An important update regarding our Front Range hospitals

By Amy Blasing, Saint Joseph Hospital President, and Kevin Jenkins, Good Samaritan Hospital President

We are reaching out to provide an update on our operational plans and the essential steps we are taking to secure the long-term sustainability of certain Front Range facilities.

As you know, Kaiser Permanente’s decision to alter its relationship with Intermountain Health has led to the recent departure of Kaiser physicians from Good Samaritan Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital, causing significant changes in patient volume.

Early in this transition, several strategies were introduced to help ease the burden on caregivers. These efforts provided some short-term relief, but as circumstances have changed, they are no longer enough to meet the current balance between staffing and operational needs.

To align with current patient volumes, Good Samaritan Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital will need to reduce their staffing levels. This difficult decision will impact just under 3% of the caregivers at these two hospitals, or less than 1% of the caregivers in the Front Range Market. Caregivers who will be leaving the organization have been notified, and their last day of employment with Intermountain Health will be Friday, Oct. 10.

These caregivers will receive a comprehensive support package that includes extended health benefits, career transition services to help them find new opportunities, and severance pay for those who are eligible. We sincerely appreciate the significant contributions these caregivers have made to our hospitals, the quality of care they have provided to patients, and their dedication.

This is a challenging time, and to support your well-being, we want to remind you that resources are available to assist, including our Spiritual Care teams and your leaders.

We are guided and strengthened by the mission of Intermountain Health, our Catholic Mission, the organization’s values, and our core commitments to patient safety and quality.

Hospital leaders will be available during rounding in the coming days to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively, you can contact us directly via email.

Thank you for your ongoing dedication to our patients and to one another. Your commitment is what makes our hospitals special and will help ensure our future success.