Pictured: Joe Huelskamp

Meet Joe! 

When Joe Huelskamp first came to MRH 39 years ago, he had never heard of a place called Craig. But a few years before that, the Omaha, Nebraska, native had fallen in love with the Centennial State while on a college ski trip to Breckenridge. “I decided then that I wanted to spend the rest of my life in Colorado,” he said.

And so it came to pass that Joe was working as a respiratory therapist at St. Anthony’s Central, in Denver, when he applied for the role of MRH (then The Memorial Hospital) Respiratory Department Manager. He’s been a core MRH team member ever since.

After serving as Respiratory Department Manager for a number of years, Joe decided to go back to school to earn his associate degree in computer science. The respiratory-therapist-turned-IT-professional loves working on computers. “When there is any opportunity to use my screwdrivers to tear into a laptop or computer for repair, I’m in heaven,” he said.

The team that nominated Joe as an MRH Unsung Hero praised Joe’s passion for problem-solving. “Joe has provided unrelenting help with our small c-arm—the OrthoScan, aka mini C—on countless issues over the last few years. He has proven beyond just ‘helpful’—he actually keeps the machine functioning. This goes for anything IT-related. Joe will not quit until every single option has been exhausted, a workable temporary solution is implemented, or he fixes it, which he does 99% of the time. Joe IS a hero. We’ve seen it firsthand and continue to see it in him every day through his dedication to his work and family.”

To help out even more, Joe also still picks up shifts in Respiratory Therapy and has taught EMT classes, earned his paramedic certification, and worked as a river runner. “People have asked me, ‘If you had to do it all over again, what would you do?’” Joe said, “and I have always answered, ‘I would like to work for Memorial Hospital in Craig, as a respiratory therapist who also works on computers, with an occasional run as a paramedic and a side of river running.’ I was fortunate to do it all in a place I had never heard of.”

When he’s not serving the healthcare needs of the Craig-area community, you’ll find Joe spending time with his wife of 25 years, Mary Karen Solomon, and his children and grandchildren. “I have such a long history with everyone in Cardiopulmonary that they introduce me as Grandpa,” Joe said. “And I can’t leave out anyone in the IT department, both current and retired. MRH has truly been a family.”

Joe, you embody the heart and soul of MRH. Words fail to express our gratitude for your presence and service. MRH wouldn’t be MRH without you.