Region shows rich mix of health care innovations

When medical-device manufacturer Medtronic consolidates some of its Louisville and Gunbarrel activities into a new campus in Lafayette late this year, it will mark another milestone in the region’s growing role in health care innovation.

From ventilators that have been in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic to robotic surgical devices, prosthetic limbs, diagnostic tools and even tracking viruses in wastewater, companies in the Boulder Valley and Northern Colorado are producing life-saving solutions that also generate economy-boosting jobs.

Medtronic (NYSE: MDT), which just earned a lofty spot on Fortune magazine’s “Most Admired Companies” list, is building a 400,000-square-foot laboratory and office complex…