Leadville Community Health Foundation

OUR MISSION:  Through service, outreach, and development, the Leadville Community Health Foundation promotes and sustains the highest level of healthcare for Lake County and our community by supporting the programs and services of St. Vincent Health.

The Leadville Community Health Foundation exists to support the health and wellness of Lake County. The essential resource that ensures our access to quality health care is St. Vincent Health.  While the Foundation supports any and all activities that improve the health of our community, we are proud to be the philanthropic arm of St. Vincent Health to ensure that it has the resources necessary to serve residents and visitors alike. 

Residents of Leadville and Lake County have depended on St. Vincent Health since 1879. Hardly a single resident has not benefited from its services, whether to clean a wound sustained on the trail, setting an arm broken while on the slopes, or salving a burn from a wood stove. Our hospital and clinic provide essential medical services, including primary care, speciality medicine, physical therapy and rehabilitation, general surgery, and urgent care. Many of our residents actually were born at St. Vincent's.  It is one of the most critical resources in our rural community. 

Visitors, too, benefit from a critical care hospital serving 400 square miles of beautiful but sometimes inhospitable terrain. Our emergency room physicians and highly trained teams of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) work together seamlessly to provide any and all with critical care when people need it most. 

In 2021, SVH opened a new state-of-the-art hospital with expanded health services including a new surgical suite and specialty clinics. The facilities are modern, well-equipped, and staffed by top-notch medical providers dedicated to keeping us healthy and safe.

The Need

We all know that health care in American is expensive. But the health care industry, especially in wealthier and more urban areas, is also administered by large corporations that seek profits. While these corporate behemoths are able to provide enormous health care benefits to the populations they serve, they see no economic benefit in running small, critical care hospitals in rural areas.  With just over 8,000 residents and an average per capita income that is below the state average, Lake County does not represent a significant economic interest to big corporate providers.

As a government regulated critical care hospital, St. Vincent receives funding from two major sources. First,  the fees it charges patients--and their insurers--to provide the excellent care those patients need and deserve ensure that we have the staff and equipment necessary to serve our health care needs. Second, it receives some support from government--primarily the State of Colorado--to ensure that smaller, more rural communities like ours have access to excellent health care. 

But these funds are simply not enough. Other funds must be raised from non-profit foundations--and from people like you who know how important St. Vincent Health is to the vitality of our community.

The Role of the Leadville Community Health Foundation

The Foundation raises money to support St. Vincent Health. We fill the gaps. We do whatever is necessary to ensure that the hospital and clinic are healthy--so that they can keep us healthy. 

Among our many initiatives in partnership with St. Vincent Health over the past five years, we are proud to have raised $3.1 million to improve healthcare in Lake County.  These initiatives include:

Vital Diagnostic and Medical Equipment:  $1.7 million to purchase a CT scanner, equipment for a new surgical theater, a Coagulation Analyzer (COAG), a C-ARM Fluoroscope, a ventilator, and pediatric occupational therapy equipment, among other vital equipment to diagnose and treat a wide variety of illnesses.

Covid Clinic:  $150,000 to provide vaccinations and medical care for our citizens during the height of the pandemic.

Relocation of the SVH Clinic: $37,000 plus a variety of in-kind donations to move the clinic to the Legacy Building next to the hospital.

Testimonials

Many have experienced the professional care professional care provided at St. Vincent Health, and have shared their gratitude--and their dollars--with the Leadville Community Health Foundation. 

"You don't realize how important a local hospital is, until you are in a crisis, and then you would give anything to have one right there."
--Judy Green

"My husband and I were absolutely impressed with the level of care I received. We are confident that if either of us ever had a life-threatening event, we would be incapable and caring hands."
--JoAnn S.

"I'm getting my life back thanks to St. Vincent Health!"
--Christine Whittington

"I know first hand that St. Vincent Health is a lifesaver."
--Bob Smith

"I give everybody at St. Vincent Health an A+ for their care and compassion."
--Al Dawson