In and outside its hospitals and clinics, UCHealth builds connections with Coloradans in big ways and small ways, all in the spirit of doing right by Colorado. At the bedside, we’re improving lives by providing the highest quality care for patients.
Outside hospitals and clinics, UCHealth is actively providing benefits to countless communities, through programs that provide access to healthy food, homes for veterans and mental health care in urban and rural communities.
As a nonprofit health care system, UCHealth is focused on providing community benefits including uncompensated care instead of the state and federal taxes and shareholder benefits it would pay for as a for-profit organization.
UCHealth provided far more community benefit than it otherwise would have paid in taxes during fiscal year 2023. That year, which ended July 1, 2024, UCHealth provided $1.2 billion in community benefit, far exceeding the value of a tax exemption that would have equaled $357 million.
“We are extremely proud of all that we do in Colorado to support our patients and our communities. We are driven, along with our community partners, to make Colorado a healthier state for everyone,’ said Elizabeth B. Concordia, UCHealth’s president and CEO. “No matter where we serve, our families, friends and neighbors benefit, and that makes for stronger communities.’’
Here are some of the big ways UCHealth supports Colorado:
- UCHealth provided $385 million to the University of Colorado School of Medicine, far exceeding the $31 million provided to the school by the state from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024. This funding helps support crucial research to provide better care for patients.
- While many health care organizations have eliminated or reduced care for patients who have mental health challenges, UCHealth invested more than $150 million to build an inpatient behavioral health unit at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, add behavioral health clinicians to primary care offices, and expand access to services in its hospitals and emergency departments..
- UCHealth Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs has contributed more than $160 million to the Colorado Springs Health Foundation, established when citizens voted to lease Memorial Health System to UCHealth in 2012.
- UCHealth is the largest Medicaid provider in Colorado. More than 30% of all hospital care for Colorado Medicaid patients occurs at a UCHealth facility. Medicaid reimburses hospitals at a rate that does not cover the cost of care.
- UCHealth has pledged $50 million over four years to pay for educational programs for employees to grow their careers, earn higher paychecks and bolster the health care workforce.
In addition, UCHealth has partnerships or makes financial contributions to more than 100 organizations — organizations that directly address social drivers of health, including food insecurity, housing and mental health.
As one of the state’s largest employers, UCHealth and its 34,000 team members are part of the communities they serve, supporting community events such as Fiestas Patrias in Colorado Springs; Pride events across Colorado, and Fight Like a Ram.
Here are more details on some of the ways UCHealth is providing community benefit in Colorado:
American Heart Association
In partnership with the American Heart Association, UCHealth provides a blood pressure kiosk at a community center in Aurora. The service is accessed by more than 200 people a month. Those who have elevated blood pressure readings may also check out one of 30 individual self-monitoring blood pressure cuffs so they can monitor their blood pressure at home.
Aurora Public Schools
UCHealth has donated $250,000 to Aurora Public Schools and Aurora Science & Tech to give students “real world’’ health care experiences.
Aurora Science & Tech, a new school located on the Anschutz Medical Campus, serves students from grades 6-12 and is one of only a handful of schools in the country that is located on a medical campus.
The school’s curriculum emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math — known as STEM courses — and Aurora Science & Tech will offer a hands-on biosciences elective class. It will include case studies along with career exploration.
Community Health Benefit Fund
As part of the partnership established in 2017 between UCHealth and Yampa Valley Medical Center, the Steamboat Springs community and YVMC are benefiting from investments of more than $105 million from UCHealth, including a $20 million contribution to the Yampa Valley Medical Center Foundation. Community organizations collaborate with YVMC to further promote health in northwest Colorado.
Dementia Together
Dementia is an umbrella term for diseases like Alzheimer’s that cause symptoms that negatively affect memory, thinking and social ability. Dementia is Colorado’s 7th leading cause of death and a public health concern. Mortality rates are even higher in Weld and Larimer counties, home to many rural communities including Estes Park.
Recognizing the needs of patients and caregivers, UCHealth and Dementia Together are partnering to offer more resources to communities, especially in rural areas, for this growing public health challenge. In Colorado, one in five people care for someone with Alzheimer’s, and they often experience social isolation, depression and frequent poor physical and mental health, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Fiestas Patrias
The annual Fiestas Patrias celebration and Hispanic Heritage Month commemorate independence for Latin American countries from Mexico to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Chile. Learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrations throughout the U.S.
UCHealth supports this cultural event held annually in Colorado Springs by encouraging attendees to continue learning healthy habits.
UCHealth offers detailed health screenings at the event, including instant cholesterol checks and risks for common medical challenges from diabetes to heart attacks and strokes.
Health specialists and nurses who staff the health booth at Fiestas Patrias are part of a special community outreach program called Healthy Hearts and Minds, which is growing in Longmont and Colorado Springs.
The Healthy Hearts and Minds team traveled from northern Colorado to Colorado Springs to bring their expertise to the Fiestas Patrias festival.
Healthy Hearts and Minds, launched in 1992, is aimed at preventing cardiac disease. Early intervention and teaching children and their families about lifestyle choices could make a big difference in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. (Read about a family whose lives changed thanks to the Healthy Hearts and Minds program.)
Addressing food insecurity in Teller and Park counties
An innovative program, FISH – Food Insecurity Support & Help – that addresses food insecurity in areas that have been labeled “food deserts’’ is in its third year in Teller and Park counties.
UCHealth provides funding to Care and Share to purchase food bags that are loaded onto Ute Pass Regional Health Service District ambulances. When a paramedic or EMT encounters a patient with limited or no food at home, they can provide the patient with a food bag. The program is not designed as a long-term solution to food insecurity but serves people during an acute need.
Throughout southern Colorado, one in eight people does not have enough food to eat, and the challenges are worse for children. One in five children don’t have enough food to eat.
People in an estimated 3,000 households in Teller County and southern Park County have food insecurity issues – about 10% of the population.
Crawford Child Advocacy Center
UCHealth supports The Crawford Child Advocacy Center, the only agency in Larimer and Jackson counties that is accredited by the National Children’s Alliance.
The center works to prevent child maltreatment – primarily physical and sexual abuse – and, when it cannot be prevented, to provide law enforcement and caseworkers with forensic services to help stop perpetrators and to protect and support victims and their families.
The center provides child abuse prevention training, providing extensive K-5 curriculum to teach children about general safety rules and how to recognize, refuse, and report unsafe and unwanted touch.
Next Chapter: Support for veterans and their families
UCHealth leads a veteran suicide prevention program called Next Chapter that serves more veterans and their families. In three years, Next Chapter expected to see 700 veterans and/or family members. Two years into the program, nearly 1,000 veterans and family members have received support.
Any veteran and their family in El Paso County needing services may enroll in the program aimed at helping veterans and their families move forward with support and help.
Services include therapy, counseling, employment help, housing support at no cost and no exclusions based on discharge status from the military.
Alliance for Suicide Prevention
Colorado consistently ranks in the top 10 states for annual deaths by suicide. In Larimer County, a suicide occurs every 4-5 days statistically. It is the leading cause of youth deaths and more people die by suicide than homicide.
Mental health and suicide are often stigmatized and a lack of education about these topics can leave those who have been affected by it personally or by someone they love feeling isolated, unsure of how to support someone in need, and unaware of the resources in the community available to them. UCHealth is proud to partner with the Alliance for Suicide Prevention to reduce prevent suicide in Colorado.
The Family Center/La Familia
UCHealth supports The Family Center/ La Familia, a family resources center serving northern Colorado that is dedicated to empowering families and nurturing a sense of togetherness within the community.
La Famila works alongside diverse families to provide high-quality child care and supportive services. UCHealth works with La Familia to provide education about injury prevention and child passenger safety.
The Gathering Place
UCHealth supports The Gathering Place, an organization offering services to combat poverty and address the root causes of marginalization and oppression contributing to poverty or homelessness. The Gathering Place aims to guide individuals and families to a place of stability and security by offering low-barrier access to a broad range of necessities and wrap-around care options. There are individual and group opportunities to volunteer.
Healthy Swings
UCHealth teamed up with players from Denver’s pro football team for Healthy Swings, UCHealth’s annual charity homerun derby. During the fun-filled event, the gridiron stars, along with media celebrities and social media influencers, raised $140,000 for partners of Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, which provides wrap-around services for veterans in Colorado Springs; NAMI – the National Alliance for Mental Illness; and Silver Key, an organization that serves older adults, and other veterans service partners.
Housing Catalyst
UCHealth and Housing Catalyst are partners that provide health services and nutritious food to residents of Housing Catalyst’s permanent supportive housing communities. The partnership began in September 2022 and includes services such as acupuncture, health checks, and fresh food. The goal of the partnership is to reduce disparities and address health barriers like food insecurity and transportation.
Since the program’s inception, UCHealth’s health educators have delivered 35,453 pounds of produce from the Food Bank for Larimer County and the Family Medicine Center Food Pantry. This equates to $28,362 meals for residents.
Support for veterans experiencing homelessness
UCHealth is a partner in the annual Stand Down event held annually in Colorado Springs.
In October 2024, UCHealth committed $30,000 to provide immediate lodging for a month to up to 10 veterans and their families selected for a housing program at the Stand Down event.
The term “Stand Down” originated in the military, where it referred to a safe place for combat units to rest and recover during wartime. The first Stand Down for homeless veterans was held in San Diego in 1988.
UCHealth has funded the Transitional Housing Initiative for two years. Participants chosen for the THI, a 30-day program administered by Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, receive housing and meals at a Colorado Springs hotel.
Over the course of the month, they are connected to partner agencies that assist veterans with benefit applications, finding employment and securing permanent housing, among other support interventions. Participants also actively work with a Mt. Carmel case manager for a year as a part of the program. According to Mt. Carmel, eight of the nine veterans selected for last year’s THI program remain housed and are employed.
Impact Melanoma
In partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Cancer Coalition, UCHealth helped to fund the installation of sunscreen stations at seven Colorado State Parks. This makes free sunscreen available to all who visit the following parks: Chatfield, Roxborough, Golden Gate Canyon, Eleven Mile & Spinney, Ridgeway, State Forest, and Castlewood Canyon State Parks.
UCHealth Jan Bishop Cancer Center
Located in Steamboat Springs, the UCHealth Jan Bishop Cancer Center offers a monthly women’s survivor support group as well as a monthly men’s group. Facilitated by a licensed clinical social worker, each group meets for about an hour to connect with others who may be in a similar point in their health care journey. Conversation, encouragement, “been there, tried this” suggestions, and the opportunity to be with others in person are just a few of the benefits attendees can experience.
North Denver Cares Food Bank
UCHealth made a $14,000 donation to North Denver Cares Food Bank, which serves people in Broomfield and Boulder, when the organization was in danger of closing due to lack of funding. The organization launched a Go Fund Me effort, and was shy of the goal by $14,000. UCHealth made up the difference.
YES program
UCHealth sponsors an after-school youth sports program in Colorado Springs called YES, focusing on kids in southeast Colorado Springs.
YES offers children the opportunity to enroll in three-week long sessions in either flag football or cheer.
Those participating in flag football are focused on honing passing, receiving, flag pulling and running skills. Students participating in cheer focused on improving their cheering, hand movements, body movements, and jumping techniques.
One of the overarching goals of the program is to help children learn the value of teamwork, sportsmanship, and building skills that are essential for development and most importantly, to make friends.
The program aligns with UCHealth’s Ready. Set. CO initiative, to encourage activity among Coloradans and return Colorado to its rightful position as one of the healthiest states in the nation.
YES is a collaboration of the Pikes Peak United Way, Colorado Springs Sports Corp and Junior Achievement, with support from the Daniels Fund. YES is designed to serve children who otherwise may not be able to afford to participate in sports programs.
Returning Coloradans to better health
UCHealth is partnering with more than 40 businesses and organizations through a health challenge called Ready. Set. CO.
The challenge is aimed at making Colorado one of the healthiest states in the nation. UCHealth is collaborating with like-minded Colorado companies to drive awareness, education and engagement, and to encourage and support the health and well-being of Coloradans through fitness, nutrition, mental/behavioral health, interpersonal relationships, community involvement, self-care and medical care.
“We want to think unconventionally,’’ said Tomas Estrella, an innovation strategist at UCHealth. “We don’t just view ourselves as a health system. We’re also a lifestyle resource. We are providing Coloradans with resources they need to stay healthy and out of the hospital.
“We don’t necessarily want people to come to us, we want to keep them healthy so that they can enjoy living their best life,” Estrella said.