UCHealth announces departure of Memorial Hospital president and CEO

Joel Yuhas’ contributions include vast expansion of health care services to benefit patients throughout Pikes Peak region
Dec. 15, 2022
UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central. Photo by UCHealth.

After six years as president and CEO of UCHealth Memorial and UCHealth’s facilities in the Pikes Peak region, Joel Yuhas has accepted a position with UPMC, where he will oversee a network of 37 hospitals in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland as president of UPMC’s Health Services Division.

Yuhas joined UCHealth Memorial Hospital in January 2017. Under his leadership, UCHealth marked significant advancements in access and care in the Pikes Peak region. The lengthy list of achievements includes receiving a Level I Trauma Center designation; establishing a Comprehensive Stroke Center; and advancing services for primary care, behavioral health, cardiovascular, oncology and orthopedic patients. Grandview Hospital in Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Regional Hospital in Woodland Park also joined UCHealth during his leadership. In addition, UCHealth hospitals in the Pikes Peak region cared for thousands of patients with COVID-19 from across Colorado during the global pandemic, helping support independent hospitals and providers.

Joel Yuhas

“My time here has been a highlight of my career that I will always fondly remember,” said Yuhas. “I am particularly grateful to have been a part of UCHealth and this region as we have grown over the years, improving access and delivering better care for our patients.

“Recently, Memorial was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in the Colorado Springs region. Every employee has worked to improve the lives of those in our community, and it has been an honor to work with them. I look forward to seeing UCHealth continue to excel and grow as it serves patients from throughout the Pikes Peak region and beyond.”

Several projects currently underway were launched under the direction of Yuhas. They include:

  •  Memorial Hospital Central will add two new patient units with an additional 40 beds to ensure the campus continues to meet demand for highly specialized treatments and procedures. The expansion is expected to be complete in winter 2023.
  • Memorial Hospital North will add 16 additional labor and delivery and post-partum beds to support Colorado’s largest maternity program, with more than 4,800 annual deliveries.
  • UCHealth Eastview Medical Center at Powers Boulevard and North Carefree will open in the fall of 2023. Among the services that will be offered: outpatient imaging; outpatient rehab; breast imaging; an ambulatory surgery center; and multi-specialty, orthopedics, urology, women’s care, breast surgery, neurology and ENT clinics.
  • Interquest Medical Center at Interquest and Voyager parkways is expected to open in March 2023. The center will have orthopedic and primary care clinics, along with lab, rehab and imaging services.
  • Three new primary care clinics are planned to expand access for patients in northern Colorado Springs, Black Forest and Fountain.

During his time in Colorado Springs, Yuhas has been very active in the community, serving on several boards: Colorado Springs Health Foundation, Children’s Hospital Colorado – Colorado Springs Advisory Committee, Colorado Springs Police Foundation, Colorado Springs Fire Foundation, The Colorado Thirty Group, Pikes Peak State College Foundation, UCCS Ambassadors, Colorado Springs Philharmonic and the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC Board.

“I would like to sincerely thank Joel for his commitment and dedication to UCHealth,” said Elizabeth Concordia, UCHealth president and CEO. “Patient quality, safety and experience have been priorities under his leadership. Joel has also created strong connections between UCHealth and the communities we serve, helping extend our community benefits and improving the overall health of millions of Colorado residents.”

Yuhas’ move to Pittsburgh will not be unfamiliar. He previously managed three hospitals for UPMC and also served as senior vice president for international operations with UPMC, overseeing their hospital and cancer center operations in Ireland, Italy and the UK.

Prior to joining UCHealth, he was president and CEO of St. Mary Medical Center, part of Dignity Health, in Long Beach, California.

Yuhas will continue in his role with UCHealth through late January.

 

About the author

Cary Vogrin is a media relations specialist for UCHealth. She joined UCHealth in 2015, coordinating media stories and responding to media requests for UCHealth hospitals and clinics in southern Colorado.

Prior to joining UCHealth, Vogrin was a newspaper reporter and editor, having worked at The Fort Dodge Messenger in Fort Dodge, Iowa; The Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, California; The Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colorado; and The Gazette in Colorado Springs, where she covered health care.