Patients in the Teller High Country can receive cancer treatment close to home
Patients living in Teller or Park county who currently travel to Colorado Springs or elsewhere for chemotherapy and other infusions can now receive their care closer to home at the Pikes Peak Regional Hospital.
The hospital began offering services in mid-December, which are growing in popularity. Already, a half-dozen patients have received treatment there since the services kicked off. It is the first time chemotherapy treatment has been offered at PPRH, which opened in 2007. UCHealth began operating the 15-bed hospital in 2018 and immediately began expanding services.
“It’s a really exciting opportunity for patients, as they do not have to drive to Colorado Springs,” said Tricia Sichmeller, pharmacy manager at PPRH. Sichmeller has worked at the hospital since it opened and said being able to receive treatment close to home is especially important in cancer care, where therapies can sometimes take hours. “It’s a huge service for our patients, and it definitely supports the UCHealth mission of improving lives.”
Mary Scott, the first person to receive chemotherapy treatment at PPRH, said she’s grateful that her care is now just minutes away from her home in Divide and that she’s able to drive herself to and from near-weekly appointments. Until now, her husband was driving her to UCHealth Memorial Central in Colorado Springs. “When I heard they were going to open this clinic – I was so excited. Having to pass one hospital to go to another one to get treatment – I looked at Pikes Peak Regional Hospital every time I passed it on our way to Colorado Springs. This is just a blessing and a godsend.”
The outpatient infusion clinic is one of many service expansions at the PPRH campus. The UCHealth Specialty Care Clinic in Woodland Park now offers women’s health services; ear, nose and throat specialists; general surgery; and orthopedics. In all, 13 new specialists provide care at the clinic, with more planned in 2020.
“I am thrilled to see the expansion of services in Teller County. These community investments that UCHealth is making are life-changing for many people who find the commute to Colorado Springs challenging, particularly for cancer treatment.” said Joel Yuhas, president and CEO of UCHealth’s southern Colorado region. “Our priority is to offer residents the very best cancer care in a healing environment, close to home.”
About UCHealth
UCHealth is an innovative, nonprofit health system that delivers the highest quality medical care with an excellent patient experience. With over 24,000 employees, UCHealth includes 12 acute-care full-service hospitals and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. With University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus as its academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the region, UCHealth is dedicated to providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. With more than 150 clinic locations, UCHealth pushes the boundaries of medicine, providing advanced treatments and clinical trials and improving health through innovation.
