LITTLETON, Colo. — After years of construction, AdventHealth Littleton Hospital opened its new five-story heart and vascular center to serve a growing number of aging Coloradans in the region.
The facility will provide a range of services from preventative care to open heart surgeries. AdventHealth said cardiac hospitalizations are projected to increase 22% in the Littleton community by 2034 and the need for specialized care in the community is growing.
"When AdventHealth Littleton Hospital opened 36 years ago, it was a place where families were moving with young families. We really focused quite a bit on obstetrics care, a place where you could bring your your family, to start a family, and care for that family," Chief Medical Officer at AdventHealth Littleton Hospital Matt Mendenhall said. "So, 36 years later, here we are with a population that has aged in place and evolved with new medical needs."
Hospital CEO Rick Dodds said previously, people living south of Denver would have to drive up to 30 minutes for heart surgery. Now, he said the new heart and vascular center will better serve the region and state.
"This institute serves a regional presence, not only right here locally to the Littleton community. It provides outreach for the entire state of Colorado, and our outreach is great. So this actually brings life saving care when minutes matter, right here," Dodds said.
Data from the State Demography Office shows Coloradans 65 years and older make up the largest and fastest growing population group, increasing by almost 33,000 between 2022 and 2023. The office said the population group is growing at a rate of 3.5% year-over-year compared to the total population at 0.6%.
In a report published in February, the state office said the large growth is mainly due to aging rather than net migration. The map below shows the counties with the largest increase in Coloradans ages 65+ from July 2022 to July 2023 in dark orange.
The map shows Elbert County had the largest increase in people ages 65+ with 6.9%. Douglas County, just south of the new heart and vascular clinic in Littleton, saw one of the largest increases in the state at 5.93%.
Denver7 has covered the aging population of Coloradans, especially in areas like Douglas County and specifically Highlands Ranch. The Douglas County Health Department said the county announced $1.5 million in new services in June 2025 to serve older Coloradans. The department said this was in response to dozens of listening sessions with the Board of County Commissioners across the county in 2023 and 2024.
You can find the list of new investments here.
