{"id":32632,"date":"2020-06-18T09:19:49","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T15:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=32632"},"modified":"2021-11-02T10:03:13","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T16:03:13","slug":"uchealth-highlands-ranch-hospital-marks-first-birthday-amid-unprecedented-challenges-of-covid-19-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/uchealth-highlands-ranch-hospital-marks-first-birthday-amid-unprecedented-challenges-of-covid-19-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital marks first birthday amid unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: Please find aerial footage and photos of UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital on Thursday, June 18, 2020, will celebrate its first birthday after caring for patients in more than 55,000 total visits, while adapting to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cOur first year of operation has been one of great joy, challenges and constant change,\u201d said Diane Cookson, president of UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital<\/a>, which officially opened June 18, 2019. \u201cAs we adjust to life\u2019s new landscape, we are honored to care for patients who choose us for their treatment and in emergencies, to deliver their babies, and to have their surgeries. We are always focused on providing an extraordinary experience for patients and their families while offering access to advanced procedures and treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic presented the hospital with unique challenges that nurses, providers and staff quickly stepped up to face. \u201cPatients and our teams alike braved new guidelines and visitor restrictions, utilizing technology to connect remotely,\u201d Cookson said. \u201cWe remain open and prepared to care for patients, with enhanced measures in place including online check-in through My Health Connection, limiting numbers of patients being seen and physical distancing in waiting room areas. We now test every hospitalized patient for COVID-19, and anyone who tests positive is cared for in separate, isolation areas \u2013 ensuring all patients are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 87-bed, six-story acute care hospital at 1500 Park Central Drive provides a wide range of diagnostic tests, surgeries and treatments for the communities of Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Roxborough, Sterling Ranch, Ken Caryl, Columbine and beyond. Services that were not previously available to patients in these communities before the hospital opened include a birth center including C-section operating rooms and Level III NICU, 18-bed intensive care unit, six operating rooms, a Level III trauma center and emergency department, and complete imaging capabilities including 3D mammography and PET\/CT. The adjoining UCHealth Highlands Ranch Medical Center houses a two-story cancer center with advanced oncology services.<\/p>\n

A few key numbers from Highlands Ranch Hospital\u2019s first year (data as of midnight June 16):<\/p>\n