Board of Directors

Cory Workman

Chairman

Dr. Cory Workman, Au.D. is a doctor of audiology who has been in the Estes Valley since 2017 as a practicing audiologist. He owns his own practice in Estes Park and has been practicing audiology for 10 years. He has a background in retail, counseling, social work, and business ownership. He received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Idaho State University in his hometown of Pocatello, Idaho in 2006 and his doctorate in Audiology in 2013 also from Idaho State University. Dr. Workman has served on the National Student Academy of Audiology board of directors from 2011 to 2013 as a member at large and as President of the Colorado Academy of Audiology from 2014 to 2015. He carries board certification from the American Board of Audiology and is very active nationally for the profession of audiology. He also is active in the Estes Valley Chamber of Commerce as the Health Services Ambassador and recently completed a term as president of the Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary Club of which he has been a member since 2017. Dr. Workman and his wife Melinda also serve as co-presidents of the Estes Park High School Band Boosters. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from volunteering and working to make his home of Estes Park a better place for all. Dr. Cory and his wife, Melinda, have two daughters and share a love of music, the arts, and the great outdoors. They can be found around town looking for the best live music or in the outdoors biking and skiing. They are excited to be a part of the Estes Park community and look forward to many years ahead.

Stephen Alper

Vice Chairman

Residence in Estes Park:  Since 6/2018

Prior Experience:  From 2004-2018 I was the administrator at an Eye Institute at an academic medical center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I was in charge of both the health system (hospital) side and medical school (physician) side.  This was a relatively large operation with combined revenues of over $40 million and more than 250 staff.  We provided more than 80,000 patient visits and 4000 surgeries per year.  During my tenure our profit on the hospital side increased by twenty-fold and on the medical school side we were able to put over $1 million in our endowment fund for each of the last several years I worked there.  In addition to our financial success we were consistently in the 90^th percentile in patient satisfaction and in the upper tier in both staff and physician satisfaction. Prior to this position I was part of the senior leadership team in a community hospital in a suburb of Milwaukee where I was responsible for physician relations and business development.  Key achievements included the acquisition of several physician groups and a significant increase in surgical volume. I have also held leadership positions in managed behavioral healthcare where I directed outpatient services in multiple clinics.  Although I have not practiced clinically for over 25 years, I am currently a licensed psychologist in Wisconsin and Colorado.

Prior Participation in community Boards or Committees:  In my professional career I was consistently involved in both boards and committees involved in specific projects (for example: converting to EPIC, construction), improving operations, and on search committees (hiring physicians and senior leaders).  In Wisconsin I was on the board of directors of our religious organization.  Currently I am a board member of our Condo Owner Association.

Educational Background: PhD Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota MA Human Development, University of Connecticut BA Psychology, University of California at Berkeley.

Narrative:  I believe I can make an impactful contribution that supports the provision of excellent and sustainable healthcare in the Estes Valley.  Based on my career experience and education, I can contribute workable ideas and make decisions that will help Estes Park Health provide quality services in an effective and efficient manner. In my work I thoroughly enjoyed creating an environment and culture where staff were supported in their efforts to provide excellent service.  This resulted in a high degree of staff satisfaction and excellent customer/patient satisfaction. Estes Park Health is facing a number of significant issues. These include the viability of a merger or incorporation by a larger healthcare system, the ability to hire and keep a quality health care staff, and Colorado Proposition 106, Access to Medical Aid in Dying. I have worked both in large healthcare systems and in a community hospital. These experiences will provide me with multiple perspectives on any discussions that would consider a potential incorporation of Estes Park Health by a larger system.  I have experience in developing strategy and tactics to both engage and maintain a quality health care staff in an increasingly competitive healthcare environment.   I support Proposition 106 as I believe it is part of providing quality and respectful healthcare to both patients and their families.  As a member of the board, I will be guided by what will best support the provision of excellent and sustainable healthcare to the community.

Brigitte Foust

Treasurer

Brigitte is a highly motivated healthcare professional with over 25 years extensive management experience in the healthcare field, she is a visionary leader. Brigitte is passionate about efficient and high-quality patient care. Brigitte has enjoyed many leadership positions throughout her career in the healthcare industry, including holding the position of Chief Operating Officer in a critical-access hospital. Her personal and professional experiences have taught her the following about herself: She always puts the patient in the center of all that she does. Her instincts are good but she seeks data for her decisions. She stays calm when faced with adversity. She stays focused when making high-impact decisions. She is constantly learning because she never settles. She educates, refines, and drives herself to be a better person. She loves to win, but helping the team to win gives her greater joy.

Achievements: Brigitte’s greatest accomplishment was during her position as COO, when she prevented the distressed hospital from bankruptcy and potentially closing. She implemented a survival strategy, made the difficult but necessary decisions, such as reducing the workforce, ending nonprofitable services, and renegotiating contracts and wages. She upgraded billing and coding to electronic billing, and overhauled the hospital’s Chargemaster (the dictionary of charges used by hospitals), and more. Brigitte helped the board in an affiliation agreement/partnership with a larger organization to ensure the hospitals long-term financial viability.

Professional Skills: Strategic planning, leadership, critical thinking and problem solving, business intelligence, extensive knowledge of healthcare technology, teamwork and collaboration, people management, organizational development, quality, and safety.

Domain Knowledge: Radiology. Brigitte enjoys meeting new people and hearing new perspectives, she can align, lead, and grow teams under her direction.

Brigitte was born in Sontra, Germany. She immigrated to the USA in 1982 and obtained her citizenship in April 1986. Brigitte is a resident of Estes Park, Colorado, for nine years. Brigitte attended the Occupational Academy for Roentgen Technology in Bebra, Germany, as a Radiographer, and became certified with the American Registry of Radiology Technologists in 1989 as a Radiology Technologist. She speaks fluent English and German.

Brigitte will work towards consistent financial stability for Estes Park Health, and consistent high-quality care provided by Estes Park Health. She understands the healthcare industry and its challenges, especially for a critical-access Hospital. Brigitte is honored to invest her time and energy in serving on the board of directors, using her experience, and high level of integrity, and she hopes that her presence on the board will help to move the hospital’s mission on a forward path to success.

Janet Zeschin

Secretary

Janet and her husband Larry, who is a native of Colorado, have lived in Estes Park since 2011. Janet moved to Colorado in 1980, when she separated from the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corp as a Captain. The Zeschins have two adult children; they and their families also live in Estes Park.

Janet retired in 2020 after a 46-year professional nursing career. She graduated as a hospital-based diploma nurse (RN) and subsequently completed an undergraduate degree in sociology and a master’s degree in health services administration from Regis University. Prior to her retirement, Janet held a Certification in Healthcare Quality and an accreditation in Case Management-RN.

Janet’s career included almost 20 years in critical care nursing and then she transitioned into healthcare quality. The remaining years were in hospital and medical staff quality, patient safety, patient experience, risk management, utilization review, infection prevention as well as federal and state accreditation and regulatory compliance. This work included leadership roles working with hospital administration, medical providers and hospital staff at all levels and in most departments, as well as with the Colorado Hospital Association, Colorado Rural Health Center, and regulatory and quality improvement organizations.

She worked as Estes Park Health’s Director of Quality and Patient Safety from 2011 to 2016 and again from 2019 to 2020 until her retirement. The intervening years were spent in a national consulting role. During Janet’s tenure, she regularly attended and provided reports to the Park Hospital District Board of Trustees.

Janet has worked with many service organizations in Estes Valley, including:

– Rotarian since 2012, including serving in the leadership roles of president and secretary. Janet currently serves on the Sunrise Rotary’s governing board as the club secretary.
– Estes Valley Library Friends of the Foundation Board since 2024, serving as their secretary
– Estes Valley Land Trust: member since 2024
– American Legion: member for nine years

Thomas Leigh

Member at Large

Dr. Thomas Leigh worked in emergency medicine for 39 years, retiring from Estes Park Health in September 2024 after a nine-year career at the critical access hospital.

During his nearly four-decades in medicine, Dr. Leigh helped more than 120,000 patients that passed through emergency department doors with everything from bone fractures to life-altering scenarios.

A graduate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Dr. Leigh completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan and a second residency in emergency medicine at Denver Health Medical Center. He is certified in emergency medicine by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.