60, 61, 101 and Grand River Hospital District

Amendments 60, 61 and Proposition 101 will have an immediate and long-term negative impact upon health care in Garfield County.

• According to the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of the Grand River Hospital District, Amendment 60 will reduce property tax revenue so significantly that the district would not be able to pay its existing debt obligations. That would endanger many of the health services presently offered to the community.
• Had Amendment 61 been in place only a few years ago, the new hospital and medical center in Rifle would not have been built and future expansion and modernization plans would not be possible.
• Proposition 101 will reduce the current state funding from ownership taxes (approximately $893,800 in 2009) by 98% in four years.
• According to Martie Wisdom, the district's CEO, many of the services currently offered by the district would have to be reduced or eliminated. "It would be a struggle just to maintain primary care and emergency room services at the level we currently have."

District overview

Grand River Hospital District serves the communities of Rifle, Silt and Parachute/Battlement Mesa and serves a population of 28,000 people.

The district manages:
• The Grand River Hospital and Medical Center in Rifle
• Grand River Medical Clinic in Battlement Mesa
• The E. Dene Moore Long Term Care Center
• Grand River Health and Safety Center in Battlement Mesa
• The hospital district is the third-largest employer in its service area, employing 350 people.

Services provided:
• 24/7 emergency department
• Surgical center
• In-patient medical surgical unit
• Radiology center
• Primary care clinic, which employs both physicians and surgeons
• Occupational medicine
• A 57-bed skilled nursing facility for the elderly and disabled
• The new Grand River Hospital and Medical Center was completed in 2003.