History

Community Hospital’s roots date back to July 1, 1946, when three trailblazing physicians pooled their resources, transformed a 12th Street cafe into a 12-bed hospital, and offered burgeoning Grand Junction a real choice in health care.
Now, more than seven decades since that first small, 12-bed hospital was started, Community Hospital is still just as dedicated to providing for the health and wellness of our growing community. Our founders were ahead of their time. Their passionate commitment to treating the whole patient, body mind and spirit, is an idea that more entrenched health care providers are catching up to.
“We called it the little MGM,” said Dr. Kenneth Graves of the hospital more formally called the Maynard, Graves and Maynard Hospital, which was founded by him and husband-and-wife Drs. Ben Maynard and Addie Maynard. The three doctors of osteopathy were not discouraged by the monumental task of starting a new hospital. “I didn’t know it was impossible, so I went ahead and did it anyhow,” Dr. Graves said.

There were few building materials for sale in post-World War II Grand Junction. Without new doors for patient rooms, the three physicians located doors that had been in buildings used to house workers decades earlier during construction of the Highline Canal.

There were no linens either, but friends and patients bought their limit of one sheet or pillowcase each as they became available in stores until enough were stockpiled to open the hospital.

Resourcefulness, responsiveness, and anticipation of community health and wellness needs have been the hallmarks of Community Hospital throughout our history.
1951: MGM Hospital is renamed Lincoln Park Hospital.
1956: The hospital becomes a nonprofit.
1959: The Doctors Clinic is built at 1060 Orchard Ave.
1961: Lincoln Park Hospital is renamed Grand Junction Osteopathic Hospital.
1965: A new hospital is dedicated at 2021 N. 12th Street.
1976: East Wing inpatient unit is added.
1983: Grand Junction Osteopathic Hospital is renamed Community Hospital.
1999: Community Hospital became the lead organization in Colorado West Healthcare Systems.
2002: Community Hospital opens First Choice Outpatient Surgery Center.
2006: Community Hospital purchases 40 acres west of the G and 24 road intersection for a new hospital campus.
2008: Planning commences for the development of the new campus, which will include a medical office building, wellness center and state-of-the-art hospital.
2011: Community Hospital and Colorado Mesa University (CMU) sign a land agreement to expedite the planning for a replacement facility for Community Hospital while providing more space for the growing CMU campus.
2012: May - The 947th Engineer Company with the Colorado National Guard clears the land at G and 24 road for the new hospital campus.
December - Groundbreaking ceremony for the new Medical Office Building (MOB) at the G and 24 road site.
2014: October - Community Hospital breaks ground on a new four-story, 140,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility. The new hospital will feature 44 private patient rooms, outpatient facilities designed specifically for the convenience of the patient, an entire floor dedicated to labor and delivery with a private entrance, and a more robust emergency department. The $49 million dollar project is slated for completion in the spring of 2016.
December - Community Hospital proudly partners with the most tenured oncology physicians on the Western Slope, with over 85 years combined experience.
2015: Community Hospital announces the addition of four certified nurse-midwives to form Grand Valley Midwives for new labor and delivery unit. In addition, Community Hospital’s Grand Valley Oncology announces an affiliation with Huntsman Cancer Institute.
2016: Thursday, March 17th - Community Hospital moves patients from the 2021 North 12th Street facility to the brand new hospital at 2351 G Road. At 6am, Chris Thomas, President and CEO announced the new hospital was open and ready to receive patients. Later that afternoon at 4:55pm, the first baby was born at the new hospital. Labor and delivery was a service line that Community Hospital hadn't offered in sixteen years. This day will always be remembered and celebrated as a huge milestone in the organization's history.
2017: Friday, March 17th - Community Hospital celebrates one year in the new facility. In April, Community Hospital was designated as a Level III Trauma Center by the Trauma Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
2018: Two long-standing board certified spine surgeons in the community join Community Hospital to form Western Colorado Spine. Shortly thereafter, Western Orthopedics and Sports Medicine joins Community Hospital.
2020: Grand Valley Oncology earns prestigious recognition of Patient-Centered Specialty Practice by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
2021: May - Community Hospital opens a state-of-the-art Cardiovascular Procedure Center.
September - Community Hospital breaks ground on the James Pulsipher Regional Cancer Center & Medical Office Building on the main hospital campus.