Principal
Vertical Strategies, Rural Healthcare and Nonprofit Capacity Building
EASTERN PLAINS HEALTHCARE CONSORTIUM DEVELOPS SUSTAINABLE RURAL COMMUNITIES
FOCUS
The Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium was created to address the significant barriers to access of health services in a region where four hospitals serve multiple counties across the Eastern Plains of Colorado. As demonstrated in the proposal, the health care needs of these rural residents foretell a future where social determinants and medical care become even more sparse without direct intervention. Along with social determinants of health factors that fall behind state and national averages, the sustainability of the current health care structure is also being challenged by shifts in national health care policy and changes in reimbursement. The Consortium has been evaluating and planning for the past year, and through the incorporation of a separate 501(c)(3), they will start implementing the developed solutions. The Consortium’s mission is to collaborate among rural hospitals to provide excellent health care services for rural communities on the Eastern Plains of Colorado and surrounding areas while increasing the sustainability of its members. Initially, the members will specifically do this through shared inventory management and staff sharing agreements. The number of populations to be served is expected to grow as the network expands. The preliminary target population will be all health care consumers of Keefe Memorial Hospital, Weisbrod Memorial County Hospital, Lincoln Community Hospital, Melissa Memorial Hospital and their associated facilities.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: Rural Health Consortium to Achieve Economies of Scale
We are creating a rural health consortium composed of five critical access hospitals to develop economies of scale, with the result of creating financially, culturally, and operationally healthy and independent institutions and communities.
The Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium was created to address the significant barriers to access of health services in a region where four hospitals serve multiple counties across the Eastern Plains of Colorado. As demonstrated in the proposal, the health care needs of these rural residents foretell a future where social determinants and medical care become even more sparse without direct intervention. Along with social determinants of health factors that fall behind state and national averages, the sustainability of the current health care structure is also being challenged by shifts in national health care policy and changes in reimbursement. The Consortium has been evaluating and planning for the past year, and through the incorporation of a separate 501(c)(3), they will start implementing the developed solutions. The Consortium’s mission is to collaborate among rural hospitals to provide excellent health care services for rural communities on the Eastern Plains of Colorado and surrounding areas while increasing the sustainability of its members. Initially, the members will specifically do this through shared inventory management and staff sharing agreements. The number of populations to be served is expected to grow as the network expands. The preliminary target population will be all health care consumers of Keefe Memorial Hospital, Weisbrod Memorial County Hospital, Lincoln Community Hospital, Melissa Memorial Hospital and their associated facilities.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: Rural Health Consortium to Achieve Economies of Scale
We are creating a rural health consortium composed of five critical access hospitals to develop economies of scale, with the result of creating financially, culturally, and operationally healthy and independent institutions and communities.
MORE ABOUT MELISSA
Melissa focuses on elevating nonprofits, specifically in rural areas to help their nonprofit and healthcare entities thrive in a continually tumultuous environment.
Click here to watch Melissa’s Legacy Project video.