The Basin Clinic Board of Directors has submitted its service plan for the formation of a hospital district and the construction of a critical access hospital (CAH) to Montrose County Commissioners for approval. The service plan has also been made available to the public on the Basin Clinic’s website.
The service plan cites the Basin Clinic’s 2013 departure from Montrose Regional Health as a major factor as to why the project needs to be completed.
“Since August 2013, the West End region of Montrose County has faced a critical shortage of 24/7 healthcare. Following Montrose Regional Hospital’s withdrawal from BCI (Basin Clinic Inc.), BCI has spent over a decade in a state of precarious survival,” the service plan states.
It also cites the West End Vision Project as evidence that the clinic needs to grow, as the first goal listed in that document is establishing “a vital and viable community,” which involves establishing broader access to quality health care services for local populations.
According to the service plan, the Basin Clinic has undergone two years of strategic planning to continue serving the West End. During this period, the clinic explored options to move forward. One option included merging with Norwood’s Uncompahgre Medical Center.
However, the plan explains, “ … this option would limit the services that could otherwise be offered through a health service district, such as any after-hours care, 24/7 care, and long-term care. The only option which could provide reliable, high-quality health care was to organize a health service district and pursue becoming a critical access hospital.”
The proposed hospital district, referred to as the West End Health Services District (WEHSD) in the service plan, would include Naturita, Nucla, Redvale, Bedrock and Paradox.
Services the CAH intends to provide include outpatient care, dental care, behavioral health, specialty care, pharmacy services, 24/7 emergency care, laboratory and diagnostic services and inpatient care — including long-term care and rehabilitation.
The service plan contains a preliminary financial plan, which states that the majority of the hospital’s revenue will be generated by patient fees and charges, such as payments from insurers or Medicare/Medicaid. Other sources of revenue for the CAH listed are grants, donations and foundations. Revenue would also be generated via voter-approved bond issues for improvement projects to the CAH after its construction.
The financial plan states that a 20-mill levy would generate $949,950 for the year of 2027. It estimates that the cost of forming a hospital district will be $50,000, with an added $124,718 for additional initial costs; the plan states these costs would be covered by the property tax.
The service plan contains a preliminary project cost of $82.2 million, with the CAH estimated to total a size of 65,000 square feet, although the service plan emphasizes that these estimates are liable to change. There would be no additional cost for land to build the CAH on, as the clinic already owns an 11.5-acre parcel of land near Hopkin’s Field Airport in Nucla.
The Basin Clinic’s Executive Director, Christina Pierce, said she’s heard mostly positive feedback about the proposed hospital from community members.
“A lot that we’ve talked to … were positive,” Pierce said, adding, “If you consider what it costs in time and money to go to Montrose and Grand Junction for an appointment … all the time and money spent going out of the area.”
Pierce said that if the service plan is approved by commissioners, it will be sent to Montrose District Court for approval. Upon approval from the district court, petitioning to get the proposal on the ballot can begin. Pierce said the signatures required will need to be collected by July 14.
Montrose County Commissioners will hold a public hearing for the plan on June 3, but Pierce said this hearing is in Montrose. She said to better serve the people of the West End, a second hearing will be scheduled at the Nucla Community Center on June 10 at 6 p.m.
