This story was written by The Yuma Pioneer. If you’d like to subscribe, email [email protected] or call 970-848-2174.

The Yuma Ambulance Service and Yuma District Hospital headlined the Northeast RETAC awards ceremony last week.

The annual awards ceremony was held at the Thompson Valley EMS building in Loveland.

The Yuma Ambulance Service’s Keriann Josh was honored as EMS Leader of the Year.

The Yuma Ambulance Service’s Michael Brophy was honored as the BLS EMS Professional of the Year.

Yuma District Hospital’s Dr. Matt Nowland was honored as Trauma Medical Director of the Year.

The Northeast Colorado Regional Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Council (NCRETAC for short) is a cohort of dozens of EMS agencies across nine counties in northeastern Colorado (Jackson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma counties).

The NCRETAC Annual Awards celebrate the people and organizations who quietly and consistently strengthen emergency medical and trauma care across Northeast Colorado. These recipients represent the best of our regional system — professionals who show up for their communities, support one another across agencies, and help ensure patients receive high-quality care no matter where or when they need it. By recognizing leadership, clinical excellence, education, and collaboration, these awards highlight the individuals and teams whose work makes our EMS and trauma system safer, stronger, and more connected for the communities they serve.

Dr. Matthew Nowland exemplifies the role of a trauma medical director who strengthens both clinical practice and system performance.

As Trauma Medical Director at Yuma District Hospital, Dr. Nowland provides thoughtful leadership across the trauma continuum. His work reflects a commitment not only to high-quality patient care, but to continuous improvement, education, and collaboration with EMS partners throughout the region.

The nomination submitted on his behalf highlights his dedication to strengthening clinical standards, supporting multidisciplinary teams, and ensuring that trauma care remains coordinated, accountable, and responsive to the needs of the community. In rural systems especially, medical leadership plays a critical role in aligning hospital capabilities with prehospital care.

Dr. Nowland’s engagement with EMS agencies, quality improvement initiatives, and system development efforts reinforces that connection. His leadership helps ensure that trauma patients receive timely, evidence-informed care from the scene through definitive treatment.

For his commitment to clinical excellence, system collaboration, and advancing trauma care across Northeast Colorado, we are proud to recognize Dr. Matthew Nowland as our Trauma Medical Director of the Year.

Dr. Blitch calling Yuma home

This story was written by The Yuma Pioneer. If you’d like to subscribe, email [email protected] or call 970-848-2174.

Alexander Blitch, M.D., said he is thrilled to be a part of the Yuma community.

“Ultimately, I think I chose Yuma because of the excellent hospital and excellent community,” he said late last week.

Dr. Blitch has been a primary care provider at Yuma District Hospital and Clinics since September, seeing patients in the clinic and working in the ER. He and his girlfriend Hannah Wiser have purchased a house in Yuma and are integrating themselves into the community.
He first came to Yuma while doing a rural rotation during his residency at Poudre Valley in Fort Collins. He said he went to Old Threshers Days during that time, met some people in the community, and ended up staying in Yuma the whole month even on his off days.

“I really got to know the people and loved it,” Dr. Blitch said. “I also love working the excellent staff they have here; that and the community itself. Great patients and great co-workers.”

He brought a U-Haul full of possessions to Yuma in August. He said it took him three days to load it, but it took the Yuma High School girls wrestling team only 20 minutes to unload. The good doctor said he really enjoyed his interaction with the Yuma teens.

Dr. Blitch’s enthusiasm for Yuma extends beyond him. His parents came here for Thanksgiving and have extended their stay because they are enjoying it so much.

The irony is Dr. Blitch has spent his life living all over the world.

His father, who is half-American, half-Spanish, was in the U.S. Navy stationed near the small beach town of Rota, Spain, when he met his future wife. To this marriage came Alejandro Blitch. (He goes by Alexander because it is the English version of Alejandro, he said.)

Dr. Blitch’s father retired from the Navy, but still moved all over due to his new job in the financial world. Dr. Blitch said grew up living in Argentina, Venezuela, California, Utah, Oregon, back to Spain, and then to Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.

He earned his degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Utah.

“I always liked human physiology and biomechanics,” Dr. Blitch said. “I did not start out wanting to be a doctor.”

However, he started volunteering at the Hope Clinic in south Salt Lake, and started to realize he liked the interaction.

“I always loved biology, but I also love people so I had to shift,” he said.

He enrolled into the University of Utah School of Medicine. It was during that time his enthusiasm for practicing in small towns started to blossom as he did rural rotations in small communities throughout Utah.

He knew Yuma was the place he wanted to be by the time he graduated from medical school and completed his residency.

Now Dr. Blitch is serving the community, winning new patients along the way.

“The way I practice medicine is (the patient) should be the smartest person in the room,” he said. “They know themselves better than I do. I am a big advocate for patient autonomy. I like to break down the wall and let them make informed decisions about themselves.

“I give recommendations based on what’s good for the patient, what’s good for you.”

Being bilingual also helps him connect to a significant sector YDHC’s customers.

“I really like the opportunity to provide care in the language you speak, wither it be Spanish or English,” Dr. Blitch.

Dr. Todd McLaughlin and Dr. Daniel Edmondson also are bilingual, as well as ER Dr. Michelle Disher. Nurse Practitioner Melissa Kriley, who starts at YDHC on January 6, is bilingual. YDHC also employs a full-time interpreter to support patients, and many of the support staff also is bilingual.

“I think it’s a differentiator for our services,” CEO Anne Kreutzer said.

Dr. Blitch works full time each week, either in the clinic or in the ER. He was asked about the purpose of patients having a primary care provider. He said he was glad he was asked.

“You want someone who knows and advocates for you if you do get sick,” he said, explaining the importance of having regular check-ups with your doctor. “It’s someone to have on your side.”

One can make an appointment with Dr. Blitch, or any other of the family medicine providers at YDHC, by calling 848-5405.

Oh, and if you want to have a little bit of a snicker about the good doctor’s surname, go right ahead, he does not mind.

After all, as he pointed out, all the men in his family are a son of a Blitch.

New MRI at YDH already making an impact

This story was written by The Yuma Pioneer. If you’d like to subscribe, email [email protected] or call 970-848-2174.

Yuma Hospital District CEO Anne Kreutzer provided an update on the Big Beautiful Bill impact on health care during the board of director’s regular monthly meeting, last week in the Pearse Board Room.

All five members were in attendance: President Mitch Korf, Mark Werts, Delaina Klein, Elizabeth Hickman and Monica King.

Kreutzer based her information on a report from the national Advisory Board.

Cuts in the legislation include $1.2 trillion health care impact. It includes market place tax credits, medicaid cost shares, a work requirement for Medicaid and more.

Potentially, 14.2 million people in the United States could lose their health insurance. Kreutzer said that will move them to self-pay, but many will not be able to afford the services provided so health care providers will have to write it off.

“Sequestration” would kick in if the country’s deficit would get too high. If that occurs, YDH would receive 94 percent of costs for Medicaid services instead of the current 99 percent. There could be less coming to the facility from the Medicare Provider Tax as well.

Kreutzer said YDH would not start realizing the impacts until 2027, “so we have time to plan how to position the district to withstand the storm that will be coming.”

The board took steps in that direction by passing some resolutions during last week’s meeting. One is to discontinue the automatic rollover in Raymond James Investment accounts. Instead, it will be determined where to invest those funds for the best return when that time rolls around.

Another passed resolution closes a public fund operational account at TBK Bank, and reinvest those funds. It was noted TBK has been a good partner with the district, but the district is just looking for higher interest income.

Another resolution closes multiple accounts at Bank of Colorado, simplifying the process into one account.

Interim Financial Officer Colette Martin as approved as a signator on the district’s accounts so she could complete the above tasks.

Martin provided the financial report for August, showing the district still remains on pace for a strong year financially.

A 2026 preliminary budget was presented to the board, as that had to be done by October 15 to meet special district requirements. A notice of budget will be published, and the budget will be fine tuned until it comes back before the board for final approval in December.

A capital request from the Rehab Department for two new pieces of exercise equipment was approved, at a cost of $14,098.

Kreutzer told the board that clinic hours at Harmony Home/Eben Ezer are expected to start in October.

She said a new lab tech was scheduled to begin working here this past Monday. It is the first time in a long time that YDH Lab will not have any traveling lab staff (locums), which is expensive.

Flu shot clinics are coming up in October, and the health fair will be at the end of the month.

New medical staff appointments approved by the board were for: Alexander Blitch, MD, family medicine; Ryan LeBaron, MD, radiology, and; Jason Wadibia, MD, neurology.

Approved reappointments were for: Austin Reed, CRNA, anesthesiology; Alan Favier, FNP, family medicine; Jill Wilson, MD, radiology, and; Robert Jelinek, DPM, podiatry. The board approved the resigned privileges of Brian Davis, MD, orthopedics.

October 22 will be the board’s next regular meeting.