By Greg Cook, CEO of Castleview Hospital
Caring for your community is important work. It’s rewarding work. And sometimes, it can be fun, too. That’s what we pride ourselves on here at Castleview Hospital. For more than 40 years, we’ve served patients across Carbon and Emery counties and the entire region with excellent inpatient and outpatient services, and we’re honored to have been named one of the top 20 rural and community hospitals in the entire country for 2024 for the third consecutive year.
But we’re just as energized to see our patients and their families outside of the hospital walls all year long. We’re out in the community in the winter for the annual community ice skating day, in the summer hosting Kids’ Day at International Days, or at our annual Trunk or Treat events.
These events are also a great way for us to share more about the great work our team at Castleview is doing. During Trunk or Treat, for example, we like to show up with our colleagues at WorkPoint, a full-time occupational medicine program that helps employers with wellness programs, physicals or drug screening. It turns out that learning about workforce support programs is a lot more fun with some candy and costumes.
Another way that we share more information about our work is through our annual Community Benefit Report. We just released our 2023 Report, and I wanted to share with you a few of the highlights.
First, we are working tirelessly to attract, support and retain the highest quality of health care professionals. In 2023, we welcomed 68 new clinicians to our team, including experts in cardiology, genetic testing, medication management, primary care, orthopedics, urgent care, and more. Our people are the foundation of everything we do, so we are constantly striving for new ways to recognize the talent we have and give them the support they need to deliver the best care for each and every patient.
Second, we need to ensure our community has facilities with upgraded technology to receive this care. That’s why we invested more than $1.4 million last year into new equipment, like a new ultrasound machine, a “laptower” for our operating room to offer more minimally invasive surgeries for patients, and a new X-ray machine and X-ray room to make sure our patients get the clearest picture of their health.
Third, we are committed to supporting our neighbors in accessing the care they need whenever possible. In 2023, we donated nearly $6.7 million in services to our patients regardless of their ability to pay, including charity care, uninsured discounts, and uncompensated care. And we paid more than $3 million in taxes last year to give leaders here in the state and beyond the tools to achieve fiscal responsibility compassionately. Delivering care to all of our neighbors is foundational to our mission and our commitment to this community.
To all of our neighbors here in Carbon, Emery and beyond, we are deeply grateful for your partnership and your support. We’re grateful for the chance to serve you for more than four decades. We look forward to the many years of service, and more than a little fun, to come.