Montrose Regional Health (MRH) was honored with the Montrose Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) 2025 Economic Development Award at the organization’s annual meeting and luncheon on Thursday in a packed Montrose Pavilion ballroom.

MEDC Executive Director Sandy Head presented the award, recognizing MRH’s significant contributions to the local economy and healthcare infrastructure.

“For 75 years, Montrose Regional Health has been the cornerstone of healthcare in Montrose and the region,” Head said. “As the region grew, so did our hospital.”

MRH has expanded into a regional health system since its founding as a community hospital in 1950. Head spoke about the hospital’s rapid growth, particularly over the past four years, citing the addition of 250 jobs and the recruitment of 93 new providers during that period. In the first three months of 2025 alone, seven new providers have been added, with more expected, Head said.

Montrose Regional Health CEO Jeff Mengenhausen speaks to a packed crowd at the MEDC’s Annual Meeting luncheon on Thursday, March 20.

Today, MRH employs more than 950 caregivers, with total salaries and benefits exceeding $93 million annually. Head noted that MRH’s economic impact, outside the hospital’s direct impact, generates an additional $95 million in the regional economy and supports more than 1,600 additional jobs.

“Their most recent expansion was the 80,000-square-foot Ambulatory Care Center, which provides outpatient services and includes state-of-the-art technology such as robotic-assisted surgery for pain and spine procedures,” Head said. “And in 2025, they will be opening the Imaging Center at River Landing, which will offer some of the most advanced imaging technology in Colorado. We are on the map yet again.”

MRH has also expanded its reach to neighboring communities, establishing clinics in Cortez, Delta, Gunnison, and Telluride.

“They don’t go into these communities and say, ‘We’re taking over.’ They go in and say, ‘Let us help you improve what you’re doing,’ which is very admirable,” Head said.

The hospital has also partnered this year with the San Juan Healthcare Foundation to form the Montrose Regional Health Foundation, a collaboration aimed at improving healthcare access and funding critical initiatives.

MRH CEO Jeff Mengenhausen accepted the award on behalf of the hospital, crediting the organization’s board of directors and staff.

“It’s a huge honor to receive this award,” Mengenhausen said. “I’ve only been part of this community for three and a half years, and I’m so lucky to have an amazing board that is driving us in a sustainable direction. When I first got here, the first thing they said was, ‘We want this Ambulatory Care Center—get it done.’ And to have them supporting us, focusing on our community, staying independent, and now having other communities wanting to partner with us is absolutely amazing.”

Dr. Mary Vader, MRH board chair, echoed Mengenhausen’s sentiments, praising the hospital’s staff and community support.

“To represent Montrose Hospital is truly an honor,” Vader said. “It is an establishment filled with the best people in the world working here. They are our friends and family. They’re here for you. We appreciate your support of our hospital. Every employee plays a role in the life of every patient who passes through our doors, and that’s a profession.”

Head one more time praised Montrose Regional Health. “We have a diamond in this community with our hospital,” she said. “Montrose is extremely fortunate to have the leadership and commitment that has created the best medical services on the Western Slope—and, in many cases, across the state.”