By Dustin Moyer Mountain Family Health Centers CEO

Why do community health centers exist?

It's a question I hear often, and one I've spent much of my career thinking about. The answer is simple: I believe every person deserves access to high-quality healthcare, regardless of their income, insurance status, or where they live. There are few greater privileges than leading an organization whose mission is to make that belief a reality every day.

At Mountain Family Health Centers, we believe healthy communities begin with accessible healthcare. That belief is not unique to us—it is the foundation of the Community Health Center movement, which for more than 60 years has worked to ensure everyone has access to high-quality, comprehensive healthcare, regardless of their ability to pay.

Mountain Family joined that movement in 1982 with clinics in Black Hawk and Nederland. In 1999, our mission became part of the Western Slope community when local leaders sought a partner to address the loss of pediatric care for children covered by Medicaid. Mountain Family answered that call by opening a clinic in Glenwood Springs, made possible through the support of community leaders and space donated by Valley View.

Since then, we've grown alongside the communities we serve—not because we set out to expand, but because communities identified healthcare needs and invited us to be part of the solution. We opened our Rifle and Basalt clinics in 2011, assumed responsibility for Eagle Care Clinic in 2014, expanded school-based health services beginning in 2016, opened the Basalt Integrated Health Center in 2019, and most recently opened our Avon Integrated Health Center and Gypsum Integrated Health Center in 2023. Every milestone reflects a community choosing to invest in better access to care.

That is what makes Community Health Centers unique. We don't simply open clinics where there is opportunity— we grow where communities ask us to partner in improving health.

Mountain Family would not be where it is today without extraordinary partners who have shared that mission. Valley View helped establish our first Western Slope clinic. Aspen Valley Health has been instrumental in expanding care in the mid- Roaring Fork Valley. Vail Health has worked alongside us to strengthen access in Eagle County. Eagle, Garfield, and Pitkin counties have invested in ensuring healthcare remains accessible throughout our region. Schools, foundations, donors, and nonprofit organizations have also helped us meet people where they live, learn, and work.

These partnerships are about much more than buildings or funding. They represent a shared belief that everyone benefits when everyone has access to healthcare. Every child who receives preventative care, every expecting mother who can access prenatal services close to home, and every neighbor who receives behavioral health support before reaching a crisis is a reminder that investing in healthcare strengthens all of us.

Today, Mountain Family cares for17,000 patients each year across Eagle, Garfield, and Pitkin counties through integrated medical, behavioral health, dental, obstetric, and school-based health services, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. While much has changed since 1982, our mission has not.

Community health centers matter because they remind us that healthcare is not just the responsibility of one organization. It is a shared commitment. Mountain Family's story isn't really about Mountain Family—it's about what can happen when hospitals, counties, schools, nonprofits, businesses, donors, and community members come together around a simple belief: everyone deserves access to healthcare.

By investing in one another’s health to build stronger families, stronger neighborhoods, and a stronger future for everyone, we are honored to be one part of that story and grateful to every partner who continues to make it possible.