Estes Park Health has two new faces in the emergency department – Dr. Paige Machado and Dr. Zachary Blea. They work for Estes Park Emergency Associates, a small company started about 30 years ago by Dr. Christoper Daley. They contract to staff the emergency room at EPH.

Dr. Paige Machado

When Paige Machado was a little girl, her family could see her future.

“My parents like to joke that I wanted to be a doctor since I was five years old,” Dr. Machado recalled. “I used to watch ‘Rescue 9-1-1’ on the TV and make them record it. I’ve always been interested in medicine. I wanted to do something to help people in a concrete way. I also really enjoy science and biology so that was a natural avenue for me.”

Dr. Machado ended up picking emergency medicine because of the fast pace, because every shift is different. She was born in Colorado Springs but completed her schooling and medical education in Boston. It was a total of 13 years including an undergraduate degree, medical school, and residency which was training specifically in emergency medicine.

“I like the idea of being a generalist, being a jack of all trades and knowing a little bit about how to handle just about anything that walks through the door,” she noted.

Starting her job at EPH in July 2024, Dr. Machado got a taste of the tourist season.

“There is no typical week which is part of what I like about emergency medicine,” she explained. “Every week and every shift are completely different. Sometimes it’s super busy. Sometimes it’s a little slower. The patients you see are the full spectrum, from babies to the elderly. We see a lot of physical injuries from car accidents, hiking accidents, people falling, broken bones. We also see medical emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, appendicitis, and gall bladder infections. We see a lot of colds and flu in the winter months, as well as people with asthma exacerbations or pneumonia.”

Time is critical when you are experiencing an emergency. EPH stresses if you are having what you feel like is an acute emergency, do not try to drive to a bigger hospital. Even if you think you are having a stroke or a heart attack, call an ambulance, get to Estes Park Health first, and then the emergency physicians can stabilize you, start treatment, and get you to the level of care you need.

“We are designated as a Critical Access Hospital,” Dr. Machado explained. “My training has prepared me to handle any emergency. A big part of what we do is triage patients. If a patient comes in and they are having a medical emergency, we do have the resources and the ability to transfer them to where they need to be. My job is to stabilize them and make sure we do that in the safest way possible.”

Dr. Machado has enjoyed her first six months living in Estes Park.

“I’ve never lived in a super small town,” she said. “Coming from the big city to a rural town, I had some reservations. But I really enjoy the sense of community here. I see patients in the grocery store sometimes. Everyone has been welcoming and very friendly which I appreciate. I grew up in Colorado, so I’m a big fan of hiking. Exploring Rocky Mountain National Park is fun. I didn’t get to do too much of that before. I also like to camp, and I like to go fishing.”

Dr. Zachary Blea

When he was in high school, Dr. Zachary Blea dreamed of becoming a firefighter.

“I took an EMT course,” he said. “I got a job on an ambulance. I really fell in love with medicine. I realized I wanted to do more medicine, less firefighting. I got a job in the emergency room working as an ER tech to explore more opportunities in the healthcare field. I worked alongside an ER doc who was a great mentor, someone I really looked up to. And I thought, ‘This is exactly what I want to do.’”

Dr. Blea was 22 at the time. He enrolled in college and started working toward becoming a doctor.

“Emergency medicine kept all me,” he remembered. “I love the fast-paced environment of the emergency department. You never know what is coming in through the door. You see anything and everything. There is a little bit of excitement, a little bit of spontaneity.”

Dr. Blea has worked in the EPH emergency department since July 2024. He has a wife and three children. He completed his emergency medicine residency at a large hospital in Detroit. He said he did not know many of his co-workers or patients. He appreciates the more intimate feel of a smaller hospital.

“It has been great,” he emphasized. “I love the small community feel. I love the hospital. I love working with people I know. I like taking care of the community I’m living in. I love that tight-knit feel that you don’t get at a big hospital.”

Dr. Blea said the current team of emergency physicians at EPH are topnotch.

“The other ER physicians have been here a long time,” he noted. “They know the hospital and the community. I felt at home immediately.”