January 21, 2026
Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium (EPHC) will use the $10,000 grant funds from Eastern Colorado Bank Giving Back – Looking Forward grant program to support scholarship funding for rural healthcare professionals to attend the EPHC Annual Conference in August 2026. The EPHC
Annual Conference is a critical convening of leaders, clinicians, and innovators from rural hospitals across Eastern Colorado. As independent Critical Access Hospitals face mounting financial pressure—with many operating at or below break-even margins—it is increasingly difficult for them to afford travel and registration expenses to attend professional development and strategic learning events. This scholarship initiative will directly support frontline staff and executives from member hospitals who would otherwise be unable to attend due to financial constraints. Conference programming is built around collaborative problem-solving, shared best practices, and equipping rural health leaders with tools to strengthen operations, workforce retention, and patient care access in medically underserved
areas. The conference scholarships will ensure rural providers can learn from each other, amplify solutions, and preserve essential hospital services in the communities ECB calls home.
This project aligns with ECB’s commitment to building future growth and prosperity across Eastern Colorado. EPHC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit collaborative of rural hospitals working to strengthen care delivery, promote regional innovation, and ensure the long-term sustainability of local healthcare.
The Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium (EPHC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization representing a collaborative network of independent rural hospitals across Eastern Colorado. Formed to address the growing challenges facing rural healthcare, EPHC works to strengthen local hospital systems, improve patient access to quality care, and build sustainable health infrastructure in underserved communities. EPHC supports its member hospitals through shared services, regional data initiatives, professional
development programs, and collaborative strategies for workforce retention, care coordination, telehealth expansion, and operational excellence.
Our consortium functions as a “system without walls,” bringing together rural healthcare leaders to
share best practices, solve common problems, and deliver smarter, more connected care—without requiring mergers or loss of local governance. Headquartered in the heart of Eastern Colorado, EPHC is committed to protecting and promoting rural health by keeping care local, supporting our rural healthcare workforce, and ensuring every community we serve has access to the care it needs
to thrive.
