The Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC) Board of Directors was introduced to the proposed Hospitality and Employee Housing Project on campus at its regular meeting Oct. 18. The concepts include one and two-story housing models for hospitality accommodations for patients’ families as well as employee housing on the hospital grounds.
Leslie Berkley, HRRMC Foundation Director, presented plans its board has embraced, though much refinement remains to be done. The foundation board is recommending a one-story fourplex, each unit a minimum of 600 square feet with a full kitchen, designed as ADA-compliant.
Berkley outlined the immediate needs for such housing, noting that home health was the highest volume and length of stay (10-12 patients per month). Others include outpatient surgery; if ten percent of those patients needed one-night pre-op stays it would equal five per month. Some infusion patients need three to five days of treatments, with more than 100 patients per year coming from outlying areas, for which onsite housing would be a benefit.
Berkley said that after viewing all current data, there is a need for housing for 10 to 25 patients per month.
The concept for hospitality and/or employee housing could have several construction options, including modular or manufactured homes, mobile homes, or stick-built hospitality sites.
Current guidelines for hospitality housing would be for patients, caregivers, and family members who live more than 30 miles away. The housing would be preferably one-bedroom, ground-level, ADA-compliant units, with a minimum of four units.
Additional consideration is being given to building a second fourplex for employees, or a shared eightplex for reduced infrastructure and construction costs.
The Foundation Board compared hospitality house features at facilities in Vail and Penrose.
The Foundation board also brought funding resources for the project to the table.
Restricted Donations are held in an established fund for a specific board-approved project. Charitable trust donations to the foundation would be utilized for funding the projects. Berkley said the Robert and Bernice Delnay Fund, currently at $1,505,977 would be used to construct the four Hospitality House units and if approved, named for them.
Operational costs, estimated at $10,000 to $15,000 per year would come from the foundation’s Picie Hylton Charitable Fund. Hospice has also agreed to contribute to the operational fund.
While much planning work remains for both the Foundation and HRRMC boards regarding the hospital’s needs and donor’s expectations, Berkley said the Foundation hopes to break ground on the project in 2023.
HRRMC Financial Report is Sound
Elsewhere, Fiscal Services Vice President Lesley Fagerberg outlined her financial picture for the district, reporting total patient service revenues for the month were $20,337,563 against the budget estimate of $20,758,985. Net patient revenues were pegged at $9,311,433 for the month and $86,579,670 for the year compared with budget estimates of $9,748,448 and $84,179,840 respectively.
Inpatient revenues were off budget estimates in some categories, including surgical services; coming in a $1,853,703 for the month against the budget of $2,275,769 and $16,837,939 year-to-date, compared to the budget estimate of $19,611,951.
Outpatient revenues were more on target with $18,483,859 listed against the budget estimate of $18,483,216; and year-to-date revenues were $167,304,140 against the budget estimate of $159,259,666
She noted operating expenses totaled $8,628,933 for the month against the budget estimate of $9,130,688 and $81,177904 for the year compared to $80,371,177 budget estimate.
Net operating gain was $1,176,628 for the month and $10,564,659 for the year. The Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) supplemental payments contributed $1,793,766 for the month and $4,503,338 for the year, Fagerberg noted.
Net position change was an increase of $1,010,195 for the month compared to the budget estimate of $1,218,521 and an increase of $9,438,921 against the budget estimate of $9,234,173.
In other action, the board approved a resolution for the sale of district-owned buildings at 705 and 713 E. Main Street in Buena Vista to the town. The purchase price was not immediately revealed.
The board also approved capital equipment purchases including replacing one of two rooftop compressors that went bad (important for patient safety) at a cost of more than $27,000. It also approved a fluid management system and hysteroscopes for Surgical Services for $58,267; an Endoderm Scope Storage System for $41,449; and upgraded licensing for a disaster recovery/business continuity program to enable frequent backups to reduce data loss at a cost of $12,877. It went on to approve two new EKG machines at a cost of $52,513; a big wheel stretcher for the Emergency Department for $12,600; a HEPA cart used for infection risk control at $13,650 and an echo machine for echocardiograms and echograms at a cost of more than $197,000.
Featured image: Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center. Dan Smith photo.
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