DENVER, June 24, 2026 – The Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) recently presented Rep. Katie Stewart from Durango with the Association’s 2026 Colorado Hospital Hero award. During the 2026 legislative session, Rep. Stewart led several key pieces of legislation that will help rural hospitals and communities at a crucial time when hospitals are facing significant financial and operational challenges.

CHA’s Colorado Hospital Hero Award honors an individual whose leadership has advanced access to care, strengthened rural health care delivery, and ensured Colorado communities continue to have access to high-quality health care close to home.

Specifically in 2026, Rep. Stewart’s advocacy for hospitals included:

• Senate Bill 26-138 will streamline burdensome administrative requirements for hospitals by extending the duration of health facility licensure, improving financial transparency reporting processes, and streamlining patient eligibility determinations for Hospital Discounted Care so patients who need financial assistance can access it more efficiently and consistently. 
• House Bill 26-1432 protects hundreds of millions of dollars in hospital funding by establishing a structured transition away from the current, flawed Hospital Transformation Program that relied heavily on punitive financial penalties and establishing a collaborative framework for a future program that better aligns quality improvement efforts with patient care priorities.
• HB 26-1328 closes a years-long gap in federal Medicaid matching by optimizing the state’s ability to draw down available dollars, ensuring Medicaid beneficiaries retain access to non-emergency medical transportation services as federal funding faces other cuts.

“Rep. Stewart championed these bills because she understood what was at stake and because she has seen firsthand what happens when rural hospitals are simultaneously caring for patients and defending the resources that make that care possible,” said Jeff Tieman, CHA president and CEO. “In her work at the capitol this session, Rep. Stewart has made sure that when patients across Colorado need care, it is there.”

About the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA)

CHA is the leading voice of Colorado’s hospital and health system community. Representing more than 100 member hospitals and health systems throughout the state, CHA serves as a trusted, credible, and reliable resource on health issues, hospital data and trends for its members, media, policymakers, and the general public. Through CHA, Colorado’s hospitals and health systems work together in their shared commitment to improve health and health care in Colorado. Learn more at www.cha.com.

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