Kaiser opening Edwards, Frisco offices
Townsend Bessent | Townsend@vaildaily.com |
EDWARDS — Artwork and color help the healing process, says Jane Lewis.
Lewis has been project manager on Kaiser Permanente Colorado’s design and construction team for 30 years. It’s her job to make sure the art on the walls of Kaiser offices helps healing. She does it by buying artwork from local artists.
“We believe in art as part of the healing process,” Lewis said.
Kaiser’s Eagle and Summit county offices open Monday, so you can see for yourself.
Jeannine Benson, M.D., with Kaiser Permanente Colorado internal medicine, will be the staffing physician in Kaiser’s Edwards medical office building, located in Edwards Corner.
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“We’ve been thinking about this for 18 months, and we’re looking 10 years out,” said Brent Bowman, executive director for Kaiser Permanente Colorado’s mountain service area “We’re willing to invest for a long-term commitment.”
Kaiser’s Edwards office has computers in every room for video visits with doctors. Eventually, video visits will be available on your laptop computers, phones and tablets, Bowman said.
Doctors don’t have their own office, which Benson said she likes.
“It creates a more personalized team atmosphere,” Benson said.
Colorado Mountain Medical and Kaiser
Colorado Mountain Medical partnered with Kaiser to offer primary and specialty care services to Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser also announced a partnership with Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs.
Colorado Mountain Medical has served residents in the Vail Valley for more than 35 years, and has four regional locations: Vail, Edwards, Eagle and Basalt.
Door-to door delivery
Delivery might be Kaiser’s most unique service.
If the difference in the price of a medical procedure is big enough between the mountains and the Front Range, Kaiser will to drive you to Denver, put you in a hotel, handle your medical procedure and drive you home to the mountains.
Kaiser is a nonprofit, Bowman said.
“We only need to make two to three cents on the dollar,” Bowman. “The rest is reinvested in the community.”
Bowman cited a report that indicates up to 80 percent of Avon residents medical care is occurring outside the mountains. In Summit County, 30-40 percent of residents get medical care in Denver.
Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 or rwyrick@vaildaily.com.
