Loveland Emergency Room to Close
Northern Colorado Banner Health Facilities to End ER Services; 351 Employees Affected
Banner Health has announced significant changes to its Northern Colorado operations, including closing emergency services and impacting 351 employees, as it shifts to a specialty care model.
According to a spokesperson, the system will phase out emergency services at Banner McKee Medical Center in Loveland, the freestanding emergency department, and the Banner Urgent Care Center in Greeley, effective Nov. 5, 2025.
“About 351 positions, including 64 per diem staff, across our Northern Colorado facilities are affected by these changes,” the statement said. “More than half of affected team members will be offered a comparable position in Northern Colorado and we are hopeful that many of them will stay within the Banner system.”
Over the next 60 days, system recruiters will work to place as many employees as possible in other roles.
This transition is part of a multi-year strategy to transform service offerings throughout Northern Colorado. Banner plans to convert McKee Medical Center into a specialty hospital affiliated with the Banner North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, anchored by Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Services at the converted facility will include both inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical care, outpatient rehabilitation, interventional radiology, cardiac rehabilitation and a cardiac catheterization lab.
Alan Qualls, CEO of Banner’s Northern Colorado hospitals, explained: “Our emergency room volumes at McKee have declined each of the last four years and we’re only using 25percent of our hospital beds. …The vast majority – 88 percent – of all surgeries performed there today are outpatient procedures.”
Banner Health will continue full-service emergency care at four other Northern Colorado hospitals: Banner North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley; Banner Fort Collins Medical Center; Banner East Morgan County Hospital in Brush; and Banner Sterling Regional MedCenter in Sterling.
Community and Employee Impact
Despite the closures, the hospital system assured that it will remain committed to Northern Colorado. Many of the affected employees will be reassigned within the region, and those not immediately placed will be prioritized for openings across the system.
Meanwhile, the shift in care models reflects longstanding trends in patient behavior. As McKee’s ER volume declined each year and outpatient procedures became the norm, they responded by investing in specialty care offerings.
This transformation follows the May acquisition of seven primary care clinics and two walk-in locations from Village Medical, which added more than 150 support staff and 46 providers to its Colorado footprint.
Strategic Shift and Future Direction
Banner’s decision reflects a broader recalibration in healthcare: moving from underutilized emergency departments to centers of specialty and outpatient care. By rebranding the Loveland campus as “Banner North Colorado Medical Center – Loveland,” the hospital system aims to establish a strong reputation for cancer, cardiac, surgical and rehabilitative care.
North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, a teaching hospital with 223 beds, will remain the regional acute care nexus.
Banner Health is a Phoenix-based nonprofit, operating 33 hospitals across six states. It employs over 55,000 people, and over 3,000 in Colorado alone.
Looking Ahead
Affected employees will be actively supported through redeployment within Banner’s Colorado operations over the coming weeks. Community leaders, healthcare advocates and staff will be watching closely to see how these transitions impact access to care and workforce stability in the region.
