June 17, 2021
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
HighlandsRanchHerald.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 21
ON THE FAST TRACK
VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 28
Hospital adds beds, programs UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital increases services BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Ellena Harper of Mountain Vista easily clears her hurdles in preliminary rounds on of the Liberty Bell Invitational Track and Field PHOTO BY PAUL DISALVO Meet on June 11 at LPS Stadium. See sports coverage on Pages 21-31.
WINNING WAYS
Emily Sanders crowned queen P8
JOY OF GARDENING
Come and get some free advice
P14
UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital continues to offer more patient beds and medical programs as the population of Douglas County grows. The hospital celebrated the opening of a six-bed medical surgical unit on June 6. Hospital nurses happily cut the ribbon in preparation for patients to be transferred to the new beds. Roxanne Hansen, vice president of hospital operations, said while the pandemic put increased stress on local hospitals, COVID-19 may have helped residents realize the Highlands Ranch hospital exists. The hospital, which opened in 2019, provided a variety of testing procedures for the pandemic. The facility offered COVID testing and antibody testing. “With all that added traffic coming through, I think it increased our visibility and highlighted that there is a hospital in the local community,” Hansen said. “When vaccinations became available for teenagers, we had so many people coming through it looked like a middle school.” Hansen said with increased visibility and the continued population growth in Douglas County, the hospital expanded with the construction on the new unit in January. SEE HOSPITAL, P2