Mountaintop Medicine

What does it say about an organization when people sign up to be temporary employees, and then choose to become staff and stay? At Estes Park Health, we think it speaks volumes. Take Angela Waldon who took a job as a traveling healthcare worker at Estes Park Health. She is a CT technologist, conducting important diagnostic imaging scans for patients. “I started working as a traveler after COVID at...

When she first took a job at Estes Park Health in 1981, nurse Cindy Kingswood never dreamed she would still be working here more than 42 years later. “My goal was to work for the summer and then I’d find someplace else to go,” Kingswood remembered. “After the summer, I decided one year would look good on a resume. And then in that year, I met my husband.” Kingswood lives in Estes Park, close enoug...

If an accident or an illness lands you in the hospital at Estes Park Health, our hospitalists are ready to get you better and get you home. “A hospitalist is a physician that’s supervising and in charge of care of hospitalized patients,” explained Dr. Christopher Ryan who is one of three hospitalists who take care of patients in the inpatient unit at EPH. “We see the kinds of bread-and-butter medi...

Peggy Beck of Estes Park recently had brief eye surgery at Estes Park Health that will help change her vision for the better. Like many seniors, Peggy has cataracts. That’s a condition when the lens inside your eye becomes cloudy over time due to protein degradation as the eye ages. “Pretty much everybody gets cataracts,” EPH Ophthalmologist Dr. Sarah Dech said. “It’s just whether they get bad eno...

Peggy Beck of Estes Park recently had brief eye surgery at Estes Park Health that will help change her vision for the better. Like many seniors, Peggy has cataracts. That’s a condition when the lens inside your eye becomes cloudy over time due to protein degradation as the eye ages. “Pretty much everybody gets cataracts,” EPH Ophthalmologist Dr. Sarah Dech said. “It’s just whether they get bad eno...

Evelyn Wilson of Estes Park took an important step in protecting her bone health this month. She got a DEXA scan. DEXA stands for Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. Simply put, it’s a quick and painless test using x-ray to help physicians monitor the density of your bones. “It can be your primary, any doctor, an orthopedic doctor, even endocrinologists because they’re interested in thyroid labs and...

In early January 2024, Dr. Gavin Bishop will join the Estes Park Health team as an orthopedic specialist. He will provide general orthopedic care as well as orthopedic surgeries at the hospital. “With the surgeries I perform, I really like working with the patients and getting them back to health,” Dr. Bishop said. “I enjoy performing them all, but I particularly enjoy performing total hip replace...

For patients in Estes Park Health’s Outpatient Infusion Center, the road to recovery just got a little more scenic. More than 20 artists who live in and around the Estes Valley donated more than two dozen pieces of framed watercolors, oils, photographs, and pen and ink drawings to line the walls of this special patient care area. Gallery Manager Lars Sage of the Art Center of Estes Park helped sol...

Drew Webb of Estes Park is getting ready for a high-tech imaging test called magnetic resonance imaging or MRI. Estes Park Health installed a new 1.5 Tesla MRI in 2022. It’s an incredible piece of medical machinery. “I’ve been having some issues with my lower back and hip,” Webb explained. “I had some x-rays done. They were negative. Thank goodness. They thought they needed to take an MRI and see...

Before the discovery of x-ray technology, the only way physicians could look inside the body was to cut it open. All that changed in the 1890s when x-rays became part of a noninvasive medical revolution. “X-ray is foundation of what we do,” explained Estes Park Health radiologist Dr. John Knudtson. “It’s part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It’s something that we use to transmit through the body...

It’s an important job with a funny name: phlebotomist. Estes Park Health employs five phlebotomists who draw blood for the thousands of tests the laboratory runs every year. These blood draws are crucial for diagnosing medical conditions and monitoring the effectiveness of medication and treatment. Without lab results, physicians would often be flying blind. Laurie Larricq has worked in healthcare...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month American women have a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer sometime in their lives. Linda Hansen of Estes Park recently took an important step to find out if she could be one of them by having a mammogram at EPH. At age 72, she has been undergoing. screening mammograms for decades. “It’s painless and so far, all of my results have been good so th...

When you’re sick or injured but you don’t need the emergency room and you can’t get into your regular physician’s office, Estes Park Health’s Urgent Care Center is close and convenient. Staffed with professionals who know how to take care of everything from bumps and bruises to simple bone breaks and infections, our Urgent Care is ready to take care of business quickly and efficiently. “There are...

Modern medicine uses amazing technology to look inside the body for diagnosis and treatment. Fluoroscopy – or moving x-ray – is one of the amazing tools radiologists use to peer inside and watch body functions and anatomy in real time. Estes Park Health installed a new fluoroscopy machine in the summer of 2023. “The images are clearer,” said EPH Radiologist Dr. John Knudtson. “You can see the anat...

With an array of massive machines, microscopes, hoods and vials, Laboratory Services at Estes Park Health is the heartbeat of the hospital. Without lab test results, doctors are simply listening to symptoms and guessing. Medical Laboratory Scientists or Medical Technologists -- as they are also referred to – are often called the hidden professionals who save lives. Every sample of blood, urine, st...

Our feet are amazingly complex. We have 28 bones in the foot and ankle, 30 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments, all of which work together to provide support, balance, and mobility. It’s no surprise then that people often experience injury, pain or disease involving the feet and ankles that requires the help of a qualified specialist, like Dr. Paxon Riding of Estes Park Health...

For Dr. Chris Bogardus, moving to Estes Park and taking a job at Estes Park Health is a dream come true. She is a Colorado native, born in Colorado Springs, who used to come to Estes Park each Thanksgiving. “We used to come up to Estes Park for the Thanksgiving buffet at the YMCA,” she recalled. “I spent my childhood roaming these hills and I’m glad to be back.” Dr. Bogardus started working as EPH...

Deborah Adams of Estes Park recently opted for an important test everyone loves to hate: a colonoscopy. Estes Park Health surgeons perform these colon cancer screenings each week for people like Deborah. Her last test was ten years ago, and she is due for another one. “I’ve always believed in the importance of prevention,” the 69-year-old commented. “But right now, it’s especially important becaus...

Estes Park Health offers therapeutic phlebotomies High altitude living can put people at greater risk for excess red blood cells  Living in the Rocky Mountains has many advantages including spectacular weather and breathtaking scenery. However, high-altitude can also bring on potential health issues. One of those is a condition called polycythemia which can develop as the body makes more red bloo...

Whether it’s wrangling the horses or hanging on to a bull, rodeo participants can put their bodies at risk when they engage in their high energy sports. That’s why the professionals at Estes Park Health are always on site at the Rooftop Rodeo, providing orthopedic, nursing, physical therapy, and emergency care to keep everyone involved in the event safe. “We have a lot of rodeo participants who sp...

When it comes to high-tech equipment, the CT scanner is one of the centerpieces of diagnostic imaging, giving radiologists an extraordinarily detailed look inside the body. “There’s no doubt that the CT scanner is the workhorse modality of every radiology department,” explained Estes Park Health radiologist Dr. John Knudtson. “It gets more use than any machine. CT stands for computed tomography. A...

Four dedicated doctors make up Estes Park Health’s pediatric team. With the departure of long-time EPH pediatrician Dr. Mark Wiesner at the end of March, some parents may be wondering which provider to make appointments with. Pediatrician Dr. Megan Ross sees patients at EPH Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. In addition to Dr. Ross, Family Practice Drs. Robyn Zehr, Paige Dekker and Bridget Dunn als...

Reclaim your best life close to home with EPH rehab Whether you need monitored exercise, deep massage or the right machine to help you reclaim your health and function, the specialists at Estes Park Health’s Rehabilitation Services are ready to help you get back to good. “The help I’ve gotten here has been incredible,” said Shirl Lawrence of Estes Park. She had both knees replaced. Now, she is tur...

The Vaccines For Children (VFC) program is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention buys vaccine at a discounted rate for distribution to registered VFC providers.  Recently, the Colorado state administrative arm came to Estes Park Health for an annual s...

Occupational Therapist Paul Asher’s tools of the trade are different than many healthcare workers. His office is filled with splinting materials, adaptive devices, a paraffin hand bath and plastic pegs and cones. Asher’s job is to help patients regain function after illness, injury, surgery or a new medical diagnosis. “We are the therapy that addresses the upper half of the body, from the shoulder...