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As statewide totals of COVID-19 cases, positivity rates, and hospitalizations continue to decline, Colorado hospitals and health systems have lowered the activation level for the Combined Hospital Transfer Center (CHTC) to its lowest level.

As statewide totals of COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to decline from the Omicron peak, Colorado hospitals and health systems have made the decision to lower the activation level for the Combined Hospital Transfer Center (CHTC). At the start of November 2021, the CHTC activated at Tier 3, the highest and most coordinated level to help facilitate patient transfers across the state. Starting this week, the CHTC will move to Tier 2.

Colorado hospitals and health systems have activated Tier 3 of the Combined Hospital Transfer Center (CHTC), the highest tier available, to manage patient transfers on a statewide level as concerns about hospital capacity continue to escalate. The CHTC was re-activated at Tier 1 in August when COVID-19 hospitalizations were beginning to increase – a trend that has continued, putting monumental strain on the state’s health care system.

Colorado Hospital Association and its member hospitals and health systems, along with Colorado’s long-term care facilities and the Colorado Health Care Association, share the Governor’s goal of providing safe patient care by ensuring all Colorado health care workers are vaccinated against COVID-19. As part of the Board of Health (BOH) mandate enacted on Aug. 30, today is the first of several deadlines requiring health care workers to become vaccinated or lose their jobs.

The Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) Board of Trustees has appointed Maryjane Wurth as Interim CEO. Wurth most recently served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the American Hospital Association (AHA).

Colorado hospitals and health systems have reactivated Tier 1 of the Combined Hospital Transfer Center (CHTC) to help transfer patients during Colorado’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the increased transmission of the Delta variant this summer, COVID-19 hospitalizations have been on a significant increase over the past several weeks in Colorado. Some hospitals in the state have started to report capacity and staffing concerns with the current and projected case levels.

Today, 19 Colorado health care organizations urge support for the following steps to stop the spread of COVID-19: All health care employees should become vaccinated; Join us in expressing support for health care organizations that independently adopt policies requiring COVID-19 vaccination for employees and staff, with local factors determining whether, how, and when such policies are implemented; and individuals ages 2 and older should follow CDC guidelines for mask wearing indoors, especially children returning to in-person learning this fall.

CHA and its partners released the final set of specialty specific opioid prescribing guidelines in their latest effort to combat the opioid epidemic from within hospitals. These guidelines were developed in partnership with the Colorado Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and are part of one of the largest coordinated efforts to reduce opioid prescribing in the nation.

This morning, the CHA Board of Trustees voted to move to neutral on House Bill (HB) 21-1232, the proposed state public option, if it is amended as agreed upon with the bill sponsors.