Telluride Med Center: Lodgers Say Thank You!

12 Dec Telluride Med Center: Lodgers Say Thank You!

As Executive Director of the Telluride Medical Center Foundation for nearly 12 years, Kate Wadley’s main objective is to attract and secure the funding required to purchase life-saving medical equipment, ongoing training and education opportunities for the medical center staff, and ultimately a capital campaign to fund a new facility.

Throughout the pandemic Wadley has also taken on the procurement of funds for the COVID-19 Telluride Medical Center Fund while also making it a personal mission to secure lunch and snack donations for the frontline healthcare staff who bear the brunt of the pandemic each day.

Donate to the Telluride Med Center’s Covid-19 Fund here. With the pandemic surging everywhere and plans to temporarily relocate to respiration clinic at Telluride Science’s Depot building, now more than ever the Med Center needs your support.

Wadley lives for emails like the one Kevin Jones sent her last month. And it only got better from there.

Kate Wadley (center) receives donations from the lodging community. From left to right: Kate Stokes, Telluride Alpine Lodging; Kevin Jones; Latitude 38 Vacation Rental; Lee Zeller, Accommodations in Telluride; Alline Arguelles, Exceptional Stays.

Jones, owner of Latitude 38 Vacation Rentals, shared how thoroughly impressed his staff is by their friends at the med center, and how grateful they are for the lengths the medical staff are willing to go to, “during this crazy time” to serve the community.

Jones intended to make a donation, but wanted to let Wadley know he was also working to canvas fellow vacation rental companies for matching donations.

On Friday, Jones (representing Latitude 38), along with leadership from Alpine Lodging, Accommodations in Telluride and Exceptional Stays arranged to meet Wadley at the med center, each with checks in hand.

“I just can’t even begin to describe how touched our staff is by donations like these. These business owners are in good company,” said Wadley noting that other industries have also made dedicated donations during the pandemic to support the medical center’s COVID-19 fund.

According to Jones, the lodging community has been working closely since the ski area closed abruptly in March to find ways to get back to business safely.

Bonded in ways they never would have previously imagined, leadership from local lodging businesses have come together to create new oversight, permitting, cleaning protocols and training programs.

In conjunction with San Miguel County commissioners and staff, the Lodging Oversight Committee was formed and 10 months later the group, which now includes Larry Mallard, Christina Casas, Lee Zeller, Keith Hampton, Steve Togni, Commissioner Waring, Michael Martelon and Jones, continue to volunteer and collaborate.

Jones said, “While we are dedicated to working with the local governments to ensure guest and local resident safety, we are not front line healthcare workers. Without the frontline healthcare workers that we have in Telluride — everyone from the front desk staff, back office admin team, to of course the nurses and doctors — we would not be where we are today. These donations are a sign of our extreme gratitude for their service,” said Jones.