Vail hospital planning forum set for May 15

Vail Valley Medical Center and the Town of Vail are hosting a site planning forum to allow community members to provide input on future campus development. The event will be on Wednesday, May 15 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in The Grand View on the third level of the Lionshead Welcome Center.

VVMC has begun work on a new master facility plan for the main campus at 181 W. Meadow Dr. in Vail. The team, led by nationally-recognized healthcare planning firm Heery International, is currently in the assessment phase and is seeking community input from a variety of sources identifying present needs and future opportunities for the medical center. Once finalized, the master plan will serve as a guiding document to assist with the hospital’s near-term facility improvements as well as future expansion opportunities.

“We have an opportunity to improve the layout of our Vail medical campus and we want and need our community’s input to make it the best it can possibly be,” said Doris Kirchner, president and CEO of Vail Valley Medical Center. “Our mission is to provide superior health services with compassion and exceptional outcomes and this master plan process will help us serve our community and guests for future decades.”

Representatives from VVMC, the Town of Vail and Heery International will be leading the forum on May 15 to get input on the site plan, traffic and patient flow, as well as project schedule and process. This planning forum will focus specifically on the details of the medical center site and will not include dialogue on healthcare services.

“The medical center is a cornerstone of the community,” said George Ruther, director of community development for the Town of Vail. “The growth throughout our county and the increase in the number of year-round guests requires the hospital to adapt and grow to continue to meet the demands of a unique population. We are working together to ensure that we have a thorough understanding of the ideas held by members of the community regarding the hospital’s site.”

The master facility plan will bring many benefits to the region including a better-prepared hospital to serve the community as citizens age and evolve, the ability to expand and improve healthcare services and the chance to improve facilities that are outdated and/or inefficient through substantial capital improvements, according to Kirchner.

The medical center is committed to remain at its present campus in Vail, which is the sole focus of this community planning forum. VVMC will also continue to develop outreach facilities in the other parts of the county, like the new Vail Valley Surgery Center in Edwards and Gypsum Urgent Care, to meet the growing needs of Eagle County.

Community input will be recorded and considered as detailed architectural solutions are developed to improve and strengthen VVMC as a nonprofit community hospital, a comprehensive cancer center and an internationally recognized center of excellence for orthopaedics. Long-range solutions will be shared with the community later this summer.

For more information, contact Ruther at 479-2145. To receive updates on the master planning process, sign up for the hospital’s email newsletter at www.vvmc.com.