Hospitality industry stalwarts serve Colorado’s health care needs with $10 million gift
Record-setting pledge establishes Gina and Frank Day Health Institute at MSU Denver.
A Colorado couple known for decades of success in the hospitality industry is also making a mark on the future of health care in the state.
Gina and Frank Day have pledged $10 million to Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Health Institute, which is expanding to address the state’s critical shortage of health care workers.
The largest philanthropic gift in the University’s history will help train students in a wide range of in-demand fields, including nursing, nutrition, behavioral health, speech-language pathology and social work.
“Both hospitality and health care are team sports — it takes people working together to coordinate and make it happen,” said Frank Day, founder of Concept Restaurants who has operated more than 80 properties, including chains such as Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom and Rock Bottom Brewery.
“(MSU Denver) is doing great things, and making this contribution is an opportunity to have a huge positive impact,” he added.
The Days’ gift will help fund state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, such as the Health Institute Tower, a 70,000-square-foot, six-story facility expected to help increase enrollment in health-related programs by 25% over the next six years. The building will connect to new health-simulation laboratories under construction in the Auraria Campus’ West Classroom Building. The labs, slated to open next fall, will mirror modern clinical environments and provide students with integrated, interprofessional experiential training.
Providing cross-discipline health education was a key factor behind the University’s decision in 2018 to establish the Health Institute, which consolidates health-related programs spanning 10 academic departments. Now bearing the name of its largest benefactors, the Gina and Frank Day Health Institute at MSU Denver will offer a collaborative learning environment that serves a diverse, whole-person-based, modern health care workforce, said MSU Denver President Janine Davidson, Ph.D.
“This funding will give students access to the tools and training they will need to provide quality patient care for years to come,” she said.
It comes at a time when more health care workers are desperately needed in Colorado.
Fifty-nine of the state’s 64 counties contain regions federally designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas in primary care. At the same time, the state is experiencing record-setting shortages in areas such as nursing and behavioral health, while Census Bureau estimates predict a 12% increase in the state’s population over the next seven years.
To help combat the shortage, state leaders recently unveiled an infrastructure bill that would fund the construction of health education facilities at higher-ed institutions across the state, including MSU Denver.
But state funding won’t cover the entire cost of the Health Institute’s expansion, which University officials said would not be possible without private support.
“We are extremely grateful to Gina and Frank Day for sharing in our goal to build a Health Institute for the benefit of our students and the community,” said Hope Szypulski, DNP, dean of the University’s College of Health and Human Sciences. “This visionary gift will have a long-lasting impact educating the next generation of health care professionals in Colorado.”
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The Days’ philanthropic journey with MSU Denver began in 2014 and includes a $1.5 million gift to the School of Hospitality in 2019. The gift established a new Hospitality Industry Leadership major and the Day Leadership Academy, which offers mentoring and leadership training programs to students and hospitality industry professionals.
The Days’ passion for health care advocacy stems in part from Gina Day’s professional experiences. After completing a degree in Medical Technology, she worked for Boulder Community Health and the Boulder People’s Clinic (now Clinica Family Health). Of particular note to her was the integrated approach to medicine and health care access regardless of socioeconomic status, parallel to the Health Institute’s commitment to whole-person, culturally responsive care.
“It’s just so much better when everyone’s on a team,” she said.
Another pivotal example of the Days’ experience with coordinated care occurred a decade ago, when Frank Day was diagnosed with stage-4 bladder cancer. The team of oncologists, urologists and other medical professionals at the Arizona Mayo Clinic played a vital role at each step of the treatment process for the Days, providing not only excellent medical care but an exemplary bedside manner at each of step of the treatment.
“I was very fortunate — the chemo killed everything except me,” Frank Day said.
Gina Day also noted the importance of MSU Denver’s role in training community health workers, such as those who help patients navigate and overcome barriers in the health care system. MSU Denver is part of a statewide coalition to increase the number of these professionals and is one of four training sites that certify health care navigators. The state legislature and Gov. Jared Polis recognized the importance of these kinds of community health workers last year by enacting a law that sets up a process to make some of their services eligible for Medicaid reimbursement.
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“There’s nothing more overwhelming than getting diagnosed with a severe illness and trying to navigate a system as it is,” Gina Day said. “But how are we helping people who don’t have a phone, are living in their car or encounter a language barrier?
“The students here are dedicated, energetic, and are passionate about getting their degrees and health care. We have to fill the workforce pipeline, and if MSU Denver can help make that happen, I’m in.”
