Story of Our Agency

The nature of our work...

We believe that a healthy community is one where everyone has access to affordable, quality health care services. All of our programs help you to prevent or manage chronic diseases and care for you and your family. Let us give you the tools to take control of your health.

How we began...

Established in 1964, the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association (NWCOVNA) creates community health and wellness through public-private and dual-county partnerships in Routt and Moffat Counties. NWCOVNA has been self-supporting since 1967. NWCOVNA has grown to operate facilities in Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Craig. Originally, NWCOVNA only provided public health services and home health care. Over the past two decades, the agency successfully added hospice, aging and comprehensive primary care services. In 2005, NWCOVNA acquired the Haven Assisted Living Facility and began operating a Community Health Center (CHC) in Craig. In 2008 the CHC became a Federally Qualified Health Center. In 2010, the Rollingstone Respite House opened in Steamboat Springs providing a site for flexible respite, hospice, bereavement and adult day services. For nearly 50 years NWCOVNA has embraced continuous improvement and strategic alliances to meet developing community needs. Today, the organization provides health programming across the region to people of all ages, income levels and cultures.

Who we are today...

At the NWCOVNA, we are working to make it easier to live healthy in our communities. Our programs in public health, home health, hospice and palliative care, primary care, and wellness and prevention, address a wide range of health needs, from prenatal through end of life. We have built facilities including a Community Health Center and Hospice House to accommodate growing services and help more people in rural, isolated areas of Routt and Moffat counties. We are extending our efforts in areas of public policy and environmental health, educating residents about issues such as obesity prevention and nutrition, youth tobacco use, chronic disease prevention and self-management and emergency preparation while advocating for safer and healthier schools, work places and homes. We provide support and practical guidance for individuals and families working to make better lifestyle choices or coping with grief, trauma or caregiving and aging challenges. We offer our services on a sliding scale, ensuring all residents may benefit from our care and expertise. We are empowering individuals to take a leading role in their health and wellbeing for a better future that, ultimately, benefits us all.

Our proudest moments...

1964 Established as a Public Health and Home Health Agency
1995 Merged with Hospice of Steamboat Springs
2002 El Pomar Award for Excellence
2005 Acquired the Haven Assisted Living
2007 Completed Construction of The Haven Community Center
2008 Opened the Community Health Center in Moffat County
2009 Opened the Rollingstone Respite House in Routt County
2010 Moffat County Large Business of the Year
2011 Colorado Collaboration Award for leading the Northwest Colorado Community Health Partnership
2012 Level II Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognitionby the National Committees on Quality Assurance (NCQA)

Where we are headed...

To meet evolving community needs NWCOVNA maintains and builds existing programs and, when needed, creates new programs. The current areas of focus relate to the economic shifts that have both changed the nonprofit funding landscape and dramatically shifted the economic status of community members. The primary goal of the agency is to maintain programs and sustain operations. Federal Health Care Reform is creating an entirely new segment of the population who will be eligible for public assistance programs. Much of our current focus is on building the capacity to identify, educate, enroll and provide care for the anticipated eligible individuals in our region. NWCOVNA continues to develop innovative methods for creating community health and wellness. With clients of all ages and health statuses encountering the agency through our varied programs, we are creating protocols that will insure that everyone we serve has access to a medical home that they can afford and is adequately immunized. This is an ongoing process to connect all five of our departments to create efficient delivery systems for disease prevention, identification and treatment. All programs prevent, manage or care for either acute or chronic diseases.