Jennifer Riley, chief executive officer of Memorial Regional Health, updated the Moffat County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 14 about the hospital's services, finances and workforce initiatives as the organization approaches its 75th anniversary.

Riley said the hospital’s 2026 budget appears as the largest single component in the county budget packet and gave a historical overview of the hospital’s founding and evolution. Riley described recent clinical additions and workforce measures: the hospital hired a permanent ear, nose and throat physician serving the Yampa Valley, added a gynecologic surgeon scheduled to start in January, and launched cardiac rehabilitation this summer. “Cardiac rehab is a service that we haven't had for a long time...the demand is very high,” Riley said.

Riley told commissioners the hospital has brought billing back in-house effective Oct. 1 and has increased days cash on hand from roughly 38 days in 2022 to 82.4 days currently, while continuing to invest in staff and capital. She said the hospital recorded two clean audits with no findings in the past two years and that charity care provided to patients is approaching $600,000 for the year, above the previous year’s total.

On workforce, Riley said the hospital employs 375 people and is the largest employer in the community; about 80% of employees live in Moffat County. She described steps to recruit and retain staff, including competitive wage adjustments, tuition and training partnerships with Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) and a new “mini med school” program for middle- and high-school students. Riley said the hospital has reduced reliance on travel nurses and continues to support “grow your own” pipelines for nurses, lab staff and other roles.

Riley also cited a rise in security incidents and said Memorial has added dedicated overnight security after recording more than 170 reported security incidents since January and six assaults on staff this year. She stressed community partnerships, including a $100,000 contribution to Northwest Colorado Health’s home health and hospice program and other community supports and events.

Riley warned of a potential longer-term revenue risk associated with federal Medicaid funding changes (HR 1) and the hospital-provider fee, telling commissioners that the county’s hospital provider tax arrangement resulted in the hospital paying about $1.6 million and receiving $6.4 million under the current mechanism; possible future changes could reduce provider-fee driven revenues beginning in 2028, she said.

Riley closed by inviting commissioners to the hospital’s 75th-anniversary celebration on Nov. 5 and said the hospital will continue work on facilities (potential geothermal for a medical office building) and on automation and artificial intelligence tools to improve clinical documentation and operations.