YOUR AD HERE »

Grand County teams up with Winter Park Resort, Denver Health, West Grand schools for COVID-19 response

The Vintage Hotel at Winter Park Resort.
Winter Park Resort/Courtesy photo

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify how the Vintage Hotel would be used if the facility is needed for Grand County’s COVID-19 response.

The Board of Grand County Commissioners approved on Monday three agreements with local entities to secure space and staff for the county’s COVID-19 response in case it’s needed.

First, the county teamed up with Winter Park Resort to reserve 111 rooms at the Vintage Hotel for an isolation facility if needed. The hotel would be used for patients not able to return to their homes during the quarantine period. According to the agreement, the county would pay $4,000 per week, which covers the rooms, room supplies, and food and beverage service.



“It’s proactive and it’s not going to cost us anything unless we use it,” Commissioner Kris Manguso said. “Thank you to Winter Park.”

The board also approved an agreement with Denver Health for health care staff for an isolation care facility and other needs the county may have for the COVID-19 response.



The agreement includes 96 hours per week of registered nurse time and 72 hours per week for clerical work. Grand County is responsible for providing the medical equipment, as well as reimbursing Denver Health at a rate of $49 per hour for nurses and $26 per hour for clerical personnel.

In addition to those agreements, the board approved a memorandum of understanding with the West Grand School District for use of the middle school gym for a potential medical treatment center or to house the county’s COVID-19 response team. Any costs associated with the use of the gym would be the county’s responsibility. 

“I am thankful that we’re being proactive and prepared as best we can,” Commissioner Rich Cimino said. 

While commissioners hope the county doesn’t need to utilize these agreements, Public Health Director Brene Belew-LaDue noted that the county hasn’t seen its peak number of COVID-19 cases yet.

“We’re in the acceleration phase; we haven’t hit the peak yet,” she said. “Hopefully the social distancing and all of the different things we’ve put in order will help.”

More Like This, Tap A Topic
coronavirus

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.