Home Health and Hospice caregivers make a remarkable difference for the patients of all ages, families and communities they serve. Here in the Yampa Valley, we are fortunate to have had Home Health services available through Northwest Colorado Health since 1964.
These services provide essential care for Yampa Valley residents, like Jeff, a long-time local, who was deeply connected with the community. As his ALS progressed, Northwest Colorado Health’s Hospice team was there for him and his wife to improve his quality of life in his final months. Prior to his death, Jeff shared: “Hospice has been so wonderful in this whole process because I never knew we’d talk about death so much, but, you know, it’s not scary like it was.”
Northwest Colorado Health is the only provider of Home Health and Hospice services in Moffat and Routt counties. Each year, staff travel around 100,000 miles to deliver care through 10,355 visits to more than 300 patients of all ages—all regardless of ability to pay. This commitment comes at a cost of nearly $1 million annually in unreimbursed care, due not only to the high number of uninsured and underinsured patients, but also to reimbursement models that fail to cover the true cost of care. Ongoing community support is essential to ensure that patients and families in our community can receive essential support, helping them remain safely and independently at home.
That is why Northwest Colorado Health launched a three-year campaign to raise $3 million in support of services for the region’s rapidly growing aging population. The campaign will help sustain vital programs that allow older adults to remain in the Yampa Valley—whether at Casey’s Pond Senior Living, The Haven Assisted Living, or at home through Home Health and Hospice services, which provides compassionate, patient-centered care to anyone who needs it. Community support is vital to ensuring these services remain in the community for years to come.
“Home Health and Hospice are community services, and it’s very clear that at some point, we are all going to need them or somebody that we love is going to need them,” said Stephanie Einfeld, CEO of Northwest Colorado Health. “The funds raised through the campaign are intended to support operations and provide a glide path toward a sustainable future for these programs. And thanks to a generous donor, we now have a challenge grant that will match every dollar donated up to $300,000 through the end of 2026. Every dollar is $2, and we will exceed our goal by the end of the year if the community steps up to that challenge.”
In addition to the match, Northwest Colorado Health is now an approved Enterprise Zone Contribution Project, giving donors an added benefit for their generosity. Qualifying cash gifts of $250 or more may be eligible for a Colorado state income tax credit equal to 25% of a donation. The tax credit is capped at $100,000 per taxpayer, per tax year.
Home Health offers skilled, compassionate and personalized care in the comfort and security of familiar surroundings to help patients of all ages recover from illness or injury. The Home Health team includes registered nurses, physical therapists, certified nurse aides, and medical social workers. Personal Care Providers offer in-home assistance with non-medical needs such as bathing, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, meal prep and more.
The Hospice program believes that everyone with a terminal illness has the right to live with dignity and comfort. These individuals deserve the opportunity for the best quality of life, spiritual support, limited pain and suffering, and optimal time with family and friends. Northwest Colorado Health also provides free grief counseling for one year for families following a loved one’s death, as well as bereavement support groups and events open to anyone in the community.
To learn more about Home Health and Hospice services available at Northwest Colorado Health call 970-871-7688. To donate to support these programs, please visit northwestcoloradohealth.org/homeservicescampaign
