Celebrating Hospital Week: Estes Park Health invests in the community
EPH is sponsoring youth basketball teams at the Rec Center by purchasing jerseys for coaches and players who proudly sport our logo. (Photo courtesy of EVRPD)
National Hospital Week is an annual event that celebrates hospitals, health systems, and health care workers. This year, Hospital Week is May 12-18. The theme for this year’s celebration is “We are Healthcare: Caring for Patients; Strengthening Communities.”
Estes Park Health has been an integral part of the Estes Valley community since 1975. In the past year, we have taken many steps to strengthen our bond with our town, our patients, and the many visitors who stream through Estes Park to enjoy the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
“Estes Park Health not only serves our community with important medical care, but we also support the community in a vast number of ways,” said EPH CEO Vern Carda. “As one of the town’s largest employers, we provide good jobs. We also support important town events through sponsorships and medical expertise. For instance, our health care professionals are on site at the Rooftop Rodeo to take care of rodeo participants and guests.”
The Park Hospital District Board has begun holding monthly public board meetings at Estes Park Town Hall to make those gatherings easily accessible to all interested parties. People who want to attend those meetings but cannot make it in person can also attend online.
After a hiatus for several years due to the COVID pandemic, in 2023 Estes Park Health began hosting on-site blood drives again to make it easier for area residents to donate.
EPH is sponsoring youth basketball teams at the Rec Center by purchasing jerseys for coaches and players who proudly sport our logo. EPH is also a gold sponsor for the Tuesday Night Live marina concert series this summer put on by the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District.
Our experts provide CPR and AED training to the community. Our registered dietitian has written a column called “Mountaintop Medicine: Nutrition Notes” for the Estes Park Trail-Gazette. Estes Park Health produces videos that show people our services. We also produce a podcast called “Mountaintop Medicine from Estes Park Health.” EPH sends out a monthly newsletter to the community to keep them updated on the latest happenings in our organization.
Inside the hospital itself, community members can take advantage of sharps bins and medication drop boxes to get rid of used syringes and old medication.
More than 20 local artists donated original pieces for our Infusion Center. (Photo by Wendy Rigby/Estes Park Health)
Estes Park Health also values the healing power of art. We recently hired local muralist Michael Young to paint a two-wall masterpiece called “Aspen Splendor” in our second floor waiting area. In 2023, more than 20 local artists donated original pieces for our Infusion Center. In 2024, the Trail Ridge Quilters will be donating a handmade quilt to hang above the elevator in our main lobby.
The American Hospital Association says Hospital Week is important to recognize the 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, and others who provide are to their community.
“Our caregivers have taken on unimaginable challenges and have risen to the occasion repeatedly,” the AHA writes on its website. “We think it is essential that others see the impact hospitals have made on communities, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.”