Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC) in Salida was named a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the U.S. in 2019, by the National Rural Health Association; one of only three Critical Access Hospitals in Colorado so honored. CEO Bob Morasko is proud of how his staff has adapted to the sudden challenges of the coronavirus threat known as COVID-19.
Bob Morasko, CEO Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center.
HRRMC opened a $10 million outpatient pavilion and pharmacy in 2019, then expanded local clinics and services at clinics in other communities in the district.
The 25-bed hospital has about 600 employees and changed operational priorities to prepare, avoiding layoffs. Morasko said restructuring jobs internally with a ‘flexible labor force’ took coordination and he lauded the cooperation of employees. “The worst part of it was the unknowns,” he recalled. “How hard was it going to hit, would there be a surge that would overwhelm the facility and staff….?”
“We all had to figure out those little nuances during this process…who’s best to do what? I think if this happened again next year, it would roll out pretty quickly and everybody would be ready to go, there wouldn’t be all this consternation and fear…”
Like other hospitals, HRRMC cancelled elective surgeries and other services during the outbreak. One worry, as with other hospitals, he said, was the amount of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ordered from various sources and that they might run out of needed gear.
Preventing worker infections has paid off. As of April 16, 29 hospital workers and one doctor were tested with negative results. Access to the hospital is strictly controlled.
The silver lining? Community support has been outstanding with residents howling nightly at 8 p.m. in a ritual of support, and providing food and praise to staff.
Here’s to Good Health in 2020 displayed on HRRMC Sign (Photo by Taylor Sumners)
“From an operational standpoint, you are now more equipped and prepared for the next time,” Morasko said, “you’re not going to be inventing things right out of the chute and running on the fly; so now we have a much more organized system,” he said.
“We’ve had to do this and have learned how to do it in precise ways that if this happens again next year, we’ll be ready and have the working knowledge of how to handle it,” he added.
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