Delnay Guest House mock-up. Image courtesy of HRRMC
Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC) Foundation and HRRMC have announced their plans to break ground at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27 for the HRRMC Delnay Guest House, a special “hospitality” accommodation that has been much-needed in the area.
Light refreshments and warm drinks will be provided at the HRRMC Café after a short outdoor ceremony held at 7164 CR 154, adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Eye Center and Solvista Health.
The Delnay Guest House will consist of ten fully furnished units with one or two bedrooms. Four units will be available for charitable overnight lodging for HRRMC patients, caregivers, or family members, provided they live more than thirty miles from Salida.
The units will be available for patients that need home health or other services that require overnight accommodations and families coming from out of the area to visit a loved one in hospice. Additionally, patients who live in outlying areas that need to stay overnight for treatments, such as pre or post-outpatient surgery could make use of the units. In addition to accommodating patients, family members, and caregivers who may need a week or two of lodging for multiple infusion treatments could use the lodging, as well as individuals who may need four-weeks of hyperbaric treatments at HRRMC’s wound care center, which is planned for late 2024 or early 2025.
The housing project will also include six short-term rental units for HRRMC employees to use while searching for permanent housing in the area.
According to a press release from HRRMC, “Funding for this project came from an unexpected $1.5 million donation from the Robert and Bernice Delnay Trust in February 2021. Their donation will cover the majority of the construction costs. HRRMC Foundation Board will cover the remaining estimated construction costs of the guest house.”
The Delnays. Image courtesy of HRRMC.
The Guest House was named after the Delnays, who retired to Salida in the 1980’s after Robert Delnay’s career as an engineer at DOW Chemical. The Delnays realized the importance of a strong healthcare system during their twenty years in the area and decided they wanted to contribute.
The funding they provided ensured the initial plans for a “hospitality house” for patients who lived out of town. This idea evolved to include employee housing.
“This project will benefit our 8,000 square mile service region which includes Chaffee, Custer, (western) Fremont, Saguache, and South Park Counties,” said HRRMC Foundation Director Lezlie Burkley. “The HRRMC Foundation Board and the HRRMC Board of Directors agreed to recognize the donors by naming the project the HRRMC Delnay Guest House.”
The hospitality house was placed on the back burner for several years, but the idea had a resurgence when a representative from the Picie Hylton Trust contacted the HRRMC Foundation in November of 2020 to redirect money from the trust to the Foundation with hopes of fulfilling Picie’s dream for a hospice house in Salida.
The ideas melded into one because there was a need for all patients, including those in hospice, for charitable accommodations during health treatments. The Hylton Trust agreed to this idea and gave an initial $16,000 for the project, pledging $2,000 per month through 2021.
The $24,000 pledge continued each year since, and the fund was named the Picie Hylton Charitable Fund. Hylton was the owner of Hylton Lumber from 1967 until 1996 and passed away in January of 1997.
The Foundation Board allotted the $78,000 in proceeds from the 2022 Jewel Ball to the Picie Hylton Charitable Fund. The fund currently holds over $160,000 and will be used for operational costs of the housing units. Hospice funds will also be used to support future operational costs.
“This generous donation from the Delnay Trust ensured the vision of these housing projects could be made possible,” said HRRMC CEO Bob Morasko. “We are grateful to both trust donations and to the HRRMC Foundation for supporting these much needed projects.”
For more information about the HRRMC Delnay Guest House, groundbreaking ceremony, or ways to donate, interested members of the public can contact HRRMC Foundation Director, Lezlie Burkley at Lezlie.Burkley@HRRMC.net or call 719-530-2218.
Online donations can also be made at HRRMC.COM/Foundation.
Recent Comments