A New Vision for Our Community | A Message from AVH’s New CEO, Dr. Richard Becker

Greetings, Aspen, and the entire Roaring Fork Valley! I am just a few weeks into the role of CEO at Aspen Valley Health and am already incredibly impressed with not only the outstanding quality of our services that results from the deep commitment at every level to the AVH mission of extraordinary healthcare, but also with the culture of excellence, compassion, integrity and trust that is central to everything we do.

Even in my brief time at AVH, it is easy to understand why we have numerous top recognitions for our quality of care, outstanding patient experience and staff satisfaction. The entire AVH staff, physicians and leadership, including the Board and my distinguished predecessor, Dave Ressler, through their tireless work and clear focus, have developed a remarkable system of care for this community.

I am grateful for the many strengths of the AVH system and genuinely excited to continue building greater depth and breadth of services for our community. I also recognize the need to communicate better to our residents the outstanding care we offer in a multitude of clinical areas, both primary and specialty care—we want you to know more about the incredible services we provide!

There is, today, a tremendous and meaningful opportunity at Aspen Valley Health. I envision AVH as a leader in rural healthcare, not just in our region and the state but also as a national model. We must ensure our community has reliable and affordable access to outstanding primary, specialty and tertiary care, which includes providing at AVH some complex care that is within the capability of a strong community healthcare system. We must continue to improve health and wellbeing for our entire community, especially for our most vulnerable residents who often live with chronic illnesses or behavioral health issues that food, housing or job instability significantly worsen. And we must develop further some specific and unique services, as is already happening in orthopedic and GI surgery, for which AVH can become recognized as a destination for patients everywhere.

Our entire team is re-energized and highly focused on the opportunity to build a truly unique patient experience that enables AVH to meet a multitude of healthcare needs in the Roaring Fork Valley while also developing destination services that patients seek because of our ability to deliver excellence in the unique, beautiful and remarkable environment and community that is Aspen. We are eager to fulfill this vision and invite you to learn more.