The mood was jubilant Monday, Dec. 9, as the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center’s administrators, board of directors and representatives of the HRRMC Foundation gathered to break ground on the expansion of the HRRMC Buena Vista Clinic.
“We’ve finally reached this day, this is an inspiration, something the boards of trustees and the leadership have worked toward for a long time,” said HRRMC CEO Bob Morasko, leading the way toward the pile of dirt on the west side of the current building at 28374 CR 317 in Buena Vista. “This six million dollar addition will house a new cardiac unit and the rehab [rehabilitation] program is moving over here. We’ll have a new ultrasound and this area will also house an expanded lab testing area.”
The 10,000 sq. ft. expansion will be connected by a breezeway to the existing clinic building. The new strucutre won’t just house HRRMC health services. It will also include a visiting specialists area, so that Chaffee residents can see specialists closer to home and Solvista Health plans to lease space in the building as well, to expand their services in Buena Vista.
“This expansion also means that our existing clinic can add ten new treatment rooms, which will allow us to expand provider services in Buena Vista,” said Morasko. “We are committed to continually improving health care in Chaffee County and across the region.”
That the ground breaking took place this week is the result of many community and government entities coming together, collaborating to make the expansion a financial reality.
“We came to an agreement with the church next to us to pave their road and create a new parking area with 60 parking spaces. They only need those spaces on Sunday, and we need them during the week, so this is such a great solution,” said Morasko. “We were able to purchase an acre of land from them that will allow for further expansion as the community needs it. I hope someday to have a lighted sign for the Walk-In that people ca see from U.S. 24.
The church wasn’t the only cooperating entity to make the clinic expansion a reality. The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) provided a $664,000 grant toward the HRRMC expansion. “Our funding will go toward the equipment,” explained DOAL regional director Christy Doon. “Our goal in this funding is to help reduce the cost of healthcare in rural America.”
The HRRMC Foundation played a role as well. All proceeds from the foundation’s recent Jewel Ball have been directed to the expansion. The event at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds raised a total of $75,000.
With hard hats on and shovels in hand, Morosko lead the HRRMC administrators and board in the official ground breaking. The shovels of dirt turned, the congratulations complete, construction has begun.
Photo image: Lifting the first shovels-full of dirt in celebration of the ground breaking for the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center Buena Vista expansion are left to right: Jeff Post, Dr. Harry Payton of the BV Health Clinic, HRRMC CEO Bob Morasko, Jean Moltz, Tom Eve, Peter Edis, and Lesley Fagerberg. Photo by Jan Wondra
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