T-Ride Med Ctr.: Chair 7 Facility Opened for Primary Care/Behavioral Health!

28 May T-Ride Med Ctr.: Chair 7 Facility Opened for Primary Care/Behavioral Health!

To meet the ongoing demand for adequate space to serve the Telluride community’s healthcare needs, the Telluride Regional Medical Center opens a new satellite office on June 1. Located in the Cimarron Lodge building near the base of Chair 7 at 300 S. Mahoney, Suite C-1, the Chair 7 Clinic offers primary care and behavioral health services in the space most recently occupied by Alison Palmer Physical Therapy.

Patients should continue to schedule appointments by calling the Medical Center at 970-728-3848. They will then be informed where they will be seen: main clinic or at Chair 7.

Go here for more on the Telluride Med Center.

“This short-term fix is the latest example of creative flexibility from the Med Center team, which has become highly adept at providing exceptional care within the severe limitations of the current facility,” said interim CEO Bev Schulman. “The move is intended to serve as a temporary bridge until a new hospital is built.” 

All patients requiring emergency or urgent care for acute injuries and illness, and most primary care patients will continue to be seen at the Telluride Medical Center facility at 500 W Pacific Avenue.

Patients with respiratory symptoms or acute illnesses suggestive of COVID will be seen in a designated area at the medical center, and will not be seen at the Chair 7 Clinic.

The Chair 7 Clinic opens just as the Telluride Regional Medical Center vacates the Depot Clinic, where patients with respiratory or COVID symptoms have been seen since late 2020. The medical center’s two-year lease at The Depot runs through June 30.

“Our current medical facility does not have the space or capacity to safely evaluate and treat all the patients we need to see on a daily basis,” said Dr. Sharon Grundy, Acting Director of Primary Care. “The Chair 7 Clinic is the latest stop-gap solution to hold us over until we get a new hospital,” she said.

Since 1987, there have been nearly a dozen renovations to keep up with advances in healthcare technology and patient growth, including:

–       In 2015, administrative offices moved to an office suite on the east side of town to make accommodations for additional exam rooms.

–       In 2018, the medical center added a shipping container outside the facility to serve as a home for some administrative functions.

–       In 2020, the medical center saw patients with respiratory symptoms in outdoor tents before eventually securing a lease at the adjacent Depot.

The road to a new critical access hospital for Telluride

The ultimate solution for the outgrown facility is a new critical access hospital. The Telluride Hospital District, the governing body of the Telluride Regional Medical Center, has been working to secure the land for such a facility since 2008. At present there is a proposal from Genesee Properties to convey 2.6 acres of land at Society Turn to the Hospital District. The Hospital District’s board of directors expects that process to be completed early next year.

In the meantime, the staff and administration at the Telluride Regional Medical Center will continue making adjustments that honor their commitment to providing healthcare for the Telluride community.

“Our team works incredibly hard to deliver high quality care within the limitations of our current medical center,” said Schulman. “The Chair 7 Clinic is an important short-term step, but it’s obvious that our community needs and deserves a new hospital.”

Public parking for the Chair 7 Clinic is available in the Carhenge lot, and the clinic also offers convenient pedestrian access.