Home Health Services Transition Takes Effect Today Without Care Interruption
Austin, CO · October 1, 2026
Crisp mountain air has the orchard leaves turning gold this morning, right as festival crews begin staking out the weekend grounds up the road.
The Lead
Delta Health’s home health operations officially transition to Volunteers of America National Services today, concluding a multi-month handover designed to keep rural home healthcare fully intact. Established in 1913 as Delta County Memorial Hospital, Delta Health has navigated changing healthcare economics by aligning specialized services with regional partners. The transfer allows in-home nursing, physical therapy, and hospice care to continue across Austin, Eckert, and surrounding communities under VOANS management without disrupting daily schedules. Current clinical staff and caseworkers are staying on, ensuring familiar faces arrive at patients' doorsteps as usual this morning. The county health system will maintain close coordination with the provider during hospital discharges, while administrative teams wrap up patient records transfers over the coming weeks.
Local Pulse
City Fall Clean Up Begins Friday Morning Community Residents can drop off scrap metal, yard debris, and bulky household waste through Saturday at the Hodgin Place yard.
County Land Use Updates Advance To Hearing City Hall Commissioners will review new standards for commercial battery storage and agricultural zoning text during next week's public session.
Today's Outlook
- High 77°F · Low 49°F — Clear
- Grab a light jacket for the chilly morning before clear skies warm the afternoon.
What's On Around Town
Today
The Decorative Bra Show Opening Arts on Main (301 Main St), Delta, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM · Free Creative community artwork supporting local mammograms and women's health.
Steve Weeks Family Concert Paonia Library (2 2nd St), Paonia, 4:00 PM · Free Interactive songs and storytelling designed for all ages.
Classic Film Night: Practical Magic Delta Egyptian Theatre (452 Main St), Delta, 7:00 PM · Paid Seasonal big-screen viewing in a restored historic auditorium.
Tomorrow
- Annual Fall Clean Up Public Works Yard (250 Hodgin Pl), Delta, 8:00 AM–6:00 PM · Free
- Celebrate Colorado Book Sale Cedaredge Library (180 SW 6th Ave), Cedaredge, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM · Free
- Friday Nights Live in the Orchard Big B's Delicious Orchards (39126 CO-133), Hotchkiss, 6:00–9:00 PM · Free
Saturday
- West Elk Challenge Trail Marathon Paonia Town Park, Paonia, 7:00 AM–4:30 PM · Paid
- Cedaredge Applefest Opening Day Cedaredge Town Park (350 SW 2nd Ave), Cedaredge, 7:00 AM–5:00 PM · Free
- Miss Applefest Contest Pioneer Town Museum (388 S Grand Mesa Dr), Cedaredge, 11:00 AM–2:00 PM
Spotlight & Story
- Red Mountain Ranches
- Operating since 1909 along Highway 65, this Surface Creek orchard transitioned from early hog and tomato farming to heirloom apples and cold-pressed cider in the 1950s. Today, three generations of the Morris and Hendrickson families prune, press, and harvest side by side.
Austin Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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