The following was published as a guest commentary in the Telluride Daily Planet on Friday, October 3, 2025. 

Healthcare in Telluride faces an existential crisis. Telluride voters will make a critical decision this November that will directly affect our community's access to healthcare. The Telluride Hospital District Board of Directors urges voters to reject the proposed Town of Telluride charter amendment, Ballot Question 300, requiring voter approval for major development projects outside of the town of Telluride which require a water connection to the Town of Telluride water.

This measure will create devastating unintended consequences for our regional medical facility project. Since 2019, the Hospital District has worked tirelessly with Genesee Properties, San Miguel County, and both Telluride and Mountain Village to secure a 2.6-acre parcel for a desperately needed new medical center. Upon approval of the project by the County Commissioners, Genesee Properties will provide the land at no cost to taxpayers, complete with essential infrastructure already in place.

The proposed amendment will effectively halt this critical project by subjecting it to added voter approval requirements, despite years of careful planning and community input. The water and sewer connections have already been reviewed and approved by the Telluride Town Council, and all necessary agreements are in place. Final approval of the development by the San Miguel Board of County Commissioners is imminent. Passage of this amendment will put at risk years of collaborative work.

Time is not on our side. We face an October 2032 deadline to complete this facility, and failure to meet this timeline will result in the loss of healthcare services in our region. This is not merely an inconvenience—it is a matter of life and death. Without adequate local medical facilities, residents will face dangerous delays in emergency care and dramatically reduced access to routine healthcare services.

Our aging population and growing community desperately need modern medical facilities. The current Society Turn development represents years of collaborative effort and compromise, delivering a solution that serves our community without burdening taxpayers with land acquisition costs.

The charter amendment will create bureaucratic obstacles that could derail essential projects like our medical facility. In emergency situations or time-sensitive developments crucial to public health and safety, added layers of approval could prove catastrophic.

We understand the desire for community input on major projects, but existing processes already offer multiple opportunities for public engagement through town council meetings, HARC and Planning and Zoning commissions, and other established channels. Adding another layer of required voter approval creates unnecessary delays that could cost lives.

The stakes could not be higher. Losing this opportunity means losing our chance at quality healthcare close to home. It means longer travel times to reach medical care, reduced emergency response capabilities, and a community less prepared to handle health crises.

We urge every voter to consider the real-world consequences of this well-meaning but harmful amendment. Vote no on Ballot Question 300 to preserve our community's healthcare future and ensure that critical projects serving public health and safety can move forward without unnecessary bureaucratic barriers.

Our community's health and wellbeing depend on your vote.

Sincerely, The Telluride Hospital District Board of Directors

Paul Reich, Chair

Tom Crabtree, MD, Vice Chair

Trisha Maxon

Banks Brown

Alison McClain