Services that have been offered through Parkview in Pueblo for more than four decades are ending soon.
A News5 viewer, who wanted to remain anonymous, reached out asking if we could spotlight the change that impacts about two dozen employees. It isn't clear how many patients will be impacted, but a spokesperson with UCHealth says all current patients were notified via letters.
The spokesperson cited declining patient numbers and rising costs as the reasons to end the Parkview Home Care operations effective Aug. 1. The spokesperson also provided some background on the short-term health care program for home-bound patients, explaining it started in 1981 as a service of what was then called Parkview Episcopal Hospital.
"UCHealth has been building a post-acute care network for all its service regions since 2017," Todd Seip a Communications Specialist for UCHealth wrote to News5. "Parkview Homecare was the only hospital-based home care service at UCHealth, which partnered with Parkview in 2023. Patient referrals to Parkview Home Care ended on June 2, and we expect that all patients will complete home care before the service closes. If there are any remaining patients, they will be placed with other home care agencies in the community. Current patients were notified via letters. UCHealth will assist the 22 affected employees find new positions either at UCHealth or elsewhere."
The City of Pueblo has a list of home health care agencies that can be accessed by clicking here.
News5 spoke with the President of AIS Medicare and More, Jolynn Allen. Allen has multiple locations throughout southern Colorado, but her business is based in Pueblo as she plans to help both patients and employees displaced by the decision to end this service.
"I also run a networking group called Senior Service Professionals that is specifically for those who work with seniors in southern Colorado," Allen explained. "Many of those members are home care agencies, home health, hospice and so forth. So in speaking to them, yes, I completely understand the cost aspect, because right now, what they're able to hire someone for and what they're able to get reimbursed is almost dead even... so, by the time you factor in the true cost of an employee, some of these services are being provided at a loss. So, whether that's UCHealth or one of these small agencies, that is definitely a real concern. You have to be able to at least break even, if not run a profit, or why be in business? On the flip side of that, we're also trying to take care of our clients, and we have thousands of them in Colorado. A lot of them are being affected by this, and we want to work with them to make sure there's no interruption in coverage."
Allen added that losing this provider hurts the number of options people have in the Pueblo area.
"Losing yet another provider that actually was part of that community is going to make it even harder for us to make sure our people have choices in their home care," Allen said. "Right now, we're finding we can get them care, but it may not be ideal, or who they wanted it to be with, or how they want it to be."
Allen said the choice for options being limited isn't just for home care, as she said they had someone call just last week looking for a new doctor. Allen said they had to call more than 20 doctors' offices to find this person a new primary care doctor.
Allen shared some advice for anyone who may be impacted by this decision to end home care services through Parkview.
"My best advice would be, if you have something scheduled for August and later, make sure you've got your provider lined up in advance, so that you know where you're going to be getting the home health care after your procedure," Allen stated. "And if you're an ongoing patient, do the work now to have a replacement, because come August 1, it'll only get harder."
Colorado Care At Home is reporting Colorado's Medicaid services depend on state funding, which each year lags state and local minimum wage increases, threatening access to services. Agencies that provide Medicaid services are working for the state – they need timely and adequate funding support from the state to offset minimum wage increases.
""Home care agencies provide essential services that keep families together, reduce hospital stays and save taxpayers money," a statement from the Home Care and Hospice Association of Colorado to News5 reads. "When an agency closes, it can create hardships for families who have to find another way to secure this essential care – care that in some cases can quite literally mean the difference between life and death for some patients. There are several factors that can affect the success of a home care agency and their continued ability to provide services, including Medicare and Medicaid payment rates for agencies that service those patient populations. The Home Care and Hospice Association of Colorado continues to advocate for adequate reimbursement rates that can help support care provided by home care agencies in counties across Colorado, and to provide competitive wages for the workers who provide this essential care.”
SENIOR RESOURCE FAIR:
Given the timeliness of this announcement, News5 wanted to highlight a senior resource fair taking place this week in southern Colorado.
AIS Medicare and More, alongside Senior Service Professionals, are hosting the Fremont Senior Resource Fair on Tuesday, June 10.
Those attending the free event open to the public can expect about 35 local vendors covering Medicare, dental, vision, hearing aids, in-home care, legal services, housing options, assisted living, hospice, mental health, final expense, social groups, meal options, real estate, Medicaid, care facilities, transportation, home safety, estate planning, long-term care, volunteering and more.
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