Southwest Memorial Hospital

Name :

Southwest Memorial Hospital

Address  :

1311 North Mildred Road

Town  :

Cortez

State  :

Colorado

Country  :

USA

Post Code:

81321

Phone  :

970 565 6666

Web URL  :

Available

Description

About Southwest Memorial Hospital
Originally opened to care for our community in 1914 today Southwest Memorial Hospital is a 25bed critical access hospital offering the latest in medical and surgical technology 247 emergency care a vast array of outpatient medical and wellness services and much more Serving the Four Corners area Southwest Memorial Hospital is staffed by almost 400 employees including highly trained and skilled physicians nurses technicians administrators and support staff in a variety of capacities

Our hospital is an affiliate of Southwest Health Systems Inc which operates as a notforprofit corporation and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors The Board convenes on the first Tuesday of the each month at 400 pm in the hospitals Kiva Room The the public is invited to attend the open portion of the meetings

The Board of Directors contracts with QHR for daily management of the organization The Board and QHR jointly appoint the hospitals CEO and CFO who work at the pleasure of and are accountable to the Board of Directors

Each fall the Board of Directors Medical Staff leaders and senior management engage in a comprehensive planning process to reevaluate key goals and set strategy for the coming years

Southwest Memorial Hospital and its subsidiaries are fully accredited by the Joint Commission The most recent survey was conducted in 2009 and the hospital was reaccredited

Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide the highest quality health care to our community by bringing excellence and service together to promote improve and restore health

Vision Statement
We envision a health system in which all providers work together to make excellent patient centered health services available in our community

Value Statements
In fulfilling our mission we will

Quality of Care Provide high quality health care by staying current with the latest technology recruiting highly qualified physicians hiring the best staff and helping members of the community meet their health care needs

Patient Experience Exceed the expectations of our patients through the provision of warm welcoming and personalized care in a safe environment by compassionate knowledgeable and experienced physicians and staff

Community Collaboration Collaborate with patients health care providers and community leaders to provide excellent health care

Mutual Respect and Appreciation Provide an environment that fosters mutual respect and appreciation of all physicians staff and community

Financial Stewardship Maintain a healthy financial condition by controlling costs and increasing market share while anticipating changes in managed care reimbursements and health care reform

History

A Brief History of Southwest Memorial Hospital

Southwest Memorial Hospital is rich in history Here are some of the highlights from 1914 when the facility first opened to the present

1914 1940
Dr Emil E Johnson converted two cottages into a hospital on the site that is now occupied by the Best Western Turquoise Inn on Main Street in Cortez Dr Johnsons family lived on the premises where he had an office and an eight bed hospital His wife was a nurse and an anesthetist In 1940 Dr Johnson had a stroke and the hospital was closed for about five months

1940 1942
Dr Girod reopened the hospital and operated it until he was called to active duty in January of 1942

1942 1948
Dr Johnson returned to Cortez and with the help of the County Commissioners kept the hospital open during the war Dr Speck Dr Calkins and Dr Lilla worked in the hospital during the war In 1945 the citizens of Montezuma and Dolores Counties recognized that the current facility would not serve the future needs of the two counties The Lions Club took on the project of raising money to build a new hospital The drive had great community support and by 1948 enough money had been raised to build a hospital on South Broadway currently the Johnson Building The people in the community were very proud that they were able to raise the necessary funds to build a hospital without government support

1948 1950
The new facility Southwest Memorial Hospital opened in May 1948 and was dedicated as a memorial to the veterans of Montezuma and Dolores Counties who were killed in World War II The original plaque with the names of these men is located just inside the main entrance of the current hospital

At that time the hospital had no official corporate structure It was notforprofit and nongovernmental A governing board was elected Only those who had donated to the building fund were eligible to vote

Realizing that they needed operational expertise the board contracted with a Lutheran sect from Alamosa Colorado to operate the hospital Within two years disagreements between the administration and the board brought an end to this management arrangement

1950 1977
The locally elected board assumed control of the hospital and hired a series of administrators who oversaw the hospitals daily operations Through the years the hospital prospered and developed a nursing home in 1957 In 1971 the nursing home became Vista Grande Nursing Home and occupied a building on Mildred Road For the next six years Southwest Memorial Hospital and Vista Grande Nursing Home were operated separately

In the mid 1970s the board contracted with Hospital Corporation of America HCA for professional management of the hospital HCA was later divided into a hospital management division called Quorum Health Resources which currently manages Southwest Memorial Hospital and an ownedhospital division which was later merged into HCAColumbia

1977 Present
The hospital grew and by 1977 it became obvious that the community had outgrown the facility a new structure was needed A system was also needed to provide funds during times when expenses exceeded revenue and for the acquisition of expensive modern medical equipment needed to serve the community

Through the HillBurton Act the Federal government provided funds for construction of hospitals that would assume the responsibility of caring for patients without financial resources A group of local citizens and the hospital board arranged to obtain funding through this program for construction of a new hospital adjacent to the Vista Grande Nursing Home The land had previously been donated to Southwest Memorial Hospital by the Carpenter family

Once funds for construction were secured these concerned citizens petitioned the County Commissioners to establish a special district to provide tax money for the operation of the hospital A plan was approved by the commissioners an election was held to establish the district and elect a board of directors and the Montezuma County Hospital District was formed One of the first acts of the new board was to issue 1446000 in revenue bonds to fund hospital and nursing home operations

During the early years district taxes kept the hospital in operation Due to high costs and low reimbursements the nursing home was a financial drain on the hospital In the 1990s the nursing home lost 230000 to 300000 per year Annual tax revenues just about equaled that amount The hospital was able to generate enough excess revenues to invest in new and replacement equipment needed to serve the expanding needs of the community During the late 1980s through the mid1990s net revenues improved and the hospital was on solid financial ground