LEADVILLE, Colo.—An affiliation and services agreement has been signed between Centura Health and St. Vincent Hospital, a 12-bed critical-access institution in Leadville, with a 13-bed nursing home unit. The affiliation agreement calls for developing shared programs to complement and expand clinical services, sharing of best practices, and educating and developing staff, according to a news release. “Affiliating with Centura Health allows St. Vincent Hospital to remain locally controlled and responsive to the needs of our community, but gives us access to the resources and expertise of the state's leading health network,” Nancy Boeve, St. Vincent board chairwoman, said in the release. “By working with a partner like Centura Health, we can offer the highest level of care to Leadville and Lake County.” St. Vincent becomes the eighth independent hospital to affiliate with Centura Health. The others are San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center, Alamosa, Colo.; Conejos County Hospital, La Jara, Colo. (now combined with San Luis Valley as San Luis Valley Health); Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, Salida, Colo.; Middle Park Medical Center, Kremmling and Granby, Colo.; Lincoln Community Hospital and Nursing Home, Hugo, Colo.; Goodland (Kan.) Regional Medical Center; and Rio Grande Hospital in Del Norte, Colo. Based in Englewood, Colo., the Centura system is a partnership between Adventist Health System and Catholic Health Initiatives. Earlier this year, it began developing a network of 13 communities, or “health neighborhoods,” that focused on wellness services and keeping people healthy.
—Andis Robeznieks
