Middle Park Health 2023 Boundary Expansion Survey

Magellan Strategies is pleased to present the topline results of an online survey of 579 registered voters in the Kremmling Memorial Hospital District as well as the rest of Grand County, Colorado. The survey interviewed 122 respondents in the Kremmling Memorial Hospital District and 457 residents within the expansion area, voters that live in Grand County but are currently not within the boundary of the hospital district. The interviews were conducted from March 20th to April 3rd, 2023.

This survey, conducted by Magellan Strategies on behalf of Middle Park Health, examined voter attitudes toward the potential expansion of the Kremmling Memorial Hospital District to include all of Grand County, Colorado. The survey captured views from both current district residents and those living in the proposed expansion area.

Voters generally held favorable views of Middle Park Health and expressed broad approval of the job it did providing hospital and health services to the region. Satisfaction with the quality and accessibility of care was high, though satisfaction with the cost of care was considerably lower, reflecting a wider sense among many respondents that healthcare affordability was a concern for their families.

Among current district residents, strong majority support existed for expanding the hospital district’s boundaries to cover all of Grand County. When presented with information about the specific services the expansion would enable — including a 24/7 emergency department, CT scanning, and expanded specialty care — support generally increased further. The argument that sharing the tax burden more broadly across Grand County was fair resonated most strongly with this group.

The ballot measure tested among current district voters involved expanding the district while simultaneously reducing property taxes for existing residents. This framing generated very high levels of support, with the vast majority indicating they would vote to approve it.

For voters in the expansion area — those who would face a new property tax — initial support was more modest, with roughly half approving and a substantial share opposed. The most persuasive arguments for this group centered on reducing ambulance transfers to Denver, building a full-time 24/7 emergency department in Fraser, and improving access to imaging services. The fairness argument — that expansion area residents were already using services funded solely by Kremmling taxpayers — also resonated meaningfully.

After being exposed to a range of informational messages about the expansion’s benefits, support among expansion area voters increased modestly, with opposition declining. The shift suggested that greater awareness of the proposal’s specific benefits moved some persuadable voters toward approval, though a firm bloc of opposition remained.

When skeptical expansion area voters were tested on a lower mill levy option at a reduced annual cost, it did little to convert opponents. The opposition among those already inclined to reject the measure appeared to be rooted in resistance to any new taxation rather than the specific dollar amount, suggesting price sensitivity was not the primary driver of their reluctance.