As I sit down to write this letter, my head is spinning with all of the things I want to share with you. First, let me provide a quick update on COVID-19. I am thankful that since the first of the year, we have seen a sharp decline in the numbers — the daily case rate is substantially lower, the positivity rate is lower, and our COVID-19-related hospitalizations have virtually disappeared. This is great news for all of us.

Second, I’m also happy to share that MRH has started vaccinating people with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. We began vaccinating staff before Christmas, and then opened up times to vaccinate our community members who are over the age of 70. We are following the State of Colorado’s guidance on who to vaccinate. As we receive more vaccines, we will open up more times for the public to get signed up. If you need a vaccine, please call us at 970-826-2400. We will get you on our list. I want to personally encourage each of you to consider taking the vaccine when it becomes available to your age group. We have a lot of good information about the COVID vaccine available on our website.

In other news, I’m pleased to announce that Dr. Nelson Prager will provide Cardiology services here at MRH. Dr. Prager is replacing long-time MRH physician, Dr. Gerald Myers, who retired at the end of 2020. Dr. Prager will be onsite twice per month. Other cardiology services continue to be available here including stress tests, echocardiograms and other cardiac-related studies. Visit our webpage for more information.

You may recall from earlier communication that MRH is working hard to optimize our billing process. We are working to make sure we are sending timely and accurate bills to our patients. We know how frustrating this process can be. I encourage you to call us if you have questions. We want to hear from you.

Finally, I want to welcome our newest MRH Board member, Dr. Allan Reishus. Dr. Reishus was appointed in January to fill the vacancy left by Chandler Larsen. Our Board is comprised of seven community members who have been appointed by the Moffat County Commissioners. Dr. Reishus joins Kelly Hepworth, Don Myers, Forrest Luke, Todd Jourgensen (who was reappointed in January), Terry Carwile and Denise Arola. For more information about our Board, please visit our webpage. The public is also welcome and encouraged to attend our board meetings. They are held on the fourth Thursday of the month at 6:00 p.m. Currently, we are meeting via Zoom. If you are interested in attending, contact Julie Hanna at 970-826-3100.

Sincerely,
Andrew J. Daniels, MHA, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer