This summer, the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora postponed surgeries because surgical instruments were so backed up that trays of used tools — caked with blood and tissue — sat uncleaned for over 24 hours. State inspectors called the situation an “immediate jeopardy” to patient safety.

Why did this happen? Not because people didn’t care — but because the hospital didn’t have enough staff to keep up. According to the state investigation, UCHealth leadership opened four new operating rooms in June without hiring the 20 additional sterilization techs needed to keep up with the increased volume. Employees told the state that management knew about the shortage and even prohibited hiring replacements — all while offering wages below market rate.

This wasn’t a simple oversight. It was a preventable crisis. And it put patients, nurses, and surgical teams at risk.

UCHealth has since hired more staff and brought the department into compliance, but only after surgeries were delayed and the public found out. We can’t let it happen again.

We, the undersigned, call on UCHealth’s Board of Directors and President & CEO Elizabeth Concordia to:

• Immediately raise sterilization department wages to meet or exceed Colorado’s median hospital wage for this role.
• Guarantee safe staffing levels that align with current and future operating room capacity.
• Publicly commit that no additional OR expansions will occur without proof of adequate staffing in support departments.

When hospital workers are paid fairly and staffed properly, everyone is safer — patients, providers, and our entire community. It shouldn’t take a crisis to do the right thing.

Sign now to demand long-term solutions to the dangerous understaffing that nearly compromised surgical care at Colorado’s largest hospital.

Photo: Rebecca Slezak/Denver Post