Pilot Site Profile
Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Penrose Cancer Center
Web sites:
Hospital: www.penrosestfrancis.org
Cancer Center: www.penrosecancercenter.org/
Richard O’Connell, CEO, Penrose-St. Francis Health Services
James Young, MD, Medical Director, Cancer Center and Lead Physician
Dennis Bruens, Administrative Director
Background
Penrose-St. Francis Health Services is comprised of three hospitals – St. Francis Health Center, Penrose Hospital, and Penrose Community Hospital – and a new fourth hospital opening in 2008. In 2004, Penrose-St. Francis was the only health system in the nation to be recognized by the top three organizations that rank health systems in the United States: Solucient 100 Top Hospitals, National Benchmarks for Success Award; J.D. Powers & Associates trophy for Outstanding Patient Experience; and HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence. The Penrose Cancer Center treated 1,128 new cancer patients in 2005 and 1,114 new cancer cases in 2006.
Patient Service Area
Penrose Hospital is located in Colorado Springs, 70 miles south of Denver with a population of 564,776. In addition to the largely suburban Colorado Springs, the hospital serves patients in the 2,000 square miles of rural area to the west, east, and south. The population is growing increasingly diverse with three-quarters of the population White, 13 percent Hispanic, 6 percent African American, 3 percent Asian, and 1 percent American Indian. The median family income is above the national average, at $51,181. El Paso County, home of Penrose-St. Francis, is designated as a health professional shortage area in primary care for its low-income populations. Its southern and central urban corridor is also a medically underserved area. One in five people in El Paso County are uninsured.
Access and Outreach Initiatives
Penrose participates in several cancer-specific outreach programs, including genetic counseling for African American and Hispanic families, and JUNTAS and the ANGEL Network, for breast health education through the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and prostate and colorectal cancer awareness through the Colorado Cancer Coalition, and other programs.
