Valley View hosted a virtual Community Town Hall on Tuesday, inviting residents to learn about the hospital’s most recent and upcoming initiatives. 

The meeting focused on an overview of the organization’s progress, a discussion of preliminary results from Valley View’s 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment and live feedback from community members present at the webinar. 

The webinar saw roughly 34 participants, with Spanish translation provided for those who requested it. 

Valley View’s last Community Health Needs Assessment was conducted in 2021, with the most recent one set for release in December 2024. Stacey Gavrell, Valley View’s chief community relations officer, shared that the hospital’s focus since 2021 has largely surrounded two main goals: to improve covers and total cost of care, and to address community behavioral and mental health needs. 

“That is what you as our community told us is a need and an opportunity for Valley View to address,” Gavrell said. 

Improve coverage and total cost of care

Valley View’s progress for meeting their goal of improving coverage and cost of care has involved “improving coverage for vulnerable populations.” Gavrell said Valley View has worked to promote their financial aid program helping families up to the 500% Federal Poverty Level. In 2024, the 500% Federal Poverty Level for a family of four was identified as a yearly salary of $156,000. 

Rob Nelson, executive director of quality and safety, said the Valley View delivered over $24 million in charity care (meaning free or discounted health services) to the community in 2022. 

Valley View has the region’s largest network of primary care, which they’ve achieved through collaboration with several health partners in the valley. Nelson described their outreach as “primary care wrap-around services,” which include their in-patient crisis team, work with the Aspen Hope Center and their diabetes programming though their cardiopulmonary rehab center. 

This promotion extends to the hospital’s after-hours care as an option for residents seeking walk-in medical attention for non-emergencies, which can be provided at a lower cost as opposed to visiting the emergency room. Sometimes, these consultations can be accessed remotely thanks to Valley View’s telehealth opportunities. 

“We recognize that, living in a rural area, we have geographic challenges and mobility barriers within transportation, and so we seek to optimize our telehealth opportunities,” Nelson said. “That may be a patient at home or even after-hours who hops on a video call with a provider.” 

Address community behavioral and mental health needs

One of the strategies Valley View identified to enhance integration of behavioral and physical health care is to screen patients for postpartum depression and anxiety, a phenomenon that has received widespread awareness in the late few years. Valley View said they refer positive screens for follow-ups. 

“We screen multiple times for every pregnant patient,” Nelson said.

The hospital has also made investments to hire two psychiatric nurse practitioners, which Gavrell said is a service that operates at a loss. 

“The intentionality of making sure that our community has access to psychiatric care is something that we’re driven to by our mission,” she said. 

Additional efforts include optimizing use of a non-opioid medications first, and running staff programs to familiarize personnel with warning signs of suicide risk.  

“We know that that’s a condition that afflicts western Colorado at a higher rate than it does the state average, and Colorado at a higher rate than the national average,” Nelson said. “We take this very seriously.” 

2024 Community Health Needs Assessment

Valley View Hospital ran its Community Health Survey in early July, inviting the community to provide feedback about the planning of its programs, services and facilities. 

The results inform the hospital’s Community Health Needs Assessment — a needs assessment collected every three years to analyze healthcare needs, the use of local health care services and overall community health. The assessment includes data from the survey, an environmental scan of publicly available health and social determinants of health, and meetings with local, governmental and social service agencies (data was collected at the local, state and national level, with the local data primarily coming from Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties). 

The results are then used to develop Valley View’s goals and programs for the next three years. The following are some of the highlights provided by Valley View leading up to the release of the complete assessment at the end of the year: 

• The average life expectancy in the community is 88 years, which is higher than the state average of 79 and national average of 78. 
• Garfield County had the highest rate of uninsured residents in the state at 17.4%, which is almost double the state average of 9%. 
• 89.7% of respondents have health insurance; 77% of those not covered said their primary reason for not having health insurance is their inability to pay for it. 
• Pitkin County is home to a much higher rate of aging citizens (24% are over 65). 
• The community reports high incidents of binge drinking, as high as 26% in Pitkin County. 
• The community reports high incidents of depression and anxiety (as high as 22% and 17% respectively) but low rates of adults receiving treatment (as low as 7% in Garfield County. 
• The top three reasons provided for why 41.3% of the population have delayed or went without needed healthcare in the last three years were cost, long wait times or not being able to get an appointment. 

The survey also revealed that an average 49% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing, a housing security statistic that can sometimes provide context for community health needs.

The survey received 974 total responses, though Valley View said they are still taking into consideration responses received after the cutoff date. Nearly half of the participants were between the ages of 65-84, with 90% identifying themselves as permanent residents of their community. 

Community members interested in learning more about Valley View’s initiatives or inquiring about mental or physical health needs are encouraged to contact Gavrell at Stacey.Gavrell@vvh.org.