Penrose Hospital

Join us in honoring, thanking and celebrating female physicians everywhere on National Women Physicians Day. We are grateful every day for the exceptional and compassionate care you provide.

Tag your favorite women physicians in the comments below to let them know how much they're appreciated!

Today we celebrated the commissioning ceremony of Chad Hatfield, CEO of Centura Longmont United Hospital. The commissioning ceremony is a sacred event in which the new leader of a hospital answers the Challenge to Ministry and, with the support and affirmation of our hospital community board, medical staff, caregivers and volunteers, commits to the important role he plays in carrying out our Mission in the communities we serve. Congratulations to Chad and his beautiful family!

For the past three years, nursing students at Pueblo Community College have been learning inside classrooms at Centura St. Mary-Corwin Hospital. The unique learning environment benefits the hospital, the college and the Pueblo community by helping to prepare new graduates for successful careers in health care.

Last week, we joined Pueblo Community College for a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting for its new Nursing and Allied Teaching and Learning Center at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital. The center is located in a hospital wing that was converted into classrooms, learning labs, simulation centers and study areas. “Both institutions have a rich history in this community," said Mike Cafasso, CEO of St. Mary-Corwin. "Together, we have 230 years of care, education and helping others.” Through this continued partnership, future generations of caregivers will be produced in the heart of Southern Colorado. Well done!

"The twins are now 3½ and my baby Stetson is 14 months old and just shy of 30 pounds! I just wanted to reach out and thank all of you for your knowledge, patience, steady hands and love during the birth of my children! I pray for all of you hope you know how you’ve positively changed and impacted my life. We’re SO fortunate to have such great providers close to home. I wish I got to see you all more and personally thank you."

Helping to bring new life into the world is one of our favorite and most cherished roles. You can imagine how great it makes our caregivers feel when they hear about the lasting impact of their compassionate and expert care. The message above was recently sent by grateful patient Chris Hermes to Dr. Michelle Soriano and the OB team at Centura St. Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan, where Chris delivered all three of her children. Learn more about our Centura Birth Centers at www.centura.org/care-and-health/childrens-network/birth-centers.

A benign brain tumor was disrupting Bill Lawson’s quality of life. But thanks to an innovative new outpatient treatment option, the 71-year-old Colorado resident is back to his old self. Lawson recently became our first patient to be treated with the Zap-X radiosurgery system at Centura Littleton Adventist Hospital.

The Zap-X outpatient procedure focuses intense beams of radiation to treat brain tumors while avoiding the healthy surrounding tissue. Centura is the first health system in the Rocky Mountain region, and only the fourth in the nation, to use the Zap-X system. “The patient lies down and feels nothing during a 15- to 45-minute treatment. They then get up from the table and continue their day as planned,” says Dr. Adair Prall.

Dr. Prall previously performed this procedure using the well-known Gamma Knife technology. With Zap-X, he and Littleton Adventist Hospital are able to offer patients superior outcomes. “Several studies suggest its accuracy actually exceeds the Gamma Knife, which was previously the benchmark,” says Dr. Prall, who has since treated six other patients using the Zap-X. Radiosurgery can be used to treat patients with trigeminal neuralgia, brain tumors, and other types of benign tumors such as acoustic neuromas.

The comfort and convenience of the procedure surprised Lawson. “I wasn’t expecting to feel so good,” he says. “When they told me to sit up after being pulled out of the machine, I felt great. I stood up, talked to everyone, and walked out the front doors.” For Lawson, who’s passionate about outdoor activities like windsurfing and skiing, it got even better: “I was out on the lake the next day.”

Learn more about our Neurosciences expertise at https://www.centura.org/care-and-health/neurosciences.

Kathy Sabine shares her skin cancer journey on social media, inspires others

Dr. David Archibald, a facial plastic surgeon who performed Kathy's surgeries at Centura Castle Rock Adventist Hospital, calls it the "Kathy Sabine effect." The longtime 9NEWS (KUSA) TV personality's willingness to share her skin cancer journey so publicly is motivating an increased number of Coloradans to pay closer attention to their skin and to seek the potential life-saving care of dermatologists.

Thank you, Kathy Sabine, for shining a light on skin cancer, particularly here in Colorado where our high elevation leads to increased risk.

Kathy Sabine shares her skin cancer journey on social media, inspires others What seemed like an uneventful visit to the dermatologist for 9NEWS meteorologist Kathy Sabine revealed something deeper below her skin – cancer.

Now that the 117th National Western Stock Show has officially come to an end, we’d like to give a huge “thanks” to our Trauma team and EMS partners for providing incredible medical care to all the spectators and Stock Show participants over the past two-plus weeks. It’s the 17th consecutive year our Trauma team has provided the medical response for all spectators as well as some of the Stock Show events.

“We basically have people on site from 7 a.m. till 11 p.m. every day during the Stock Show,” says Scott Phillips, Centura’s director of prehospital services. “This is us taking care of a small city for those 16 days.”

Scott says it’s a lot of work and also a lot to be proud of. “When we took over [17 years ago], we really took it to heart that we could do this together to improve the experience of people going to the Stock Show. It’s a good partnership and we hope to keep the community safe.”

Thank you to each and every Centura caregiver and EMS partner who helped to make this year’s Stock Show a safe one. See you next year!

Dr. Diane Barta is a Centura Health emergency medicine physician as well as medical director of our Colorado Health Neighborhoods. She’s also a longtime National Western Stock Show supporter, having attended the stock show every year since moving to Colorado in 1990. For the past two years, she’s had the privilege of serving as the Stock Show’s Rodeo Emergency Doctor.

“Centura being a partner of the Stock Show has been a full-circle moment for me. … It’s been an incredible opportunity getting to attend the event in a new way. I get to watch from beside the bull pens and assist the paramedics if there happens to be emergent medical attention necessary for any of the participants. Those cowboys are incredibly tough. They do not complain but they could get badly injured and we are there to help.”

Attending the Stock Show is a tradition Dr. Barta doesn’t see ending anytime soon, and she’s looking forward to upcoming years when she can continue to help serve the rodeo community. “The partnership between Centura and the NWSS is great,” Dr. Barta says. “It represents health, wellness and taking care of our communities. I’m very proud to have a part in both organizations.”

Thank you for your incredible work, Dr. Barta! As this year’s Stock Show comes to an end, we are so proud to have once again served as the event’s presenting sponsor.

Though Cynda Eklund is a leader in Human Resources for Centura, don’t let her desk job at our enterprise offices in Centennial fool you -- Cynda and her family are Western ranchers through and through. Cynda is involved in the National Western Stock Show in a unique way, raising bucking bulls that compete in some of the rodeo events. As owners of Diggers Bucking Bulls, Cynda, her family and their business partners recognize first-hand the deep legacy that the Stock Show carries within the community.

“Growing up on a farm, the Stock Show really embodies what is near and dear to my heart, which is God, family, country, in that order,” Cynda says. “It highlights the Western way of farming and ranching. It’s about faith and understanding the rural way of life.”

Cynda regularly drives over 100 miles to and from her Centura office in Centennial. “I am comfortable doing that because I love living in rural northeastern Colorado and also love where I work,” she says of her home in Brush.

Last January, Cynda had two bulls compete in the Stock Show: Big Kiwi and Hard Labor. Both were top-ranked buckers at the event, and Hard Labor went on to participate at the PBR World Finals Rodeo in May. Cynda’s bulls will travel across the country this year to compete in other events. And while most of Cynda’s cattle are in Oklahoma, she has six young bulls at her house in Brush in hopes they will compete at future Stock Show and PBR events.

“Growing up in Brush, the Stock Show is very well known,” Cynda says. “It’s something your family always attended or participated in. It’s a way of life and you plan your year around it. It’s a tradition that I’m so thrilled continues. It doesn’t matter if you’re showing at the Stock Show or if you’re competing at events, it’s just a beautiful thing.”

“This event honors the culturally diverse lifestyle that many Centura associates and our patients live. The sponsorship of the Stock Show is just another way that Centura honors that.”

This year’s Stock Show continues through Sunday! A daily schedule of event can be found at https://nationalwestern.com/.

One year ago, as a result of the heroic efforts of our Centura Avista Adventist Hospital caregivers, we were able to reopen the hospital just 20 days after the Marshall Fire brought previously unimaginable devastation to the community. Today, during a ceremony to honor the heroism that took place that day and in the days and weeks that followed, we unveiled this beautiful, permanent art installation inspired by the solidarity of Avista Adventist Hospital’s caregivers and the courage they showed to keep the flames from further damaging our facility.

The work, titled “Joined Together,” is by renowned Texas glass artist Cathy Shepherd. She used vibrant colors characteristic of the energy that came from the soul of the community, and the mosaic style includes a variety of textural elements symbolic of all the individuals who came together in one united mission.

With “Joined Together,” it is our hope that all who enter Avista Adventist Hospital feel the inspiration and always remember the triumph of coming together as a community. While we realize the scars from that day are still fresh, we feel blessed to be part of this community and to watch it being rebuilt before our very eyes.

Fort Morgan, Colorado to Get Whole-Town Renovation Led by HGTV Stars in New Season of 'Home Town Takeover'

We're pretty excited to participate in this opportunity to improve the whole health of our Fort Morgan community. In conjunction with HGTV’s hit series "Home Town Takeover," we get to help Ben and Erin Napier enhance the small town our Centura St. Elizabeth Hospital caregivers proudly call home. We’ll share more as Season 2 premieres in the coming months, so stay tuned!

Fort Morgan, Colorado to Get Whole-Town Renovation Led by HGTV Stars in New Season of 'Home Town Takeover' It's official. The town of Ft. Morgan, Colorado has been selected as the next city to receive a renovation transformation as part of Home Town Takeover. The heartwarming and heroic efforts will be documented in Season 2, coming to HGTV in 2023.

Sometimes the best way to accomplish a goal is to empower others who are dedicated to the same outcome. At Centura, our commitment to ending food insecurity in communities across Colorado and western Kansas calls on us to partner and collaborate with organizations already making a real impact. During Sunday's Hunger Action Pro Rodeo at the National Western Stock Show, we were honored to present $10,000 checks to further the work of two such dedicated organizations: GrowHaus and Valley Roots Food Hub.

🌱 Denver-based The GrowHaus cultivates community-driven food justice through education and food access. GrowHaus offers food distribution programming and educational opportunities related to growing and cooking food, as well as overall wellness. It strives to be a community-driven organization, meaning its goal is to have all programs led and implemented by members of the community or others from similar neighborhoods. GrowHaus defines success as when the children, families, and communities it works with are empowered to feed, nourish and strengthen themselves and one another. Learn more at https://www.thegrowhaus.org/.

🌱 Valley Roots Food Hub, based in Alamosa, has a mission to build, operate and sustain a local food system that increases the demand for and accessibility to fresh, health food. The hub represents over 100 Colorado food producers, including produce, meat, poultry, fish, value-added and dairy. It has strategic partnerships with other food hubs in the state, and its wide service territories include Durango to Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, and from Alamosa to Leadville, where it operates a just-in-time fresh produce-based aggregation and delivery system for wholesale customers as well as a direct-to-household CSA program. Learn more at https://slvlocalfoods.org/vrfh/.

We're honored to stand with GrowHaus, Valley Roots Food Hub, and the many other food security-focused nonprofits that have been awarded grants through our Centura Health Equity & Advancement Fund: https://www.centura.org/community-impact/social-justice/health-equity-advancement-fund

There's no place quite like the National Western Stock Show. These are just a few of our favorite moments from this weekend's Hunger Action Pro Rodeo, which helped to spotlight our efforts to provide food security to all of the communities we serve. The Stock Show continues through January 22; we hope to see you there!

What a great day at the National Western Stock Show. The Hunger Action Pro Rodeo was a huge success, and we can’t wait to share details on the two incredible organizations that received $10,000 checks from us to help bolster their work fighting food insecurity in our communities.

Let’s rodeo for a cause! In partnership with , we’re fighting against hunger at the Hunger Action Pro Rodeo today at 2:00 pm.

A portion of the proceeds from this rodeo will be donated to GrowHaus and Valley Roots Food Hub, two organizations that fight for food access and education. We hope to see you there!👏

This Sunday's Hunger Action Pro Rodeo at the Denver Coliseum will feature more than just some of the best cowboys and cowgirls in the country. This special event also helps to serve our joint vision with the National Western Stock Show for a future in which nourishing, affordable, and culturally relevant food is produced by and for our communities. During Sunday's rodeo, Centura Health will award $10,000 checks to two organizations that fight food insecurity right here in Colorado. We're excited to share more about each organization after Sunday's event. In the meantime, head over to https://nationalwestern.com/rodeos/ to get your tickets while they last!

Part of the magic of the National Western Stock Show is its ability, over 16 days each January, to bring together tens of thousands of people in recognition and celebration of Western heritage, including agriculture, ranching, sport, and so much more. For Dr. Constance Schmidt, CEO of Centura St. Anthony North Hospital, the National Western Stock Show has been part of her life since childhood.

“I began riding horses when I was about 8 years old, and my mom would take me to the Stock Show regularly,” she says. “Every year, busloads of kids are brought through our barns at NWSS. Many have the same excitement in their eyes that I did four decades ago. I feel like we are planting the seed for our future riders.”

“I think NWSS helps keep Colorado centered in the agricultural industry it was founded upon. It doesn’t matter if you ride Western or English, show livestock, participate in a rodeo, or just enjoy being a spectator -- NWSS provides a venue for fun for all.”

Centura Health is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the National Western Stock Show again this year. We hope you'll come on down to the Stock Show between now and January 22. You'll find something fun, educational and entertaining for everyone in your family; learn more at https://nationalwestern.com/.

Our hearts ache for Hunter's family, friends, Air Force Football and all of U.S. Air Force Academy. 💙🤍

We will never forget his radiant smile, we love and miss you Hunter 💙

Nurses celebrate first 'match day' through new residency program

We held our first-ever "Match Day" last week for the 69 nurses who are part of Centura's New Graduate RN Residency Program. This innovative program ensures our next generation of caregivers has access to more specialties and locations, thereby providing them with expanded opportunities for growth and development. Congratulations to each and every one of these nurse residents, many of whose family and friends joined in the excitement at Centura St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. Thanks to Rocky Mountain PBS for the great coverage, including photos and videos.

Learn more about this program, including how to apply, at www.centura.org/careers/nurse-residencies

Nurses celebrate first 'match day' through new residency program To give nurses more control over their placement after earning a job at its hospital system, Centura Health instituted a nurse residency and matching program.

If you’ve lived in Colorado or visited our high country, you know how treacherous mountain driving can be, particularly during winter. Frequent snowstorms and skier traffic to and from the Front Range often combine to make travel difficult, if not impossible. Those same factors can make transporting critically ill or injured patients from the mountains to larger hospitals in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas a life-threatening challenge. When our Flight For Life Colorado helicopters are grounded because of weather conditions, ground ambulances are the only source of transportation for those patients.

On multiple occasions already this winter, our friends at the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Colorado State Patrol have stepped up and stepped in to help us get critically ill and injured patients through perilous conditions and gridlocked I-70 mountain traffic down to hospitals on the Front Range. Whether it’s a police es**rt or a snowplow es**rt, these two agencies are deserving of our collective praise and gratitude. Thank you for helping us help our patients.

The future is bright! Russell Wilson, from our team to yours, thanks for your all-in, all-heart work to support our communities during your first season here in Colorado. Congratulations on today’s win; next season can’t come soon enough!

Today's truss topping of the Woody and Millie Ingram Guest House at Centura St. Francis Hospital in Colorado Springs marked a monumental milestone in the completion of this special facility for the community. When it opens this fall, the Ingram Guest House will create a space for rest and healing – serving the families of all patients, especially our NICU babies, patients undergoing cancer treatment, and those needing additional care.

Featuring 25 guest suites complete with private bathrooms and stunning views of Pikes Peak, the Ingram Guest House encompasses 29,000 square feet and will support the whole person health of our guests through amenities such as home-cooked meals, a business center, a playroom, and much more. We're incredibly grateful to our supporters, and in particular the generosity of Jerry Bruni and Pamela Ingram Bruni, for making this guest house a reality for families in their time of need.