Alamosa Wholesale Medical Supply Hub – Gateway to the San Luis Valley
Alamosa, Colorado—county seat of the nation’s highest agricultural valley at 7,544 feet—anchors healthcare for 50,000 residents scattered across the San Luis Valley’s six rural counties (Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Rio Grande, Saguache, and Mineral). Our LAC Health counter inside Walmart #869 at 3333 Clark Street keeps frontier hospitals, tribal clinics, ski patrol stations, and ranch-town EMS agencies connected to compliance-ready medical supplies without waiting for deliveries from Pueblo or Colorado Springs. Located along U.S. Highway 160 and U.S. Highway 285, this hub serves critical access facilities facing blizzards, wildfire smoke, high-altitude emergencies, and long transport times over mountain passes.
San Luis Valley Health Regional Medical Center (49 beds), SLV Health Conejos County Hospital, Rio Grande Hospital in Del Norte, Valley-Wide Health Systems’ 20+ clinics, the Colorado State Veterans Community Living Center, and tribal health programs for Southern Ute and Navajo families rely on this logistics lane for surgical trays, obstetrics supplies, behavioral health meds, and wildfire-ready respiratory kits. Adams State University’s nursing and athletic programs, Great Sand Dunes National Park rangers, and Wolf Creek Ski Patrol add seasonal demand for high-altitude and wilderness medical gear. With winter closures at La Veta Pass and spotty courier service, local caregivers treat the LAC Health counter as the San Luis Valley’s medical lifeline.
Since Hispano settlers founded Alamosa in 1878 as a Denver & Rio Grande Railway terminus, the valley has blended Indigenous, Spanish, and ranching cultures. Today, 55% of residents identify as Hispanic, and 35% speak Spanish at home. Poverty rates exceed state averages, many clinics operate on federal grants, and ambulance drives can exceed 90 minutes. Yet the valley boasts remarkable community resilience—midwives delivering babies in snowstorms, EMTs covering 1,600-square-mile districts, and tribal healers collaborating with modern hospitals. This Clark Street hub ensures “medical suppliers near me” searches connect to culturally aware logistics that respect frontier realities.
Location & Access Information
LAC Health San Luis Valley Hub – Inside Retail Center #869
3333 Clark Street
Alamosa, Colorado 81101
ZIP Code: 81101 (serves Alamosa, Antonito, Monte Vista, Del Norte, Center, and surrounding ranch towns)
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Parking: Fleet-friendly lot with dedicated pull-through lanes for ambulances, snowplow-sized county vehicles, and horse-trailer rigs delivering farm-injury patients.
Highway Access: Adjacent to U.S. 160 (east-west across La Veta Pass and Wolf Creek Pass) and U.S. 285 (north to Poncha Pass and the Arkansas Valley). Drive times: SLV Health Regional Medical Center (4 minutes), Adams State University (6 minutes), Monte Vista clinics (18 minutes), Del Norte hospitals (35 minutes), Antonito and Conejos reservations (40 minutes), Wolf Creek Ski Area clinic (75 minutes weather permitting).
Nearby Landmarks: Sits beside the Rio Grande corridor, minutes from the new SLV Health Cancer Center, Alamosa County Fairgrounds (mass-vaccination site), and San Luis Valley Behavioral Health Group campus.
Medical Supply Services Available
Wholesale Medical Supply Pickup Services
- Critical access hospital supplies: trauma carts, obstetric kits, anesthesia circuits, and telehealth peripherals for SLV Health, Rio Grande Hospital, and Conejos County Hospital
- EMS and volunteer fire department gear: high-altitude pulse oximeters, wilderness trauma packs, Search & Rescue sled harnesses, and radio-integrated AED caches
- Wildfire smoke and dust storm respiratory PPE for valley schools, farmworker clinics, and elders managing COPD in adobe homes
- Behavioral health and addiction recovery medications for Valley-Wide Health Systems, Crossroads Turning Points (MAT program), and tribal wellness centers
- Maternal and midwifery supplies for San Luis Valley Birth Center, home-birth midwives, and mobile prenatal clinics serving colonia communities
- Agricultural health kits: pesticide exposure antidotes, ranch-appropriate splints, veterinary collaboration supplies, and bilingual heat-stress materials
- University and athletic medicine needs for Adams State NCAA Division II teams, high-altitude training camps, and Great Sand Dunes park ranger outposts
Medical Returns & Reverse Logistics
- Unused surgical packs from canceled cases when mountain passes close unexpectedly
- Temperature-excursion medications from propane-heated clinics or generator-powered pharmacy fridges during blizzards
- Migrant health grant-funded supplies requiring federal reporting and bilingual chain-of-custody documentation
- Expired controlled substances from remote narcotic safes where DEA compliance is paramount despite limited staffing
- Telemedicine device repairs and warranty exchanges for valley clinics reliant on broadband connections
- Veterans’ long-term care equipment returns from the Colorado State Veterans Community Living Center at Homelake
Your San Luis Valley LAC Health Team
Our Alamosa-based team blends frontier grit with clinical expertise. Each coordinator has weathered whiteouts on La Veta Pass, knows which roads flood first, and keeps bilingual relationships with every clinic from Center to Creede.
Elena Martinez, Valley Operations Director
Rural Health & Tribal Liaison
Born in Antonito and a former SLV Health materials manager, Elena coordinates logistics for all six counties plus tribal partners. She built the valley’s first snowstorm surge plan, pre-positioning supplies at volunteer fire stations, Catholic parish halls, and tribal chapter houses. Fluent in Spanish and conversant in Tiwa, she ensures mobile clinics serving farmworker colonias receive culturally respectful supplies.
Email: [email protected]
Kurt Johnson, Wilderness & EMS Coordinator
Search & Rescue Specialist
A former Wolf Creek Ski Patrol director and Alamosa volunteer firefighter, Kurt supervises EMS, ski patrol, and park ranger logistics. He monitors avalanche advisories, arranges oxygen concentrators for high-altitude expeditions, and keeps road crews stocked with trauma supplies. Kurt’s relationships with Costilla County SAR and Great Sand Dunes rangers ensure consistent supply caches anchored along the Sangre de Cristo foothills.
Email: [email protected]
Dr. Marisol Herrera, Community Health Programs Lead
Maternal & Behavioral Health Advocate
Marisol practiced family medicine in Center, CO, before joining LAC Health to scale valley-wide prevention programs. She partners with Valley-Wide Health Systems, the San Luis Valley Behavioral Health Group, and La Puente shelter to align supplies with grant metrics. Marisol designs bilingual prenatal kits, telepsychiatry support boxes, and school-based mental health resources for Adams State’s rural pipeline students.
Email: [email protected]
How to Use This Drop-Off & Pickup Location
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Plan Around Mountain Weather
We operate 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. daily but extend hours during storms, wildfires, and calving season. Call +1 (703) 810-3898 for after-hours pickup when La Veta Pass closes or when air ambulances are grounded.
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Identify Your Facility & Funding Source
Present your hospital badge, EMS number, tribal clinic authorization, or grant code (e.g., HRSA, IHS, USDA). We align supply packs to funding requirements, including 340B pharmacy documentation and federal mileage claims.
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Complete Chain-of-Custody with Rural Realities
We photograph deliveries, record ambient temperatures (vital when loads travel over Wolf Creek Pass), and provide tamper-evident seals for long drives to Creede, Center, or Antonito. For snowmobile transfers, we supply insulated totes and data loggers.
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Receive Bilingual Confirmation
Within 90 seconds, receive English/Spanish confirmation with GPS coordinates, lot numbers, and valley-specific delivery notes (e.g., “Wolf Creek Pass open,” “La Veta escort required”). Documents integrate with Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, and ImageTrend EMS.
Serving the San Luis Valley Healthcare Network
This hub supports the valley’s mosaic of providers:
- San Luis Valley Health Regional Medical Center (Alamosa): Level III trauma, birthing center, oncology infusion, and the only ICU within 100 miles.
- SLV Health Conejos County Hospital (La Jara): Critical access facility serving Hispano farming communities with bilingual staff.
- Rio Grande Hospital & Clinics (Del Norte): Mountain medicine specialists handling Wolf Creek ski injuries and Continental Divide hiking incidents.
- Valley-Wide Health Systems: Federally Qualified Health Center network with clinics in Antonito, Center, Saguache, Monte Vista, and farmworker camps.
- La Puente Homeless Services & Shelter: Provides medical respite, rural outreach, and harm reduction packaging for unsheltered residents.
- Colorado State Veterans Community Living Center at Homelake: 50-bed long-term care facility requiring VA-compliant supplies.
- Great Sand Dunes National Park & Wolf Creek Ski Patrol: Field clinics handling altitude sickness, dehydration, and avalanche traumas.
- Adams State University & Trinidad State College (Alamosa campus): Nursing, athletic, and respiratory therapy programs relying on lab and simulation supplies.
The valley spans 8,000 square miles yet has only three hospitals, making rapid access to supplies vital. Clinics operate in churches, school buses, even converted rail cars. Ranchers expect after-hours trauma kits; migrant crews need mobile dental chairs; tribal healers request herbal-compatible wound care. Our Alamosa counter translates those unique requests into reliable deliveries.
San Luis Valley Medical History & Frontier Resilience
Long before statehood, Ute and Navajo healers managed health across the valley’s hot springs and sacred peaks. Spanish land grants in the 1800s brought curanderismo traditions. The Denver & Rio Grande Railway’s arrival in 1878 turned Alamosa into a supply center, attracting doctors who practiced in adobe storefronts. The 1918 influenza pandemic devastated Hispano communities, prompting the founding of Luther Bean Hospital (predecessor to SLV Health). During WWII, Japanese-American internees at nearby Camp Amache required medical caravans through Alamosa, forging ties with federal health agencies.
Agricultural mechanization and post-war poverty sparked outmigration, but community clinics persisted. The 1967 creation of the Valley-Wide Health Systems pioneered mobile medicine. The AIDS crisis in the 1980s saw Adams State students deliver home care. More recently, the 2013 West Fork Fire and 2020 East Troublesome smoke plumes pushed N95 distribution through this Walmart parking lot. COVID-19 vaccine drives used the fairgrounds next door, where our team staged cold-chain freezers during -20°F nights. Frontier healthcare has always relied on local ingenuity backed by reliable supply lines.
Now, as the San Luis Valley invests in broadband telehealth, renewable energy, and agritech, its medical needs are simultaneously modern and deeply rooted. Our hub honors that history by keeping shelves stocked for both frontier midwives and robotic surgery teams, ensuring the valley’s next chapter remains patient-centered.
San Luis Valley Demographics & Social Drivers
The six-county valley counts 50,000 residents: 55% Hispanic (many tracing lineage to 1840s land grants), 40% White, 2% Native American, 3% other backgrounds including Amish and Hmong farmers. Median household income sits around $42,000; 24% live below poverty line; 18% lack broadband. Only 58% of adults have access to primary care within 30 minutes because of remote ranching communities. Diabetes prevalence reaches 18%, asthma 14%, and suicide rates exceed the Colorado average. Nearly 20% of households rely on well water requiring contamination monitoring. Spanish is the primary language in 35% of homes, and growing Somali refugee families now seek services. These factors demand bilingual, culturally humble, and economically conscious medical logistics.
Regulatory Compliance & Certifications
All San Luis Valley operations comply with:
- Colorado Board of Pharmacy wholesaler licensing with rural exception clauses
- DEA Schedule II-V handling standards for remote narcotic safes
- IHS, HRSA, and USDA Rural Health grant documentation
- Joint Commission critical access hospital supply standards
- Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) emergency transport guidelines
- Colorado EMS trauma system requirements for frontier agencies
- Tribal consultation protocols for cultural medicines and ceremonial needs
- OSHA agricultural safety documentation for farmworker clinics
- VA long-term care supply mandates for Homelake veterans home
What San Luis Valley Caregivers Say
Average rating 4.9/5 from frontier hospitals, EMS captains, tribal clinics, and university health programs who treat this Alamosa counter as their medical lifeline.
Winter storms routinely close La Veta Pass. LAC Health keeps OR packs, blood tubing, and respiratory kits within minutes so our hospital never pauses surgeries. Their team texts us road updates and even arranges snowmobile relays when highways shut down.
✓ Verified
We cover 1,200 square miles with volunteer crews. LAC Health pre-builds restock bins labeled for each ambulance. When we respond to Great Sand Dunes rescues, they loan satellite trackers and oxygen monitors calibrated for 9,000 feet. Frontier EMS finally has big-city logistics.
✓ Verified
We take mobile clinics to chile fields and potato warehouses. LAC Health respects our mission—supplies are bilingual, culturally sensitive, and packed for dirt-road travel. They’ve even taught our promotoras how to store insulin in coolers during power outages.
✓ Verified
Our NCAA cross-country teams train at altitude. LAC keeps us ready with portable oxygen, concussion evaluation tools, and hydration supplies that handle 0% humidity. When we host national meets, they restock quickly despite 5,000 visiting athletes.
✓ Verified
We blend tribal healing with Western care. LAC Health honors our protocols—providing cedar-friendly sterilization supplies, discreet packaging for ceremony medicines, and respecting sovereignty requirements. They deliver directly to chapter houses when roads wash out.
✓ Verified
Homeless outreach in the valley means meeting people in barns, along irrigation canals, and at migrant camps. LAC Health supplies weatherproof wound kits, naloxone, and hygiene packs that actually work at altitude. They even coordinate with our volunteer drivers to drop supplies 60 miles away.
✓ Verified
