This year, Boulder Community Health is celebrating an impressive 100 years of keeping Boulder County residents safe and healthy. And, in honor of the company’s 100th anniversary, the Museum of Boulder is unveiling a new exhibit called “100 Years of Boulder Community Health,” which will be on view through Sept. 19.
The exhibition tells the story of 100 years of BCH history, from its founding on April 19, 1922, all the way through to the medical innovations of the present era. Through the COVID-19 pandemic and countless emergencies, the health system’s skilled, compassionate professionals have been there every step of the way.
It features historical photos of BCH buildings throughout the years and artifacts, like a “Candy Striper” nurse’s uniform and baby bracelet from December 1946.
“It not only looks back at our incredible past, but it reminds visitors how BCH has thrived, right alongside the Boulder Valley,” says Robert Vissers, president and CEO of BCH. “It tells the story of how we’ve remained, through our 100-year history, committed to providing our community with local access to the very latest crucial, lifesaving care and services—all made possible by our dedicated staff, providers and volunteers, and by the generosity of our supporters.”
There’s also a multimedia component to the exhibit, including an interactive mall that allows museum-goers to record voice memos or write notes of gratitude for BCH health care workers. A “Born to Be” wall shines a light on the BCH staffers who make the 100-year-old organization run so smoothly and provide top-notch care to all patients.
The health system was founded on the idea that locals should control their own healthcare resources.
Today, Boulder Community Health is a community-owned and operated, nonprofit health system with locations throughout Boulder County. Roughly 430 physicians are affiliated with BCH, including specialists in stroke care, orthopedics, cancer care, neurosurgery, heart care and more.
Its flagship location is Foothills Hospital, which has state-of-the-art technologies and infrastructure for providing high-quality care. The building was the first LEED-certified hospital in the United States and the first in the nation to install a rooftop solar energy system. It also grows vegetables on the roof, then serves them in the cafeteria.
BCH is one of just two remaining independent, nonprofit hospitals in all of Colorado and its the second largest employer within the city of Boulder.
The exhibit is included with the price of admission to the Museum of Boulder and it’s free for all BCH employees, as well as the museum’s members. Admission is $10 for adults, and $8 for seniors, college students and children ages 5 to 17. Children under five get in free.
The exhibit “builds on the Museum of Boulder’s important mission of presenting, acquiring and showcasing stories as a dynamic reflection of our community and a resource for understanding our own lives and times,” says Lori Preston, the museum’s executive director.
