Ressler: What’s in a name?

At our inception in 1891, Aspen’s first hospital was called the Citizens’ Hospital. Given that we were established by and to serve the community of pioneering silver miners, our founding name was apropos.

Over a half century later, in 1946, our name was changed to Pitkin County Hospital when our authority was transferred from the Citizens’ Hospital Association to the county.

And, in 1965, after a naming contest conducted by our Mennonite management company, we became Aspen Valley Hospital.

A decade later, we officially became the Aspen Valley Hospital District to support the construction of our then-new facility on Castle Creek Road.

Throughout our history, our names have evolved — but our mission has remained steadfast: to serve our community with extraordinary healthcare provided in an environment of excellence, compassion, and trust, as reflected by our legacy as a not-for-profit hospital. A description printed in “The Rocky Mountain Sun” in 1891 by an unnamed reporter declared that, “The average citizen acquiesces in the general belief that such an institution, built as it was by private subscription and standing with its doors open for an afflicted humanity, is an honor to the city and a most welcome abode for those in misfortune who enjoy its rare benefits.”

Today, true to our DNA, we continue to fulfill our mission of providing extraordinary healthcare. Our five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Top 5 Rural Hospital designation from the Colorado Rural Health Center stand as modern affirmations of our founding purpose — putting us among the top five percent of hospitals in the country, according to the Press Ganey Corporation. 

But just as Aspen has grown and changed, so too have we.

For the past decade, we have been systematically broadening our spectrum of services, from just those of a hospital that treats illness and injury to a network of care that is designed to maintain the health and vibrancy of our community. We now operate clinics and specialty services in Aspen, Snowmass, and Basalt, including walk-in sites, and team-based primary care that helps patients manage chronic conditions before they become emergencies. Many of these services wouldn’t be sustainable for independent practitioners in such a high-cost area; they are possible because of our community support and a strategic vision to keep care local.

That vision includes protecting affordability. Our work with the Valley Health Alliance and insurers like Rocky Mountain Health Plans is already helping to reduce premiums and advance value-based care across the Roaring Fork Valley. So, too, does our expanded services in primary care: chronic conditions — best managed pro-actively — reduce life expectancy and contribute to more than 75 percent of the costs of healthcare. Our primary-care practice focuses on the whole patient, their lifestyle, and their social determinants of their health. 

While our new name and logo represent a visible shift, this rebrand is more than cosmetic. It marks an intentional transformation, a renewed focus on creating a healthier community through collaboration, innovation, and accessible care.

Our evolution is rooted in listening. Over the past year, we’ve engaged with hundreds of community members, employees, and partners to understand how we can better meet the needs of the Roaring Fork Valley. The message we heard was clear: Local care matters, and people want more of it — and closer to home. To learn more or share your feedback, please visit our new website at aspenvalleyhealth.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Of course, we remain the high-quality hospital that you expect us to be. But we are much more now. And that is why it is time for us to have a name that reflects our expanded commitment to our community and to reflect its values to be healthy, active and vibrant. 

We are now Aspen Valley Health. 

This is a name that reflects who we are and what we have become.

This is what is in our new name.

Dave Ressler is the CEO of Aspen Valley Health and is active on regional and statewide boards for organizations that are leading healthcare transformation. He has worked in healthcare for more than four decades, including 18 years leading AVH.