Pioneers Healthcare Foundation Receives Approval for Enterprise Zone Contribution Project
Funds from this project will support the mission and strategic plan of Pioneers Medical Center and the White River Valley community at large.
MEEKER, COLORADO, UNITED STATES, May 3, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- MEEKER, CO – April 26, 2022 – Pioneers Healthcare Foundation (PHF) has recently been approved for funding associated with the Colorado Economic Development Commission’s Enterprise Zone Contribution Project. These financial incentives will play an integral role in PHF’s ability to improve the healthcare services provided by Pioneers Medical Center1 (PMC). In addition, these resources will directly contribute to the economic growth of the entire White River Valley region. Currently, PHF is the only Enterprise Zone Contribution Project approved in Rio Blanco County.
“We’re excited to have been approved to receive funds as part of the Enterprise Zone Contribution Project. We’re confident that this money will have a positive impact on our community, as eligible donations will benefit the hospital’s projects – including the goal of medical tourism – in hopes of creating economic development for the town of Meeker and all of Rio Blanco County,” said Rachel Gates, Director of the Pioneers Healthcare Foundation Board.
As part of these incentives, the Enterprise Zone Contribution Tax Credit provides a tax credit to Colorado taxpayers that contribute to the targeted enterprise zone (EZ) projects:
• Cash donations of $250 or more are eligible to receive state income tax credits
• 25% of a cash donation will be designated as a state income tax credit
• 12.5% of an in-kind donation will be designated as a state income tax credit
• The amount of this tax credit is capped at $100,000 per taxpayer per tax year
• If donors cannot use all of their credits in a given tax year, they can carry the balance forward up to five years
In many ways, Pioneers Medical Center serves as one of the backbones of the White River Valley community. Not only is PMC one of the leading healthcare facilities in the region, but it is also the largest employer in the town of Meeker, with over 270 full-time employees. In addition, the expansion of Colorado Advanced Orthopedics3 (CAO), the facility’s orthopedics program, has contributed to a rise in medical tourism which helps spur other areas of the local economy.
Current orthopedic patient data reveals that individuals are traveling to Meeker from all over the nation in order to access the high-quality care provided by CAO’s Fellowship trained, board-certified orthopedic surgeons. According to this data, 42.6% of patients served by CAO between November 2017 and December 2021 were from out of town. In many instances, friends or family members would accompany out-of-town patients to Meeker, directly contributing to the ongoing success of local restaurants, hotels, and small businesses. In order to maintain the ability to accommodate these out-of-town patients, PMC must keep up with the technological and surgical advancements throughout the healthcare industry.
The funds provided by the Enterprise Zone Contribution Project will support a variety of PHF initiatives. One of the primary goals is to help expand medical tourism in the coming years, with a target of 500 additional out-of-town patients in the next five years. To accommodate these new patients, the Foundation plans on engaging in a competitive marketing campaign to recruit additional Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons to CAO. This will support additional job growth throughout the PMC organization to accommodate the growing need for healthcare services. In addition, the infusion of money from medical tourism should create jobs throughout other areas of the community as well.
By bringing in an increasing number of out-of-town patients, PMC will indirectly boost sales tax revenue across Rio Blanco County, which will provide the ability to invest in the local economy and other important services that will benefit the community at large.
About Pioneers Health Foundation
Pioneers Healthcare Foundation’s mission2 is to raise philanthropic dollars for healthcare programs, services and equipment that will strengthen the Meeker community’s healthcare capacity. The money raised by Pioneers Healthcare Foundation has played an integral role in ensuring all members of the community have access to the important medical services they need. PHF is focused on working with the community to raise the bar for healthcare in the White River Valley.
Website: https://pioneershealthfoundation.org/
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Rachel Gates
Pioneers Medical Center
+1 970-878-5047
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1 https://www.pioneershospital.org/
2 https://pioneershealthfoundation.org/
3 https://coloradoadvancedorthopedics.com/