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About us

  • Who we are
  • History
  • Our leadership

Our history

A past in pioneering healthcare, a future in preventative healthcare.

How we got here

For generations, we’ve diagnosed, treated, and cared for our neighbors when they needed it most. The employees who came before us established places of healing that are still a haven during the hardest—and happiest—of life’s moments. The best way to honor that history of devotion is to continue to deliver the best possible care possible.

Intermountain Health was established in 1975, but our legacy of compassion and care extends well beyond that, going back to the late 1800s and the early 1900s in Colorado and Utah respectively. We have since become a 60,000+ person strong nonprofit health system, with operations in seven states across the interior West with a shared vision to be a model health system that inspires the future of health.

Intermountain Healthcare, SCL Health, HealthCare Partners Nevada, and Saltzer Health have now come together to serve communities in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.

History of Intermountain Health

Historical photo of Intermountain

Intermountain Health operations in Utah were first established in the early 1900s with the building of hospitals with funding and leadership like W.H. Groves Latter-day Saints Hospital (now LDS Hospital), the building of the Thomas D. Dee Memorial Hospital by Annie Taylor Dee (now McKay-Dee Hospital), Primary Children’s Hospital and others which ultimately became part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints health system. The Church maintained operations, until 1975, when it donated the then 15-hospital system to the communities it served, and Intermountain Health was formed as we know it today.

While Intermountain Health’s heritage is built on the church’s dedication to serving the community, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no powers, administrative or otherwise, over the health system’s operations.

In 2009, President Obama said of Intermountain Healthcare, "We have long known that some places, like the Intermountain Healthcare in Utah… offer high-quality care at a cost below average.”

History of SCL Health

Front of SCL health building with a ceremony happening

SCL Health operations were founded in 1873 with the establishment of Saint Joseph Hospital by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in downtown Denver. The Sisters trace their origins back to the 1600s in France and the modern day sisters transferred the sponsorship of SCL Health to Leaven Ministries in 2011, establishing the group as a separate entity that is recognized by the Catholic Church. The legacy of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth lives on today as Leaven Ministries retains reserved powers, or canonical powers, over the Catholic Hospitals within Intermountain Health and is accountable to the Catholic Church and for carrying out Canon Law.

History of Saltzer Health

Historical photo of Saltzersouth

Founded in 1961 by Dr. Joseph Saltzer, the practice first grew when Dr Saltzer met local Nampa surgeon Dr Kellog and physicians Dr. Robert Hay and Dr. Harold Brown to form the Medical Center Physicians (later Saltzer Health). The organization thrived and expanded over the next few decades before ultimately joining with Intermountain Health in 2020.

History of Intermountain Nevada

Historical photo of HCP Durango Nevada

In 2019, HealthCare Partners Nevada merged with Intermountain Healthcare to become Intermountain Nevada. At the time it was the second largest provider in Nevada with more than 300 primary care providers, 1,500 support specialists and providers across 100 locations.

Discover who we are

We are inspired and driven by our mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible. Learn more about who we are and how we’re working to make Intermountain Health more innovative and accessible to every community we serve.

Some Intermountain Health locations follow Catholic care principles. Our Catholic entities foster God’s healing love by improving the health of the people and communities we serve, especially those who are poor and vulnerable. Learn more about Catholic Care and our locations where it is offered.