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The Memorial Reginal Health Foundation was awarded a $23,000 grant from the El Pomar Foundation. El Pomar contributes funding to support community health development in Colorado. The grant was submitted to El Pomar Foundation in support of a new Ultra Sound Machine for the Emergency Department. The new ultrasound machine will provide significant operational efficiencies and will enhance MRH’s Emergency/trauma response system. The total cost of the Ultrasound machine was $46,000. The MRH Foundation raised half of the funds through local donations and grants. El Pomar matched the 50% needed to purchase the equipment. The equipment will enhance our ability to support patient trauma in the Emergency Department and optimize emergency care. MRH’s ultimate goal is to improve the health of our community by improving healthcare delivery. Our objective is to invest in technology as appropriate to improve patient outcomes and enhance the hospital’s capacity to provide quality healthcare.

El Pomar Foundation is one of the largest and oldest private foundations in Colorado Spencer and Julie Penrose founded El Pomar in 1937, and the Foundation now contributes more than 22 million annually through grants and community stewardship programs to support Colorado nonprofit organizations involved in health, human services, education, arts and humanities and civic and community initiatives.

El Pomar Foundation previously awarded the Memorial Regional Health Foundation a $25,000 grant in 2018 for capital construction of the medical office building. “We appreciate El Pomar’s partnership and past contributions in assisting the healthcare needs of Moffat County,” said Eva Peroulis, MRH Foundation Director.

Memorial Regional Health, formerly The Memorial Hospital, has been part of this community since opening its doors in September 1950. Our hospital came into existence because community members recognized how vitally important it was to have access to a hospital within the community in which they lived. The community raised money, the school district donated land and the hospital was built. Several years after the hospital was built, it was transferred to the County to ensure that it would remain a public hospital.

While the size of the hospital and number of services has changed, the level of commitment to our community remains the same. Memorial Regional Health remains one of only four county hospitals in Colorado and continues to be independent and locally governed, something that is becoming more and more rare in health care.

Our investment in this community is ongoing. The American Hospital Association published a study about the impact hospitals have in a community. The study estimated that for every hospital job, an additional two jobs are supported in the community, and every dollar spent by a hospital supports $2.30 in additional business activity.

Let me put this into perspective. MRH employs 375 people. Roughly 82% of our 375 employees live in Craig and Moffat County. In 2022, MRH spent $21.4 million in salaries for our staff, and 82% of $21.4 million is $17.5 million. Conceivably, this $17.5 million supported an additional $40.3 million in additional business activity in our community. Our employees live here, spend money in our stores and restaurants, pay taxes, and buy goods and services.

MRH also partners with and supports many community organizations, including hiring an athletic trainer to support the Moffat County School District’s athletic programs, providing a scholarship fund for the City of Craig’s Parks and Recreation programs, and contributing to organizations that focus on the youth in our community, like the Boys and Girls Club and the Moffat County Fair. Each year MRH donates more than $35,000 to organizations whose missions benefit our community.

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through patient-centered health care and service excellence. We know that this will require a continued focus on financial stewardship and quality outcomes. We believe that it is our obligation to remain a viable health care resource for this community.

You might have noticed a new tagline that we use in some of our marketing materials: “We’re Here for Life.” We really have been and will strive to continue to be part of this community and to serve community members for the entirety of their lives.