Estes Park Health and UCHealth partnership moving forward

Logos of Estes Park Health, featuring a colorful mountain graphic, and UCHealth, shown in red lowercase letters with a horizontal line beneath.

Public board meeting set for Thursday, May 8 at 5:30 p.m.

The Park Hospital District (PHD) Board of Directors has scheduled two special board meetings to provide residents of the Estes Valley with updates on the partnership EPH is pursuing with UCHealth.

During the first meeting, scheduled for Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at the Estes Park Town Hall, the PHD Board of Directors will introduce a resolution to approve the agreements that will allow EPH to join UCHealth. During this meeting, directors will share details about the agreements and hear public comment. The second meeting will be held Thursday, May 15, 2025 (time and location to be announced), for additional public comment and a possible vote by the directors on the resolution.

“The big picture is we have worked towards this point for years to bring this partnership to Estes Valley,” said David Batey, chairman of PHD’s Board of Directors. “There is still some work to be done, but we feel confident that these agreements will best ensure excellent health care for our community for decades to come.”

Key aspects of the definitive agreements include:

  • UCHealth will offer employment to all current EPH employees, pending standard pre-employment screening.
  • EPH employees’ years of service will be recognized.
  • Contracts for EPH physicians and advanced practice providers will transition to UCHealth, allowing providers to continue seeing patients in the valley.
  • At the PHD board’s request, the name of the hospital will transition to UCHealth Estes Valley Medical Center to reflect the care provided for the entire valley.
  • A new board of directors will be created to oversee the nonprofit hospital, and the majority of these board members will be local community members.
  • Local taxes will continue to be essential for maintaining EPH’s services and the community’s EMS program.
  • UCHealth plans to support the long-term success of EPH.

“This is a big year for health care in Estes Park as the hospital marks its 50th anniversary,” said Vern Carda, Estes Park Health CEO. “It’s fitting that as we celebrate that milestone, we keep looking forward, and I’m excited for what the future holds with UCHealth. Their dedication to patients in the communities they serve, along with their innovative approach to medicine will allow us to keep outstanding medical care close to home for Estes Valley residents and visitors.”

Next steps

If the UCHealth and PHD boards approve the agreements, they will likely be signed in late May. The District and UCHealth will then seek review of the agreements by the Colorado Attorney General as required by Colorado state statute. Following the AG review, leaders will work towards an effective date, at which time EPH’s hospital operations will become part of UCHealth.

“We’ve partnered on various aspects of health care with Estes Park Health over the years, and I look forward to them becoming part of the UCHealth family,” said Kevin Unger, president and CEO of UCHealth’s northern Colorado region. “At UCHealth, we work every day to improve the lives of our patients and the communities in which they live. We give that same commitment to Estes Park.”

Estes Park Health signed the letter of intent to negotiate joining UCHealth on Oct. 3, 2024.

Additional information about UCHealth, EPH and this partnership can be found at UCHealth Partnership Update - Estes Park Health.

About Estes Park Health

Estes Park Health, a nonprofit Critical Access Hospital with a net operating revenue of $60 million, includes 320 employees, 23 inpatient beds and 22 physicians and advanced practice providers comprised of skilled, compassionate caregivers. We are a critical resource in our mountain community, providing quality care for our friends, neighbors and visitors, from pediatrics to geriatrics. With a persistent dedication to patient-focused care, we continue to score high on key measures in patient satisfaction surveys. Estes Park Health was founded in 1975 as the Elizabeth Knutsson Memorial Hospital per a tax subsidy voted on by the citizens of Estes Park. Today, more than 19,000 patients—residents and visitors alike—see our healthcare teams for both outpatient and inpatient services.

About UCHealth

UCHealth is an innovative, nonprofit health system that delivers the highest quality medical care with an excellent patient experience. UCHealth includes 35,000 employees, 14 acute-care hospitals and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. With University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus as its academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the region, UCHealth is dedicated to providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. Offering more than 200 clinic locations, UCHealth provides extensive community benefits and pushes the boundaries of medicine through advanced treatments and clinical trials, improving health through innovation.