Boulder Community Health

The origins of the hospital began nearly two years after the University of Colorado School of Medicine decided to relocate their campus to Denver with the formation of the nonprofit Community Hospital Association on April 19, 1922. In 1926, the new Boulder Community Hospital was dedicated with 45 beds at 1100 Balsam Avenue, north of downtown Boulder.[1][2]

Starting in 1955, BCH raised funds to expand. By 1974, the hospital had a capacity of 172 beds and was seeing more than 14,000 emergency department patients annually. BCH began to expand to other locations beginning in 1985 and would go on to form a regional health system known as Boulder Community Health.[1]

On October 9, 2014, Boulder Community Health consolidated all of its emergency and trauma services and most inpatient including cancer, surgery, and orthopedic to Foothills Hospital in East Boulder due to its location being more central for Boulder County.[3] Services that remained at the Boulder Community Hospital location after the consolidation included non-critical care, in-patient rehab, behavior health care, and billing and records.[1][4]

The city of Boulder agreed to purchase the BCH campus in 2015. Boulder Community Health moved its final service from the location on April 8, 2019, and held a closing ceremony on April 26. The property was turned over to the city of Boulder in May.[1][2]

BCH is one of Colorado's few remaining independent health systems.[5]

Boulder Community Health in 2021 created a new mental health care program called the Pathways Partial Hospitalization Program and the Pathways Intensive Outpatient Program, both of which use mindfulness-based techniques, coupled with nature-based care.[3]

Additionally, the Boulder Community Health Foundation has established the Anchor Point Mental Health Endowment, a fund that supports the mental well-being of patients along the continuum of care.

• Official website