Medical center in Evergreen reopens following active shooter situation earlier this year inside the Colorado facility

It's been four months since a shooting incident at a Colorado medical clinic in the Jefferson County foothills forced that facility to shut its doors. On Monday morning, CommonSpirit Primary Care Evergreen reopened after making some changes.

In February, a 62-year-old man took his own life after firing 19 rounds into the clinic with a shotgun and causing extensive damage. First responders rushed to the scene on Ellingwood Trail in what was described as an active shooter situation. No one else was injured but numerous people including healthcare workers took refuge out of fear for their lives.

Since the clinic closed, CommonSpirit has changed the layout and enchanced security, which included upgrading access controls. New badge readers have been placed on many doors, windows have been reinforced and security at the front desk has been adjusted.

Executives from CommonSpirit said in a presentation Monday morning before the reopening that there are still a lot of strong emotions about the incident. Dr. Shauna Gulley, Senior Vice President of Physician Enterprise for CommonSpirit Health, said the goal is to preserve the center as a "sanctuary of healing."

"This reopening is more than a return to routine. It is a declaration of hope, that healing continues, that service to others will not be silenced by fear and that light can cover come darkness," Hill said.

A case file showed that man who fired the shots had a previous mental health history.

Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who represents Colorado's 7th Congressional District, accepted CommonSpirit's invitation to attend Monday's ceremony and thanked healthcare workers. She spoke about the need for healing in the community and brought up the shooting at Evergreen High School, which only happened five months before what happened at the clinic.

"It's hard to imagine that this came off the heels of what had happened in Evergreen with the shooting at the high school and how you all have been impacted by gun violence," she said.