden now open, people will see not only our commitment to the Hayden community, but also the Town of Hayden’s commitment to its current and future residents,” she said.

Local access may also encourage patients to seek care earlier rather than waiting until a health concern becomes more serious.

When routine care requires a long drive or significant time away from work and family, patients may postpone checkups, screenings or follow-up visits. Delayed care can allow manageable conditions to become more acute, Sturm said.

Primary care providers also build relationships with patients over time, sometimes treating them through multiple stages of life. That continuity can help a physician recognize changes in a patient’s health, identify developing concerns and manage long-term conditions.

“Prevention is such an important part of health care,” Sturm said. “By having access to local primary care, which is where the care continuum really starts, our hope is that residents will make their health a priority.”

For Hayden, the clinic represents both an immediate service and a longer-term investment in the community’s resilience. Its success will depend on whether residents use the clinic, establish ongoing relationships with the care team and find that local access makes it easier to stay engaged in their health.

Gann said the partnership between UCHealth and the town has value beyond the clinic’s opening day.

“It enhances the resilience of this community,” he said, “and we look forward to seeing where it goes in the coming years.”

The UCHealth Primary Care in Hayden is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Patients can request appointments through UCHealth’s My Health Connection patient portal or by calling 970-875-2685.