Mt. San Rafael Hospital again ranks among Colorado’s top rural facilities

Mt. San Rafael Hospital and Clinics in Trinidad has landed in Colorado’s top 10 rural healthcare facilities for overall performance for the second straight year, a ranking that matters here because the hospital is one of the county’s main options for care close to home. The 25-bed critical access hospital serves Trinidad and the surrounding areas, with inpatient, outpatient and emergency room services available around the clock.

The 2026 honors were presented April 17 at the Colorado Rural Healthcare Conference in Broomfield. The Colorado Rural Health Center said the award recognizes rural hospitals and clinics that show strong performance, innovation and commitment to their communities, with judges weighing preventive care and vaccination efficiency, overhead and administrative efficiency, clinical throughput, staffing stability and investment, and revenue cycle and reimbursement. The award is designed to look past splashy projects and measure whether a facility is running well enough to deliver dependable care day after day.

That day-to-day performance is especially important in Las Animas County, where residents often have to travel long distances for specialty care. Mt. San Rafael says it has been serving Trinidad and surrounding communities since 1972, and its emergency room is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The hospital also participates in Medicare and Medicaid, a detail that matters for families who depend on public coverage and for a community where access and affordability can determine whether people seek care early or wait until problems get worse.

The recognition also places Mt. San Rafael among a broader network of rural providers trying to keep care local across southern Colorado. The Western Healthcare Alliance said eight of its member organizations received the 2026 top 10 overall performance award, including Aspen Valley Health, Family Health West, Grand River Health, Gunnison Valley Health, Rangely District Hospital, Rio Grande Hospital and Southwest Health System, alongside Mt. San Rafael.

At Mt. San Rafael, the leadership team includes CEO Kim Lucero, Chief Nursing Officer Shannon Castellano, Chief Financial Officer Calvin Carey, Chief Information Officer Michael Archuleta, Director of Compliance Rob Bukovac and Director of Human Resources Tammy Rogers. The board of trustees includes Kathleen Griego, Toni DeAngelis, Jun Flores, MD, Joe DeGarbo, Damian Mizera, MD, Pamela Salapich Nelson, Mike Tranter and Douglas McFarland, MD, as chief of staff ex officio. The Colorado Rural Health Center says it supports more than 200 rural health facilities and other healthcare organizations statewide, making this latest honor both a local milestone and a reminder of how much rural hospitals are expected to do with limited margins.