Boulder Community Health: Putting Community First

Boulder Community Health (BCH) is a hospital that's been around for a long time. It's been serving the area since 1922. It's the only hospital in Boulder and a big health care provider in Boulder County. BCH is a nonprofit, which means it doesn't have shareholders. Instead, the community is its focus. Every dollar it makes goes right back into improving health care in the area. BCH recently did a big survey called a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Over 1, 200 people shared their thoughts. The top concerns were healthy aging, preventive care, access to services, and mental health support. BCH is using this info to guide where it puts its resources. Being a nonprofit, BCH reinvests all its earnings into the community. It's one of the few independent, community-governed hospitals left in Colorado. This reinvestment is already making a difference. BCH has expanded services like behavioral health, geriatrics, and chronic disease management. It's also partnering with other groups to tackle issues like food insecurity and housing stability.BCH operates on a tight budget. Over the last 20 years, its operating margin has been around 1%, sometimes even negative. Despite this, it delivers millions in community benefits. This includes charity care, Medicaid shortfall, and grants to local nonprofits. In 2024 alone, BCH provided nearly $50 million in community benefits. BCH is committed to doing more. It sees its nonprofit status as a responsibility to listen and invest where the need is greatest. The goal is to create the healthiest community in the nation. In the coming years, BCH plans to form new partnerships, expand services, and make deeper community investments. All of this is guided by the feedback from the CHNA survey.