Changes at Rio Grande Hospital

Monte Vista, South Fork and Creede clinics closing March 26 through April 10

The Incident Command Team has recommended several changes at Rio Grande Hospital to be effective Thursday, March 26th. These changes were made due to a belief that we are at a critical juncture in the COVID-19 epidemic. As the positive cases are rapidly increasing statewide, it will be a matter of several weeks to a month when the trajectory of positive cases will be so high that hospitals most likely will not have sufficient space, staff, or equipment to continue taking care of all those with the virus. As the data from history and the present week reveals, we have a relatively short time in which we can alter the number of rising illnesses due to COVID-19. The most effective way is to reduce exposures by “sheltering in place”. Many counties in Colorado are responding to this need, as you see in Denver County and now Mineral and Hinsdale Counties. All of us are asking our patients to please stay home and avoid areas where you can’t remain six feet away from all persons. Rio Grande Hospital chooses to be a model of what we are requesting of the communities, and so the following have been placed in action through April 10th and starting March 26th:

1. Anyone who can work at home will do so
2. Physical Therapy will be closed
3. Wound Clinic will be closed
4. Cardiac Rehabilitation will be closed
5. Monte Vista Clinic, South Fork Clinic, and Creede Clinic will be closed through April 10th
6. Del Norte Clinic will remain open for urgent care and telemedicine visits for sickness. You can call the front office number for this clinic, 719-657-2418, and they will direct you to the right area of the clinic.
If you need prescriptions refilled, or if you would like a telephone consultation to determine the need for further treatment, please call the clinic number. We will take care of you, but at this time, please stay home and schedule any elective or non-urgent visits for later.
7. We will still deliver pharmacy orders to Del Norte, Creede, and South Fork clinics.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this causes many. Please know that we want to be your hospital and clinic where your needs can be met but right now we are requesting that if you can stay at home (shelter in place) for the next several weeks, we can slow down the cases of the virus in this Valley and it will be worth all the inconvenience and sacrifice. Our hotline will remain open during business hours, and our hospital and emergency room available to you 24/7. We want to be a good example by encouraging you to shelter in place for the next three weeks, and if we can help you do that even while you may be ill, we will all have been successful in protecting our communities.


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