Tawny Espinoza, ’01 & ‘03
Tawny Espinoza is a parent and corporate executive who understands how difficult it can be to find work-life balance. She is a two-degree graduate of CMU earning both her bachelor’s and master’s of business administration, who also finds time in her increasingly busy life to volunteer at CMU with the triathlon team and previously serving on the alumni board.
As the vice president of business development at Community Hospital in Grand Junction, Espinoza has been able to channel her experience as a working mom into an effort to help other working parents by establishing an on-site childcare center at the hospital.
“As a working mom, I’ve struggled to figure out the balance, and I know childcare isa challenge,” Espinoza said. “Having also worked in human resources, I knew that we needed to do something to help our employees be their best selves.”
Recognizing that healthcare employees have demanding jobs and need to show up for patients and provide the absolute best care that they can, Espinoza wanted to help employees reduce stress by providing additional childcare options.
“We know healthcare, we don’t know childcare,” says Espinoza.
But after exploring potential solutions with other local providers — and discovering that the Grand Valley is approximately 4,000 childcare slots short — it became apparent that the most feasible and efficient option would be to open an on-site childcare facility.
Community Hospital’s childcare facility broke ground on November 4, 2022, and plans to open in late summer 2023. The 7,500 square-foot facility will have 100 childcare slots for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. An experience childcare operator will oversee the facility, which will be open to Community Hospital employees as well as the public.
Espinoza believes that the childcare center is a natural fit for an institution that serves the community.
“What does it take to be a healthy community?” she asks. “Healthcare is just one component. We take care of each other so that we can take care of the community.”