CEO Update: Happy New Year!
Another year has flown by, and things are off to a busy start for 2026. I hope you found time to reset and recharge over the holidays. At the end of the year, our team was busy putting the final touches on our 2026 Snapshot of Rural Health. This year the Snapshot was expanded to 146 pages with additional data and maps. If you haven’t had the opportunity to download the new version, I encourage you to visit https://coruralhealth.org/snapshot-of-rural-health.
One of the areas that CRHC has continued to build out in the Snapshot is on the section discussion climate change. While the warm weather we are experiencing is nice on one hand, it is having devasting consequences on our environment. In 2025, Colorado experienced the 16th driest January to July on record since 1895. It was the end of November before I saw any snow at my house and that was less than one inch and to date, we have not had a substantial snowfall. Nearly 75% of streamflow from the Upper Colorado River Basin are below normal as of August 2025. Why is this important? Eighty-three percent of the water Coloradans drink, use, and recreate in comes from the snowpack and spring runoff. This means that Colorado may soon face mandatory water cuts, increase in wildfire risks, and worsening drought conditions. It also means that crop water demands will increase. Additionally, drought has a severe impact on rural Colorado’s economy, straining the healthcare system even further.
As of August 2025, nearly 70% of the state was abnormally dry with 54% in drought conditions. Over the past 40 years, Colorado’s snowpack has declined, and extreme heat episodes are increasing. And this is having tangible effects on your patients and the work your facilities are tasked with. Heat-related medical visits in Colorado have increased by 80% and since 1990, there has been a 52% rise in extreme heat days (over 90 degrees).
If you want to learn more about climate change impacts, download the 2026 Snapshot of Rural Health and visit the RHI Hub website to see the latest rural information on climate change. The American Association of Medical Colleges has also weighed in.
