Staff at South Routt Medical Center were happy to get the official notice from U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper’s office that the facility has been approved for $2.3 million from congressionally directed spending for the center’s expansion.

The new funding — which had been in the request queue for about a year — will be used along with $1.3 million in previous state funding toward an estimated $4.6 million expansion project for the busy medical center in Oak Creek, according to Ken Rogers, district manager of the South Routt Health Service District.

“We are absolutely excited that was able to happen; it’s a really big step in moving forward in our expansion project,” Rogers said.

The center plans to add roughly 1,500 square feet of space to handle the current patient load of approximately 8,000 medical patient visits each year. In addition, dental and physical therapy services offered through cooperative vendors serve another 3,000 patient visits each year.

Rogers said the most critical need beyond basic exam room space is having the capacity to add mental and behavioral services. Currently, the medical team refers patients with behavioral health needs to providers in Steamboat Springs or to various virtual mental health services.

Medical center officials recently issued a request for proposals for the construction design and hope to choose a vendor within two weeks. That master planning work is funded through $300,000 from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and could take about three months to determine how to expand on the relatively small property, according to Rogers. Then $1 million in Colorado Department of Local Affairs funding awarded earlier this year will be used to proceed with below ground infrastructure work.

While fundraising continues, the $2.3 million in federal funds will allow construction to move forward in phases. Rogers said above ground construction likely will start in early 2025, adding that approximately $1 million in additional funding will be needed to complete the project, as the community-funded health service district will not use property tax mill levy funding for construction.

The South Routt Medical Center currently is 3,300 square feet, and the expansion would add approximately 1,500 square feet. The center was previously enlarged and reconfigured in 2013.

“We are just limited as to how many people per day we can get in and out of the clinic,” Rogers said. “Depending on type of appointment, patients are waiting longer than we would rather have them wait.”

The district manager noted the clinic prefers to keep some daily scheduling space open for urgent care visits, but the current patient load may fill those spots, and urgent care medical patients may have to drive to Steamboat Springs for care.

“We want to be able to continue the level of service, and in order to do that, we have to have more space,” Rogers said.

According to the senator’s office, Hickenlooper helped secure $27 million for 40 Colorado projects in the second round of funding bills.

“Another round of home-grown Colorado projects are getting make-or-break funding,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “Together they address our state’s biggest needs, from fixing roads to beefing up rural health care and workforce training.”

The Haven Assisted Living complex in Hayden also received some congressionally directed spending for $105,000 to add air conditioning to resident rooms, according to Suzi Mariano, spokesperson for Northwest Colorado Health.

Although The Haven has common area air conditioning, Mariano said the funding will help assure resident rooms maintain safe temperatures.

“Until very recently, air conditioning was an unnecessary amenity in this region; however, due to rising temperatures, what used to be unheard of has now become one of the most common upgrades to housing in the region,” according to the Northwest Colorado Health funding application. “Additionally, months can pass when windows must remain closed due to unsafe air quality from wildfires.”