Founded in 1993 by Christy Whitney Borchard, HopeWest has provided services to communities across Western Colorado for over 30 years. Founded as an independent non-profit organization through the collaboration of five healthcare companies, it has since expanded its services from just a hospice to much more. Some of those include palliative care, grief services, and in-home care.
In October of 2024 the current CEO, Cassie Mitchell, announced that she would be retiring from her almost three-year position as HopeWest CEO, returning to her home state of Kentucky to take care of family.
As CEO, Mitchell strengthened HopeWest’s mission of caring for the elderly and providing comfort and counseling for grieving families. Mitchell also created new procedures to ensure quality and sustainability in HopeWest’s practices. In an article from The Business Times, Mitchell said “We knew that keeping our focus on quality while implementing sound business practices would lead to sustainability”.
Mitchell also furthered the alignment of care services by collaborating with other hospitals and care organizations, including St. Mary’s Regional Hospital.
Just because Mitchell leaves her position doesn’t mean her influence is done quite yet. A recent announcement declared that starting in the summer of 2025, HopeWest would begin a new dementia care model. Over the next eight years, a program led by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation will be aiding families, providers, and patients navigating dementia care.
HopeWest has begun to squash any false rumors at their root in the wake of her leaving. In an interview with Community Hospital CEO and HopeWest board member Chris Thomas on the Daily Sentinel, Thomas distilled many possible rumors. “To squelch any rumors before they begin, HopeWest is not for sale, is not unstable and will remain a community-owned nonprofit,” Thomas said. “Cassie and the team members at HopeWest set this nonprofit up for success as we head into a search for her successor.”
HopeWest has been serving communities in western Colorado for roughly 30 years. While the current CEO is retiring from her position, she is leaving the organization in a good place, and in good future hands as a nationwide search for a new CEO begins.