Thanks to extraordinary philanthropic partners, that belief is becoming reality every day at Children’s Colorado. From visionary investments in precision medicine that accelerate answers for families across southern Colorado to generous support enabling us to expand our behavioral health services, our community’s continued support makes a remarkable difference in patient outcomes.
Southern Colorado is growing, and so is our commitment to the children and families who call it home. With more than 60,000 unique patients served last year, including kids from 47 other states, our southern Colorado facilities are a beacon of pediatric healthcare excellence for kids near and far.
To every donor, community partner, provider, volunteer and family who has placed their trust in us, thank you. Your belief in our mission strengthens our resolve and fuels our progress. Together, we are building a healthier future for our patients, from the Springs to the summits and far beyond.
Southern Colorado by the Numbers
60,000+
unique patients from 48 states
40,300+
total Emergency Department visits
159,600+
total hospital and specialty/outpatient clinic visits
Care that Counts
40+
pediatric specialties
350+
faculty, hospital and community-based providers
1,300+
Children’s Colorado team members
A Decade of Telehealth Care Made Possible by Philanthropy
In 2014, an anonymous donor provided funding to help Children’s Colorado launch its telehealth program. In its first year, 500 patient visits were conducted via telehealth. A little more than a decade later, significantly driven by the pandemic, that number has increased exponentially to nearly 100,000 telehealth visits per year, a nearly 20,000% increase.
Thanks to those early investments, Children’s Colorado can now ensure as many kids and families can access our care as possible by offering virtual visits to families who might live far away or prefer to receive care from the comfort and privacy of home. We are also able to offer telehealth across nearly all of our specialties and clinics — so, no matter what illness or injury a child has, telehealth may be an option for that pediatric patient. In addition to video visits, our telehealth services include teleconferencing and other forms of telemedicine across all our pediatric specialties, clinics, hospitals, emergency departments and care teams.
In southern Colorado, this is especially important as Children’s Colorado serves many rural areas and communities in the region. With more than 12,700 telehealth visits — including more than 2,100 mental health-specific telehealth visits — performed in our southern Colorado region in 2024, the impact of this care is widespread.
This increased convenience and access to care was fueled by a visionary philanthropic partner who chose to invest with Children’s Colorado to make a difference for children and families in their community.
Then & Now: Nyssa-Sky, 2020 patient ambassador
Improving Mental Health Care in Southern Colorado and Beyond
Since it opened in 2022, pediatric experts at Therapy Care at Telstar (“Telstar”) have made a significant impact on children and families in the region through such outpatient services as physical and occupational therapy, rehabilitation services, sports medicine, developmental pediatrics and audiology, as well as outpatient mental health services and a Partial Hospitalization Program.
Over the years, the footprint of behavioral health services offered in southern Colorado has continued to grow, helping to address and meet increasing demand. Thanks to generous philanthropic support, the pediatric mental health team in southern Colorado has expanded from four team members to more than 20, greatly enhancing access for children who need mental health care.
Telstar by the Numbers
Almost 48,000
outpatient visits
Including 5,000+
outpatient mental health visits
More than 250
patients in Partial Hospitalization Program in Colorado Springs
Children’s Colorado was London’s Mental Health Lifeline
In middle school, London fell into a deep depression. At just 12 years old, she bravely told her parents the terrifying truth: “I don’t want to be here anymore.” For her mom, Melissa, and dad, John, those words were shattering — and marked the beginning of a long, uncertain journey through multiple hospitals, countless medications and a darkness that felt impossible to escape.Open to learn more
After a year of trying different treatments, London entered the Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) at Children’s Colorado, a therapy option made possible by significant donor support.
PHP is an intensive, structured program for kids and teens who need more support than traditional outpatient therapy but don’t require overnight care. For London, the program brought more than stability. Through family therapy, structured milestones and creative outlets, she learned practical tools to manage ADHD, anxiety and severe depression.
Art became her lifeline. In her darkest moments, her drawings were stark black-and-white reflections of the pain she carried. As healing took root, color slowly returned to her artwork.
For the first time in years, London felt safe to feel. She discovered her voice — and its power.
Today, she’s thriving in high school, co-chairs Children’s Colorado’s Youth Advisory Council and inspires others with her resilience. “This hospital saved my life,” she says. “Now I want other kids to know it’s okay to ask for help.”
“This hospital saved my life,” she says. “Now I want other kids to know it’s okay to ask for help.”
LONDON, PATIENT AMBASSADOR
Donors Help Invest in Psych-safer Rooms and Emergency Department Renovations
Children’s Colorado has seen a 40% rise in mental health-related emergency visits in recent years. Children’s Colorado, Colorado Springs is taking a transformative step forward in supporting the mental health of children, made possible by the extraordinary generosity of our donors. Thanks to investments by generous donors, construction will soon begin to renovate several existing medical/surgical inpatient rooms to give children needing medical attention, who also have an underlying mental health challenge, a safer environment for care.
By renovating four existing hospital rooms to meet these psych-safer standards, we can create more flexibility within our care environments and ensure that every child receives the right level of care when and where they need it most.
Included in these renovations will be modifications within our Colorado Springs Emergency Department to better support kids arriving with mental health crises.
Anonymous Donor Aims to Change the Future for Children in La Plata County
Too many young people in La Plata County face serious mental health challenges. The county has one of the highest youth suicide-attempt rates in the state. With statistics like this, children and families cannot wait for better mental health services.
An anonymous donor has offered a dollar-for-dollar match of funds up to $200,000 to inspire additional investments in pediatric mental health in southwestern Colorado. With philanthropic support like this, Children’s Colorado is collaborating with local partners to expand access to mental health services in La Plata County, which includes strengthening regional partnerships for coordinated care; expanding access through telehealth; hosting a mental health conference; expanding the presence of licensed mental health professionals; enhancing school-based services; hosting parent workshops to empower caregivers; and encouraging youth engagement to reduce stigma.
Deepening Collaboration in Rural Communities
In September 2025, Children’s Colorado hosted the first southwest Colorado Pediatric Mental Health Symposium, bringing together more than 100 rural and metro-area professionals to address the urgent mental health needs of youth in the region.,br>
Supported by philanthropy, the two-day event fostered collaboration, shared best practices and strengthened connections between Front Range experts and local providers to expand access and improve care for children and families in rural Colorado.
Precision Medicine Gift Fuels Genetic Testing in Southern Colorado
Thanks to a $1 million philanthropic partnership with the John and Margot Lane Foundation, Children’s Colorado is accelerating genetic testing for kids in southern Colorado, ensuring that more families in the region get the answers they need faster.
In 2025, we completed 1,000 next-generation sequencing tests for patients across southern Colorado counties. Of these, 75% were whole genome sequencing (WGS), providing the most comprehensive genetic insights for our patients and their caregivers. The remaining 25% of genetic sequencing focused on oncology cases, enabling our providers to deliver precise diagnoses and guide targeted treatment plans.
The Lane Foundation’s gift includes a match to inspire other donors to invest in precision medicine in the southern region and spur progress forward. Philanthropy fuels our ability to innovate, grow and respond to the urgent needs of children and families. Donor support makes it possible to pioneer new models of care and advance the evidence base through research. It also allows us to train the next generation of mental health professionals and recruit top talent to serve our community while advocating for systemic improvements.
“We want to bring the power of precision medicine to kids in southern Colorado and reduce the time it takes to properly diagnose children with rare conditions and diseases.”
LAURA BLACKBURN, on behalf of the John and Margot Lane Foundation
Donors Support Red-light Therapy for Patients in Colorado Springs
Childhood cancer treatment is a journey marked by courage, resilience and, too often, painful side effects. Among the most difficult is mucositis, an inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the mouth and digestive tract. For many children undergoing chemotherapy, this means mouth sores so severe that eating, drinking and even speaking become agonizing.
At Children’s Colorado, clinicians have been working to ease that burden. A promising new therapy, Photobiomodulation (PBM), also known as low-level red-light therapy, is offering children relief from the debilitating pain of mucositis. The treatment is simple and gentle: nurses apply a low-level light to the patient’s mouth for just one minute a day for five days. Though brief, this painless therapy helps reduce inflammation, promote healing and support tissue regeneration.Open to learn more
Thanks to generous donors, Children’s Colorado has expanded access to this innovative approach across our system of care.
“We have been supporting the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Colorado, Colorado Springs for several years,” said donors Cheryl and Michael Disque. “The light therapy device is another way for us to support children who are dealing with cancer.”
For families like Bexley’s, this innovation carries deep personal meaning. Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia as a toddler, Bexley spent three years in treatment at Children’s Colorado in Colorado Springs. Throughout that time, she met the difficulties of cancer with courage far bigger than her tiny size.
Her family, grateful for the care that sustained them through their hardest moments, has made it a priority to support other children walking a similar path.
“For us, supporting red-light therapy is about hope. If this technology shortens treatment, prevents suffering or removes even one painful part of the journey for another family, that’s reason enough. We want the next 3-year-old sitting in that hospital bed to have one less thing to fear.”
JENNY, BEXLEY’S MOM
Great Clips: Turning Haircuts into Hope
In 2025, Great Clips stores across southern Colorado made an incredible impact on Children’s Colorado, Colorado Springs by raising nearly $80,000 for red-light therapy and our Medical Dog Program.
Since 2008, Great Clips has been a philanthropic partner of Children’s Colorado, taking time each year to promote and raise funds for important areas of need within our health system. We thank their customers and stylists for their generous support!
Twins in the Springs Benefit from the NICU
Born at just 27 weeks and weighing a little over two pounds each, local Patient Ambassadors Conner and Cameron entered the world facing immediate, life-threatening challenges. Shortly after birth, they were transferred to the Children’s Colorado, Colorado Springs NICU, where their long journey began. Over their five-month NICU stay, the boys’ mom, Maegan, and her family leaned heavily on the hospital’s specialists and support services. “Everyone was phenomenal,” she said. Surgeons, nurses and the Child Life team supported not only the twins but also their big sister, helping her understand what her brothers were facing.
“We don’t think we’d have two healthy boys if it wasn’t for Children’s Colorado,” Maegan said. Living in Pueblo, she and her husband, Dominic, are grateful that world-class care is only an hour away, a valued resource that continues to shape their sons’ futures.
MAEGAN, CONNER AND CAMERON’S MOM
NICU by the Numbers for Colorado Springs: 2025
611
NICU admissions
13.9
smallest NICU patient by weight, in ounces
22
youngest patient in the NICU, by weeks
Springs to Summits
The Courage from the Springs cycling team was formed in 2017 to raise funds through the Courage Classic Bicycle Tour for Children’s Colorado’s programs and services in southern Colorado and to create brighter futures for children across the region, one mountain pass at a time.
To date, the Courage from the Springs team has raised more than $333,000 to support Children’s Colorado, Colorado Springs. This year’s Courage Classic is at Copper Mountain Resort on July 18-19.
Register today, invite your friends and join us in the mountains!
“When you ride through the [Courage Classic] finish line and everybody is cheering for you, I cry every time because it’s just so heartwarming
that everybody is there for the kids.”SARA THINGER, 2026 Team Captain, Courage from the Springs
Thank you to our Generous Community
In 2025, we were grateful to receive more than 4,100 gifts from over 1,900 generous donors, totaling nearly $8.2 million related to pediatric healthcare in southern Colorado.*
*Includes future gift commitments.