Vail Valley Medical Center site planning forum on Wednesday

VAIL — Vail Valley Medical Center and the town of Vail are hosting a site planning forum to allow community members to provide input on future campus development. The event will be Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in The Grand View on the third level of the Lionshead Welcome Center.

The medical center has begun work on a new master facility plan for the main campus at 181 West Meadow Drive in Vail. The team, led by nationally recognized health care planning firm Heery International, is currently in the assessment phase and is seeking community input from a variety of sources identifying present needs and future opportunities for the medical center. Once finalized, the master plan will serve as a guiding document to assist with the hospital’s near-term facility improvements as well as future expansion opportunities.

Representatives from the medical center, the town of Vail and Heery International will be leading the forum Wednesday to get input on the site plan, traffic and patient flow as well as project schedule and process. This planning forum will focus specifically on the details of the medical center site and will not include dialogue on health care services.

“The medical center is a cornerstone of the community,” said George Ruther, director of community development for the town of Vail. “The growth throughout our county and the increase in the number of year-round guests requires the hospital to adapt and grow to continue to meet the demands of a unique population. We are working together to ensure that we have a thorough understanding of the ideas held by members of the community regarding the hospital’s site.”

The master facility plan will bring many benefits to the region including a better-prepared hospital to serve the community as our residents age and evolve, the ability to expand and improve health care services and the chance to improve facilities that are outdated and/or inefficient through substantial capital improvements.

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The medical center is committed to remain at its present campus in Vail, which is the sole focus of this community planning forum. The medical center will also continue to develop outreach facilities in the other parts of the county, such as the new Vail Valley Surgery Center in Edwards and Gypsum Urgent Care, to meet the growing needs of Eagle County.

Long-range solutions will be shared with the community later this summer.

To receive updates on the master planning process as well as Vail Health News alerts, sign up for the hospital’s email newsletter at http://www.vvmc.com.