New Banner Hospital Strengthens Local Economy

Jun 16, 2015 | Member News

As the region’s newest full-service, acute care hospital, Banner Fort Collins Medical Center and the adjoining Banner Health Center have created a total of 397 new jobs, including hospital staff plus jobs indirectly created by the hospital, with total labor income topping nearly $15 million a year, according to economic multipliers provided by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The new hospital and outpatient specialty clinic opened April 6 offering Fort Collins and surrounding communities new choices for health care in a variety of medical specialties.

The Banner Fort Collins Medical Center campus adds to Banner’s growing Northern Colorado employee force that now sits at 4,895 with $249.6 million in payroll, including North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, McKee Medical Center in Loveland, Banner Medical Group, and other Banner Health entities.

Along with the hospital staff and additional jobs created regionally, the $86 million construction cost had an impact of $171 million on the surrounding economy, as estimated from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis statewide multipliers from March 2014. For example, during the 18 months of construction, an average of 150 workers per week provided a total of 408,000 hours of labor throughout the course of the project.

The hospital campus opened with 22 licensed patient beds and three operating rooms but is designed to eventually accommodate up to 144 patient beds, two additional patient towers, a parking structure and medical office building, as part of a pre-approved, 40-year plan.

“Banner Health is committed to providing outstanding patient care in Fort Collins and the surrounding communities,” said Rick Sutton, chief executive officer of Banner Health in Northern Colorado. “With the construction and opening of Banner Fort Collins Medical Center, we’re excited to also help drive the local economy by offering high-quality healthcare and great employment opportunities.”

Located at 4700 Lady Moon Dr., Banner Fort Collins Medical Center offers emergency care, orthopedics, general surgery, women’s health, labor and delivery, gastroenterology, urology, pulmonology, neurosurgery, intensive care as well as other medical specialties.

Additionally, the hospital is the first in Northern Colorado equipped with TeleAcute Care, a remote monitoring technology that allows expert, off-site nurses to observe real-time vital signs and test results for every patient admitted to the hospital, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that potential adverse trends are identified and promptly addressed.

In addition to the latest technology, Banner Health also gives back to the community through charity care and nonprofit support. Last year Banner Health in Northern Colorado gave more than $62 million in charity care/bad debt and provided support to more than 55 organizations, programs and events.

About Banner Fort Collins Medical Center
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center is a nonprofit, acute-care hospital offering emergency services, medical imaging, general surgery, orthopedics, urology, labor and delivery, women’s services, gastroenterology, intensive care, and other medical and surgical services. It is part of Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country with 28 hospitals located in seven states. For more information, please visit www.BannerHealth.com/FortCollins.