Steamboat Emergency Center, a freestanding physician-owned emergency room in Steamboat Springs, Colo., will close April 30.
The facility opened in 2017 with a goal of providing more access to emergency care in the community, but will now close because of changes and uncertainties in the healthcare industry, according to an April 15 news release.
"The last three and a half years have been incredible, and we're grateful for the Steamboat Springs community for entrusting us with their care," said Dallas Bailes, MD, medical director and one of the owners of Steamboat Emergency Center. "However, during the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became increasingly clear that this model of care would be difficult to sustain."
The physician owners have entered into an agreement with Steamboat Springs-based UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center, which will convert the ER into an urgent care center and occupational medicine clinic.