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Lutheran Medical Center Receives Major Gift From Community First Foundation

Digital Rendering of the new Lutheran Medical Center

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (Nov. 16, 2022) – Lutheran Medical Center, now a part of Intermountain Healthcare, and Community First Foundation (CFF) are pleased to announce that Community First has made a major contribution to the Lutheran Medical Center Foundation’s Legacy Continues Campaign. This gift of $3.1 million will support the replacement Lutheran Medical Center project at Clear Creek Crossing, as well as help advance the health of people in Jefferson County and surrounding communities.

Lutheran Medical Center, one of the highest-quality and lowest-cost hospitals in Colorado, is building a replacement hospital to replace its current, aging facility. The new building gives Lutheran and Intermountain Healthcare an opportunity to design the future of healthcare as an accessible, innovative, and patient-centered facility, that will meet the needs of a vibrant, diverse community.

“We are grateful for the many years of partnership with Community First Foundation and their support for the health and well-being of the people of Jefferson County,” said Grant Wicklund, President and CEO of Lutheran Medical Center. “This generous gift will help us continue the Lutheran legacy and fulfill our mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible.”

The new Lutheran Medical Center will:

• Expand access to emergency and critical care for families up and down the Jefferson County and West Denver suburbs, with easy and quick access from I-70, Hwy. 93, and U.S. 6/Sixth Avenue.
• Elevate health care in the region with a well-designed, energy-efficient, and flexible facility designed with the patient and caregivers top of mind.
• Provide more comfort for patients and families, with all rooms being more open and brighter with floor-to-ceiling glass, making for more natural light in the room.
• Help drive economic growth in Jefferson County and West Denver, employing 2,000 people in well-paying jobs and contributing more than $1.1 billion. Lutheran remains the largest employer in Wheat Ridge.

Community First and Lutheran have a shared legacy of caring for Jefferson County. In 2007, when the hospital joined what would later become SCL Health and is now Intermountain Healthcare, the proceeds from the transfer of the hospital were used to help create the Lutheran Community Foundation, which is today known as Community First Foundation. Since its creation, CFF has invested in a variety of projects to promote community health and has grown into one of the largest community foundations in Colorado. CFF operates grantmaking programs that serve the Jeffco community. Both CFF and Lutheran are committed to health and wellbeing so all of Jeffco is thriving.

“We are committed to helping our friends and neighbors in Jefferson County stay healthy and thrive,” said Kelly Dunkin, president and CEO of Community First Foundation. “We are proud to be a long-time partner of Lutheran Medical Center and support their efforts to deliver high quality health services, from emergencies to welcoming babies into our community. We recognize the critical role health plays in our community’s ability to thrive, and we look forward to continued partnership in promoting health and wellbeing.”

To show gratitude and acknowledge the partnership, the hospital will name the new central courtyard and public gathering space for Community First Foundation. This gift advances the success of the Lutheran Foundation’s capital campaign, which has reached nearly 70 percent of its five-year fundraising goal of $12 million to support the replacement hospital. Lutheran’s history is centered around excellence and service to its community. Founded as a tuberculosis sanitarium in 1905, Lutheran Medical Center is Jefferson County’s first hospital. Today, Lutheran operates one of the busiest Emergency Departments in Colorado, provides Jefferson County’s only Labor and Delivery program, and offers unique emergency and behavioral health programs that prioritize the wellbeing of older adults.

Learn more about the replacement hospital at TheLutheranLegacy.org.

About Lutheran Medical Center

Lutheran Medical Center is a community-based, 338-bed acute-care hospital located in Wheat Ridge, CO. Local and national ratings organizations regularly recognize Lutheran for clinical excellence, patient safety and patient experience. 

Lutheran’s premier services include a birthing center, Heart and Neurovascular Center, robotic surgery, Comprehensive Stroke Center, Cancer Centers of Colorado, Orthopedics, a Level II Trauma Center, and emergency services including a Senior Emergency Room. Senior-focused services also include a dedicated Senior Behavioral Health unit. Lutheran operations include West Pines, Lutheran Hospice, and the Spine Center at Denver West.

Lutheran Medical Center is part of the Intermountain Healthcare system. Based in Utah with locations in seven states (Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming) and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit healthcare system comprised of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,800 employed physicians and advanced practice providers. To help people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs consistently.