The Colorado Attorney General's Office earlier this fall signed off on a merger between UCHealth and Estes Park Health, a critical access hospital, expanding the footprint of a system that has grown to be the largest health care provider in the state. Such mergers of smaller, often rural hospitals into larger, urban-based systems have become common in recent years in Colorado and across the country. UCHealth last year, for instance, absorbed Pueblo's Parkview Health System, giving it a presence in every major metro area along the Front Range. But one thing about the merger with Estes Park is unusual: UCHealth, which is a private nonprofit, will be directly paid by taxpayers to operate the hospital.
In a social media landscape shaped by hashtags, algorithms, and viral posts, nurse leaders must decide: Will they let the narrative spiral, or can they adapt and join the conversation?
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