Heart Of The Rockies
To Open Pharmacy
Inside Hospital District
Clinic Building

by Fred Hernandez
The Custer County Hospital District (clinic board) has allocated an area, described as a “corner” in their building which is roughly 585 sq. ft., to be dedicated as a pharmacy. They had to adhere to strict regulations from the Board of Pharmacy which follows their Design Manual in these types of constructions. Everything has to be by the book: for instance, service counters have windows through which the customers are served; these counters need to have roll down security covers which pulls down at night, the service space in the working area (where the pharmacists work) has to be ADA compliant (in case they hire a worker who has need of it), of course the whole store has to be ADA compliant, space between the equipment is strictly measured and enforced. The plan is to replicate the pharmacy at the hospital in Salida.
Apparently planning started in February of 2022. The design and architecture is now complete and they expect to start construction in January of this year with an opening date sometime in May 2023. Hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The estimated cost of the project is $307,000. The board insisted that the general contractor (already contracted from Colorado Springs) hire local county workers and subcontractors as much as possible to give locals the opportunity since the hospital district (clinic) income is from taxpayer dollars (Mill levy) . It is noteworthy that the clinic board turned down an opportunity for community grants from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) because of the “string” attached. The string was the Davis-Bacon Act which states that when availing of federal funds, hired workers need to be paid union rates which would have increased the cost of
construction substantially. Not to mention it would have taken work away from local construction workers.
This project will be paid for by the clinic (hospital district) which will then lease the space to Heart of the Rockies Hospital
(HOR) in Salida. The financial situation of the clinic has turned around and they are now “in the black” since they made the deal with HOR because they now enjoy Medicare enhanced reimbursement. In fact, they are able to pay the paramedics $30 an hour and the EMT $20/hr. These rates are now
competitive with those of Colorado Springs.
They have hired a specialized Colorado Springs company that will analyze the relationship between the hospital district and HOR and recommend a lease value based on ROI (return on investment) to determine what the clinic will charge HOR for leasing the pharmacy space/equipment.
____________________________-

Press release

Press Release
In early 2020 the Custer County Health Center (CCHC) governed by West Custer County Hospital
District (WCCHD) began to offer prescription medicine delivery at the clinic from the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC) pharmacy in Salida.
This convenience was initially limited to clinic clients but quickly grew in volume. By mid-2021 as many as 350 new prescriptions per month (excluding refills) were being picked up at the Clinic’s front counter. Concurrently, clinic staff and WCCHD Board members became aware that the load, distraction, and congestion at the front desk was becoming burdensome. Thus, at a minimum, remodeling was needed to relocate that process.
Around the beginning of 2022 HRRMC’s pharmacy manager presented a novel proforma to both organizations demonstrating that an in-house full service, walk-in pharmacy at the clinic was financially viable. In addition, the ability to divorce medicine pick up from the Clinic’s main entrance held numerous health, safety and patient benefits. The most recent monthly report had new prescriptions approaching 430, and patient visits at 694, with 72 of those as new patients.
The WCCHD Board held many public meetings and study sessions throughout 2022 to carefully deliberate the impact of an in-house pharmacy on our campus. Every deliberation resulted in unanimous consensus that it was the most desirable next offering of community service for the clinic.
Fundamentally, WCCHD firmly believes that the clinic’s successful growth contributed to the creation of a commercially viable prescription drug market in Custer County. WCCHD are enthusiastically grateful that 2023 brings residents viable and locally available choices for prescription medicine.
Concurrently, the Hospital District’s governance of the Clinic, CCEMS, and our ever-evolving community engagement has led us to an exciting next step. This month we are forming a long-term planning committee to help us consider where we go next with these two critical county- services. This Committee will be comprised of a Board member, select WCCHD staff and several members of the community at- large. There are big ideas, and some great little ones on the horizon. Come join us and help plot the future. The first planning was at the Board meeting (3 p.m. on Friday 1/27 Clinic Board Room.) You can connect by attending meetings in person or see the posted Agendas at our website for the ZOOM login. Or contact us online at: research@westcustercountyhospitaldistrict.com
We intend to have the Long-Range Planning Committee’s inaugural meeting in February. (Editor’s note: see press release
announcing that meeting here. )Also, look for our new monthly columns on CCEMS developments!