Healthcare
in Montezuma County -
A look at the Past, the Present and the Future
As we begin
to examine healthcare in the area, one must not only look to the
future but take a glance into the past and consider how the local
hospital organization has evolved.
History
of Hospitals in Montezuma County
1914
to 1940
Dr. Emil
E. Johnson converted two cottages into a hospital on the site
now occupied by the Best Western Turquoise Motor Inn. Dr. Johnson’s
family lived in part, with his office and an eight bed hospital
occupying the remainder. His wife was a nurse and an anesthesiologist.
In 1940 Dr. Johnson had a stroke and the hospital was closed for
about five months.
1940
to 1942
Dr. Girod
re-opened the hospital. He operated the hospital until he was
called to active duty in January 1942.
1942
to 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 the spring
of l945 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 early 1948 enough money was raised to build the hospital
located on South Broadway, currently the Johnson Building. The
people in the community were very proud that they were able to
raise the necessary money to build the hospital without government
support.
1948
to 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 not-for-profit
and non-governmental. 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
to 1977
The locally
elected board assumed control of the hospital and hired a series
of administrators who oversaw the hospital’s 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 its present building on Mildred Road. For the next six years,
Southwest Memorial Hospital and Vista Grande Nursing Home were
operated separately.
In the mid
-1970’s 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 owned-hospital division, which was later merged
into HCA-Columbia.)
1977
to present
The hospital
grew and by 1977 it was obvious that the community had outgrown
the facility. It was also obvious that a different structure was
needed. A system was needed which could provide funds during those
times when expenses exceeded revenues and for acquiring expensive
modern medical equipment needed to serve the needs of the community.
The Federal
government, through the Hill-Burton Act, provided funds for construction
of hospitals. These funds were not loaned in a traditional sense.
Hill-Burton hospitals assumed an obligation to provide a designated
amount of indigent healthcare over an extended period of time.
A group of local citizens and the
hospital board arranged through this program to obtain funding
for construction of a new hospital immediately adjacent to the
new Vista Grande Nursing Home facility. The parcel of land had
previously been donated to Southwest Memorial Hospital.
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 service 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 $1,446,000 in revenue bonds to fund
hospital and nursing home operations. (Unlike general obligation
bonds, revenue bonds do not require a vote of the taxpayers. The
"collateral" for the bonds is the net revenues generated
through 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 1990’s the nursing home lost
$230,000 to $300,000 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 its constituents. During the late
1980’s through the mid-1990’s net revenues improved
and the hospital was on solid financial ground.
