Hospital Opens New Senior Care Center

Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) held a ribbon cutting ceremony recently to celebrate the opening of their new residential Senior Care Center located in Gunnison’s West End next door to the hospital’s Assisted Living Center. Shortly after the ribbon was cut, 43 residents moved into their new homes. The 52,00 square foot facility cost $23 million to build, none of which came from tax-payers. It’s broken into three neighborhoods, one of which is designated for memory care patients. Wade Baker VP of Administrative affairs at GVH told KBUT that it’s been a long time waiting on the new facility, which is designed to feel more like a home than a hospital. The old building, built in 1976, is from a different era of senior care. According to the 2018 State of the Valley Report, put out in October, Gunnison Valley is gradually aging. With 10.7 percent of the population being 65 or older. That figure’s more than doubled since 1980. AARP says that by 2030, 1 in every 5 Americans will be 65 or older.