West Springs Hospital’s board of directors announced the hospital will close March 10, leaving the Grand Valley without an inpatient psychiatric hospital.

The board made the announcement in a news release Feb. 24, and it emphasized outpatient services are not impacted by the hospital closure.

“While West Springs Hospital is located on the main campus, all outpatient services that are located there remain open. That includes outpatient psychiatry services, withdrawal management program in Grand Junction, case management, therapy and the Residential program in Clifton, and many, many more,” the news release said.

The news release listed three primary reasons for closing West Springs Hospital:

• “Fiscal Position: The hospital’s financial challenges, compounded by industry fluctuations.
• “Medicaid Unwinding: The uncertain future around Medicaid and a cloudy healthcare landscape.
• “Underutilization: Despite being licensed for 48 beds, or even 64 beds as it was in the past, West Springs Hospital has had an annual average daily census of 30 or less each year since 2019. Although the census rose in 2024, reaching as high as 38 in some months, it was not enough to sustain operations.”

The West Springs board provided a statement that said: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the upcoming closure of West Springs Hospital. This decision was not made lightly, and we understand the profound impact it will have on our patients, staff and community.

“West Springs Hospital has proudly provided inpatient psychiatric care to the Western Slope for 20 years, but it is time to take a step back and explore other care models that are more sustainable in today’s changing healthcare landscape.

“The Board of Directors understands its commitment in maintaining the building that the community funded and is evaluating other opportunities and potential uses of the building that would still meet vital healthcare needs and maintain a unique gem in Grand Junction.”

Board Chair Carlos Cornejo added the board is “exploring more modern care models that would meet the need for acute mental healthcare support.” And it is evaluating the possibility of starting an acute treatment unit or a crisis stabilization unit.

“Some of our community partners want us to explore that option,” Cornejo said.

With West Springs Hospital closing, Larkin Health Systems and Mind Springs Inc. mutually agreed to part ways and not renew the organization’s management agreement.

“We are grateful to Larkin Health for their invaluable guidance and support during this transition. We would like to especially thank Nicholas Torres for his time and commitment in overseeing the organization these past few months,” said Carol Skubic, board treasurer. “We are exploring other partnership opportunities.”