Southwest Health System

Critics of HR 1 warned in a Zoom call Thursday that its impacts to patients and hospitals in rural Colorado will be enormous.

Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez has been honored nationally, even as it faces financial struggles that are being shared by many hospitals across the state and nation.

The finances of Southwest Health System in Montezuma County have been on something of a roller-coaster ride.

Southwest Health System in Montezuma County is doing well financially, but changes at the federal level will have an impact in coming times.

Women ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s spoke in support of a popular doctor at Wednesday night’s meeting of the Southwest Health System board in Cortez.

Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez is holding its own financially, but to keep it viable over the long term, people need to use it for as many services as possible. That was one message officials gave Thursday during a talk about the annual report for the private not-for-profit that operates the hospital, Southwest Health System.

The Southwest Health System (SHS) board of directors announced Monday that they will not be closing the family birthing center. This comes after a contentious special board meeting last Thursday where several community members shared their concerns about the possible closure. Hospital officials previously said they’re temporarily closing the birthing center on July 1 in order to keep the organization financially stable. A press release from the hospital announcing their decision to reconsider was released on Monday. About 60 people, including several mothers, showed up to the board meeting last week near the hospital’s emergency services wing to voice their deep concern over the future of maternity care at SHS.

In Cortez, Southwest Memorial Hospital announced last week it will temporarily close its family birthing center on July 1. In a press release, the hospital said it needed to close the center in order to ensure the financial stability of the organization. Dr. Jessica Kaplan, an obstetrics specialist who works at the birthing center, says that women seeking care in rural areas across the nation face higher risks of pregnancy-related complications, and are more likely to die during pregnancy. And Colorado is offering almost $30 million in grant money to mobile home residents who want to purchase their mobile home parks.

COVID-19 can be a very dangerous virus for pregnant women who have not been vaccinated against it. Unvaccinated pregnant women are at especially high risk of severe complications, which can affect both the mother and her unborn child. Experts say the vaccine is completely safe to take, but here in Montezuma County, vaccination rates among pregnant women remain low.

Southwest Health System in Cortez will discontinue drive-thru COVID-19 testing, and the hospital's director of infection control says COVID hospitalizations are down and vaccination rates are up in Montezuma County. But he also says the pandemic isn't over, and warns against rolling back precautions too soon. KSJD's Lucas Brady Woods sat down with Meyer to talk through the details.