Bozeman, Mont., Mar. 10, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development in Montana State Director Kathleen Williams announced today that USDA is investing more than $38 million to help build a new health care facility in White Sulphur Springs, Montana.
With funding through USDA’s Community Facilities Direct and Guaranteed Loan Program, Mountainview Medical Center in rural Meagher County will replace its current facility with a new, modernized 45,800 square foot critical access hospital to meet the needs of more than 1,900 nearby residents.
“Critical access hospitals are an integral part of health care in all of our rural and Tribal areas to ensure that Montanans have close-to-home access to the clinical and emergency services they need,” said Williams. “USDA is proud to work with Mountainview Medical Center to bring these important services to rural residents in Meagher County and surrounding areas.”
The current medical center, which opened in 1949, has experienced several re-models and additions over the years. Its most recent changes in 2004 added emergency department, acute care, and clinical spaces. But after more than 70 years its infrastructure is unable to support the needs of a 21st Century health care operation.
Scheduled to open in January 2025, the new facility will be designed to improve outpatient and inpatient care, provide private and safe emergency care, enhance clinical access, and support better outpatient diagnostic imaging response so it can continue delivering quality, accessible health care to residents of this rural Montana community and beyond.
USDA Rural Development funding for the project includes:
- Two USDA Community Facilities Direct Loans totaling $8,250,000. This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. These loans will finance the purchase of new equipment and construction costs.
- A USDA Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan for $30,000,000. This program provides loan guarantees to eligible lenders to develop essential community facilities in rural areas and supports lenders in the process. Funded by the Greater Nevada Credit Union, this loan will finance construction costs.
USDA Rural Development has six offices in Montana – Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula. To learn more about investment resources for rural areas in Montana, call (406) 585-2540 or visit www.rd.usda.gov/mt.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas by supporting improvements in infrastructure, business development, housing, and community facilities in rural, tribal, and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
To receive USDA Rural Development updates, visit the GovDelivery subscriber page and follow on Twitter @RD_Montana.
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