What we do

Hospital philanthropy harnesses the power of generosity to transform the health and well-being of our community. It gives our patients and families a way to express gratitude and give back, and a means for community-minded individuals, corporations, and foundations to invest in our vision to move the needle from healthcare to health.

While the foundation facilitates support for all areas of UCHealth in Southern Colorado, we currently have a special emphasis on the priorities listed here.

Emergency/trauma/injury prevention

UCHealth Memorial’s Central campus has the busiest ED in the state of Colorado, and has a reputation of saving lives of patients with critical injuries and illnesses. Memorial Central is also now the first Level I trauma center outside the Denver metro region and the only one in Southern Colorado. This has been a journey that has taken years to prepare for, and millions of dollars of commitment, to give back to this community and those around us, access to the most sophisticated capability in handling complex traumatic injuries. A new Injury Prevention Institute project is hoping to combine academic research and community outreach programs to lower the incidence of preventable injuries.

Community education center

Part of being a Level I trauma center is a required commitment to give back and evidence our commitment to community education. The new UCHealth Community Education Center – Colorado Springs is a job-training hub for local healthcare workers—those seeking initial certification and those needing to maintain a professional credential with continuing education credit hours. The Community Education Center’s purpose is to improve lives in our community by collaborating with Fire, EMS, the Police and Sheriff’s Departments, UCCS, PPCC, our military, and the general public–creating more opportunities for education, training and readiness. It will expand access to high-quality healthcare throughout the region, serving hundreds of students a year from dozens of partner agencies including local military facilities and rural first responders. The goal of the expanded project is to provide training to meet 2 critical gaps in the local job market: first responders (EMTs and paramedics) and nurses.

Cancer care

Prevention, early diagnosis, and top-notch treatment are all crucial to a cancer program. Being part of UCHealth allows Memorial Hospital’s patients and providers to access the academic medicine of the Anschutz campus right here in Colorado Springs. UCHealth’s unique partnership with the University of Colorado Cancer Center – the only Comprehensive Cancer Center in Colorado designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and one of just 45 in the country — gives our patients the benefit of cutting-edge science and the expertise of an academic center close to home. Southern Colorado patients can participate in research and clinical trials without leaving the region.
Foundation support has helped bring the latest innovations to our screening and diagnosis process, and expanded access for patient education. Our Circle of Hope helps patients face the fight of their lives.

Neurology

Time is brain. As the only Comprehensive Stroke Center in Southern Colorado, our mission at UCHealth- Memorial is to treat these diseases, but more importantly, treat the patients and families that choose us for their care. We know that providing the highest level of patient care requires state of the art technology, like a Neurointerventional suite that provides 24/7 comprehensive stroke care. We also operate one of the only Mobile Stroke Treatment Units in the U.S., providing revolutionary care closer to home. The MSTU allows on-board diagnosis and critical blood clot-busting medications to be administered to stroke patients en route to the hospital. The crucial time saved can prevent the loss of millions of neurons, reducing permanent damage to a patient’s brain. By working with our local EMS partners, we are changing the story for many individuals and their families.

Heart & vascular care

Diseases of the heart and vascular system represent the most widespread health threat today. Our cardiovascular team embraces innovative treatments for heart failure and related diseases–like an Electrophysiology lab that performs more Watchman device implants for atrial fibrillation than any other site in the United States, a multimillion dollar Hybrid Operating Room that performs Trans Aortic Valve Replacements (TAVR) and Endo Vascular Aortic Repair (EVAR). Our Memorial North campus is undergoing a massive expansion and renovation project. We currently have one cardiac cath lab at MHN and are in need of adding another with the rapid growth at the North end of the county. A second multipurpose cath lab will enable us to expand the services we currently provide at MHN—enabling us to add more cardiologists, electrophysiologists, and interventional radiologists to the MHN campus thus providing a higher level of care, closer to home, to residents of Northern Colorado Springs.

Because the heart is more than an organ. It represents our ability to live fully, love and be strong. Our patients with cardiovascular disease can’t wait.