Thank you for supporting Hospice Daffodils

Spring is here! Hospice Daffodils marked the first day of spring and it’s been so wonderful to see the beautiful yellow flowers in your homes, offices, schools, restaurants, organizations and businesses all around Moffat County. This display shows that you understand the importance of having Hospice in our communities. Your donations and support for our Hospice Daffodils fundraiser ensures we have a dedicated, experienced staff and are able to deliver care to all residents in need, anywhere in our large rural region.

We are grateful to you, Moffat County, for purchasing Hospice Daffodils to help these families and patients who need our care. Your generosity allows our family members, friends and neighbors to spend their end of life in the company of loved ones and in the comfort of their home. Our Hospice program believes that everyone with a terminal illness has the right to live with dignity and comfort. Every day we provide comfort-oriented care for Hospice patients and their caregivers. These individuals deserve the opportunity for the best quality of life, spiritual support, limited pain and suffering, and optimal time with family and friends. Their loved ones deserve longer term support after they have passed. The support and compassion of partners like you helps us continue to provide this care for patients in our community, while supporting their families through the process.

We want to extend a special thank you to volunteers who contribute countless hours collecting orders, delivering Daffodils and helping with many aspects of this event. Without your help, we would not have these early heralds of spring to adorn our communities, inspire hope and remind us to live each day to the fullest.

In gratitude, Stephanie Einfeld, CEO, Northwest Colorado Health

Hospitals thank legislature

On behalf of our hospitals – Memorial Regional Health, Middle Park Health, and UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center – and with the introduction of House Bill 22-1329 (the state’s budget bill or the “long bill”), we would like to thank our Western Slope legislators on the state’s Joint Budget Committee (JBC) – JBC Chair Rep. Julie McCluskie (D-Dillon) and Sen. Bob Rankin (R-Carbondale) for their tireless efforts to ensure the state budget reflects our communities’ priorities. With health care, education, housing, child care, transportation, workforce issues and more, this year’s state budget has the unusual challenge of having excess revenue, driven by billions of dollars of federal COVID-19 relief funds. But navigating how to invest one-time funding smartly and sustainably into key state priorities takes incalculable time, effort, and dedication. Rep. McCluskie and Sen. Rankin have each demonstrated their ability to effectively lead difficult conversations on difficult budget issues.

Most importantly to our hospitals this year, that meant asking tough questions about the state’s proposals to change Medicaid payments to hospitals and other community providers. These payments are essential for hospitals’ ability to continue to provide care in our communities, and collectively with other hospitals, essential to ensure access to necessary health care across the Western Slope and Colorado.

Ultimately, through Rep. McCluskie’s and Sen. Rankin’s leadership, the coming year’s budget will give sufficient funding to the state’s Medicaid program to develop new payment models and meaningfully engage health care providers and other stakeholders for input, but it won’t give the state free rein to change future Medicaid payments however they see fit. This is good governance at its best, and while we appreciate the entire JBC’s efforts on this issue, we’re grateful to have the strong and capable leadership of Rep. McCluskie and Sen. Rankin representing our Western Slope values at the state capitol in Denver. Thank you again to these leaders, and we encourage the legislature to pass the long bill to support our state and our prudent investments in our health care system.

Sincerely, Jennifer Riley, Chief Executive Officer, Memorial Regional Health, Craig, CO; Jason Cleckler, Chief Executive Officer; Middle Park Health, Kremmling, CO; Soniya Fidler, President, UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center, Steamboat Springs, CO