Founded in 1993 as a nonprofit 501 ( c )( 3 ) organization, HopeWest is dedicated to profoundly changing the way our community experiences aging, serious illness and grief—one family at a time.

We were created through a community-wide vision and are owned by the communities we are privileged to serve. Our founders recognized the need for comprehensive, expert and collaborative care for those facing aging, serious illness and the need for effective grief support for their loved ones.

With only six employees, we cared for 81 patients and their families in 1993 – our first year of operation. Today, we serve more than 7,000 square miles with 5 offices and a state-of-the-art HopeWest Hospice Care Center. With a staff of 370 and more than 1,300 volunteers, care is provided to more than 2,500 patients and well-over 1,500 individuals coping with grief every year in Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Ouray and Rio Blanco Counties.

HopeWest is so much more than a hospice or health care organization. We are a hospice, palliative care organization, counseling program, and social program providing support to people in their homes, hospitals, and assisted living residences – regardless of age or illness.

The organization provides extensive bereavement services for people of all ages. Adults receive individual counseling, grief education and group support. HopeWest Kids is the only program of its kind in western Colorado providing an extensive array of creative grief services, such as: Itty bitty Camp for preschoolers, Camp Good Grief for older children and Teen Retreats for teens, equine therapy, and grief support groups in all grade schools, middle schools and high schools across the region.

We are woven into the communities we serve through our Board of Directors, Foundation Board and Advisory Boards in every community where we have an office. Philanthropy is key to helping support the mission and is raised through grants, individual and corporate gifts, events and support from our retail businesses – Spoons bistro & bakery, Heirlooms for Hospice and Artful Cup. Proceeds from each of the retail entities help change lives every day by supporting the mission of HopeWest.

HopeWest has a tradition of collaboration and innovation that creates change. Philanthropy is a core part of our needed resources – gifts from the heart that impact people’s lives. Our community is part of making this happen!