Phoenix-based Banner Health will end emergency services at its Loveland, Colo.-based Banner McKee Medical Center on Nov. 5 as the facility is converted to a specialty hospital.
Banner will also be closing a freestanding emergency department and its Banner Urgent Care Center in Greeley, Colo. on Nov. 5, and the Banner Health Clinic OB-GYN practice at Greeley-based Summitview Medical Commons will relocate with existing Banner OB-GYN services in Larimer County (Colo.).
“About 351 positions, including 64 per diem staff, across our Northern Colorado facilities are affected by these changes,” a spokesperson for Banner Health confirmed with Becker’s in a Sept. 5 statement. “More than half of affected team members will be offered a comparable position in Northern Colorado and we are hopeful that many of them will stay within the Banner system.”
Banner, which employs over 3,000 people in Colorado, plans to work over the next 60 days to place as many staff as possible. System recruiters are also working closely with impacted employees.
The conversion of Banner McKee, which is part of Banner’s multi-year plan to transform Northern Colorado service offerings, will make the facility a specialty hospital extension of Greeley-based Banner North Colorado Medical Center, anchored by Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The Loveland campus will feature inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical services, outpatient rehabilitation, interventional radiology, cardiac rehabilitation and a cardiac catheterization lab.
“The transition of Banner McKee is driven by community demand,” Alan Qualls, CEO of Banner’s Northern Colorado hospitals, said in the release. “Our emergency room volumes at McKee have declined each of the last four years and we’re only using 25% of our hospital beds. … The vast majority — 88% — of all surgeries performed there today are outpatient procedures.”
Banner will continue full-service emergency services at four other area hospitals: Banner North Colorado Medical Center, Banner Fort Collins (Colo.) Medical Center Brush, Colo.-based Banner East Morgan County Hospital and Banner Sterling (Colo.) Regional MedCenter.
The conversion comes after Banner acquired seven Colorado primary care clinics and two walk-in locations from Village Medical in May. The addition brought more than 150 support staff and 46 providers under Banner Medical Group’s wing.
Becker’s has reached out to Banner Health for further information regarding employee impact and will update this story should more information become available.
