Rio Grande Hospital

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Rio Grande Hospital

Rio Grande Hospital is part of Valley Citizens' Foundation for Healthcare, Inc., a nonprofit. The tradition of hospital care at Del Norte started when St. St.

Rio Grande Hospital is part of Valley Citizens’ Foundation for Healthcare, Inc., a community non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide health care to the Western San Luis Valley. Joseph’s Hospital opened in 1907. Joseph’s closed its doors in 1993. In 1996, Rio Grande Hospital at Del Norte re-opened at the old St. Joseph Hospital Building. The Rio Grande Hospital moved to its present location on August 11, 2004. The originally ten-million-dollar facility has grown since its opening.

03/25/2026

❤️The RGH Wellness Center is heading into the 2026 season in prime condition—and it’s hard not to pause and appreciate just how far this journey has come.

What started as a vision has truly become something special. From a space that welcomes movement, connection, and healing… to walking paths taking shape, a greenhouse gearing up for spring, and an event calendar that just keeps growing.

👩‍⚕️From Kiley Lohr’s farewell, to Dr. Walker Addition & Local recourse presentation, to celebrating Excellence in Nursing, and everything in between—this center has become a hub for our community. And it’s not just the events, it’s the daily, community-driven activities that fill this space with purpose every single day.

This Wellness Center has become a gem—not just because it was built, but because it’s embraced by SLV. ⛰️

To our community, RGH staff, Board, Foundation, and everyone who believed in this vision—look at us go. We’re just getting started. 💫

03/23/2026

RGH Celebrating Excellence in Nursing 👩‍⚕️🥰

🎊The nominees are in for the 2026 Excellence in Nursing Awards!
On Friday, March 27th from 6:00–8:00 PM at the RGH Wellness Center, we come together to recognize and celebrate these outstanding individuals.

👏 Congratulations to our nominees:
Wendi Harrison, Kayla Jordan, Sarah Alonzo, Samantha Crawford, Arlyn Oakes, Victoria Black, Sarah Gilleland, Michael Welch-Diaz, Monica Hinds, Kyle Schell, Bethany Caton, Misty Palacios, Amy Lopez, Ellen Lane, Katherine Blount, Mari Parra, Steve Haden, Adonia Cleghorn, Andrea Griego, Sheridan Maestas, Terisa Valdez, Victor Njoga, Angela Hernandez, Lisa M. Romero, Kimberly Chacon, Kourtney Zamarripa.

These incredible Medical Professionals represent the very best of our region — demonstrating exceptional clinical expertise, leadership, mentorship, and an unwavering dedication to patient care.

🙏 Thank you to our sponsors who made this event possible:
San Luis Valley Health, Rio Grande Hospital & Clinics, RGH Wellness Simple Foods, Del Norte Bank, Woody’s Q Shack, Raisin' Rye, DNCC, Altitude Appliance, and Almost Home.
And as always — thank you, San Luis Valley, for showing what true community looks like. 💙

03/19/2026

Join us for an important and informative community event. 💙💪

RGH Wellness Center is hosting a Human Trafficking Awareness Training focused on rural Colorado. This session is designed for healthcare professionals, first responders, and anyone in the community who wants to learn more.

•Wednesday, April 8th
•1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
•RGH Wellness Center – Community Room

This training will cover how to recognize signs of human trafficking, understand its impact in rural areas, and learn about local resources to support those affected. 📖

03/16/2026

Recovery isn’t weakness — it’s courage. ❤️💪
Join us on March 26th, at RGH Wellness from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm for a community presentation on addition and local resources.

The RGH Recovery Clinic is offering confidential, trauma-informed care for substance use, addictions, and behavioral health — with zero judgment and no referral needed.

Stigma keeps people away. Hope brings them back.
Your healthier future is closer than you think. ❤️‍🩹

03/12/2026

What an incredible day for our community, our kids, and SLV! 🐟🌎
Rio Grande Hospital & Clinics was honored to join San Luis Valley Trout Unlimited for the 2026 Trout in the Classroom (TIC) Release at Del Norte Town Park. Students from across the San Luis Valley gathered along the banks of the Rio Grande to release the trout they’ve spent months raising in their classrooms — a powerful hands-on lesson about conservation, science, and caring for the natural places we call home.

A special thank you to Kevin Milder (VP & Youth Education Coordinator) and San Luis Valley Trout Unlimited for inviting us to be part of such a meaningful day. Our team was proud to help serve hot dogs and spend time with the amazing kids and community members who made this event so special.

Events like this remind us how important it is to protect our rivers, wildlife, and the beautiful valley we’re fortunate to live in. The future of the Rio Grande looks bright! 💙🐟

03/11/2026

Thomas Kevin Rice, MD
Specialty: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Rio Grande Hospital is pleased to welcome Dr. Thomas Kevin Rice to the RGH team. Dr. Rice specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Physiatry), a field of medicine focused on diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal and neurological conditions without surgery, with the goal of reducing pain and restoring function.

Dr. Rice was born in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also completed his medical education and residency at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Following his training, he practiced medicine in Peoria, Illinois for 17 years before relocating with his family to Southern Colorado. He later served the San Luis Valley community for 12 years at San Luis Valley Health (SLVH).
After concluding his time at SLVH, Dr. Rice retired from clinical practice. During his six years of retirement, he devoted time to personal interests including music, macroeconomics, computers, tropical fish, plants, and antique toys. However, medicine was calling him back.

When asked what inspired his return to practice, Dr. Rice shared a meaningful experience involving his family. Reflecting on hospital visits, in the past couple of years when his children were ill, he said, “My kids got sick, and while we were at the hospital, we were treated like kings. I had forgotten how good it feels to give back, and the visits reminded me.” He added, “You never stop being a doctor.”

Dr. Rice will also be establishing an Occupational Medicine Clinic, focusing on the evaluation and treatment of work-related injuries. The clinic will provide care for a variety of workplace injuries, including back and neck injuries, repetitive motion injuries, cuts, fractures, sprains, and strains. In addition to treatment, Dr. Rice will perform workplace medical evaluations, including return-to-work assessments, to help ensure employees can safely resume their job duties. He will also work closely with employers, insurance providers, and workplace safety teams to coordinate care and support effective injury management and recovery.

Rio Grande Hospital CEO Arlene Harms welcomed Dr. Rice to the organization, stating:
“We are excited to have Dr. Rice join our team and share his wealth of experience in managing workers’ compensation cases. His expertise will help patients across the San Luis Valley who are experiencing pain or impairment regain independence and improve their quality of life.”

Dr. Rice’s experience, positive outlook, and dedication to patient-centered care make him a wonderful addition to Rio Grande Hospital. His commitment to non-invasive orthopedic care, along with his deep familiarity with San Luis Valley and its community, will greatly benefit the patients we serve.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Rice to the RGH family. We are excited to have him on our team.

03/10/2026

The 2026 Monte Vista Crane Festival was absolutely fantastic - Rio Grande Hospital and Clinics was thrilled to be part of such an incredible community event! 🦩

A huge thank you to the Ski-Hi staff for providing such a great venue and for the outstanding organization that made the festival run so smoothly. The support from our local community and visitors from out of town was truly amazing to see.

Events like this remind us just how much we can accomplish when we come together. We’re grateful to have been part of it and loved connecting with everyone who stopped by our table!

Thank you to everyone who made the 2026 Crane Fest such a memorable experience for our staff. 💙

03/06/2026

💕🍀 Rio Grande Hospital and Clinics is overjoyed to be part of Day 1 of 2026 Crane Festival! Our staff is having a blast!

Thanks SLV! 🌈🕊️

03/05/2026

Rio Grande Hospital and Clinics is thrilled to participate in the 2026 Monte Vista Crane Festival. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Monte Vista Chamber, Ski Hi, and the SLV community for organizing such a wonderful weekend.

03/04/2026

This Women’s History Month, we want to take a moment to thank the incredible women of Rio Grande Hospital & Clinics. Your dedication, compassion, and hard work make a difference every single day—for our patients, our community, and your families. 🥰

And to all women everywhere — we literally would not be here without you. Thank you for everything you do.
💙

03/03/2026

🎨 FROM THE VALLEY TO THE NATION — THE YOUTH ARE OUR FOUNDATION 💙
Those words have never felt more true than they did this past Saturday.

Our 5th and 6th graders added the final — and most important — touches to their mural, sharing how they feel about their upcoming journey to Boston. Each brushstroke carried excitement, pride, dreams, and a whole lot of SLV heart.

But what may have been even more beautiful than the mural… was the feeling in the hallway. One community member said, “It feels so good to see the energy — the kids!”
Another shared, “It’s so nice to see kids off their phones!”
The energy. The laughter. The creativity. The pride.

It filled not just the wall — but the entire hospital and community. It reminded us that our future is bright. That our kids are capable. That when we come together, something powerful happens.

❤️Huge thanks to Monte Vista Church Project, Dylan Ledford, Kim Matta, and the incredible Del Norte Elementary art teachers for guiding and supporting this vision. Your leadership and heart made this possible. 💪

And KIDS — we don’t say this enough… so here it is loud and clear:
Thank you to all the kiddos of the San Luis Valley.
Keep being kids, learning, dreaming big, and always keep having fun. Thank you for being OUR SLV kids. 🥰

And to our amazing community — thank you for helping these students make their way to Bean Town… BOSTON! ✈️ Your support speaks volumes about who we are and what we believe in.
📣 LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE HOME TEAM!!! 💙🎉

Address

310 County Road 14
Del Norte, CO
81132

Telephone

+17196572510

Website

http://RioGrandeHospital.org/

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