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About Us

The History of Our Rural Hospital in Meagher County, Montana

In 1952, a group met in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, to discuss building a hospital under a program that would be eligible as a Blue Cross/Blue Shield facility. A healthcare facility in White Sulphur Springs was truly a labor of love. Today, Mountainview Medical Center is a surviving Critical Access Hospital in rural Montana. Services provided have changed in the past 50 years, but MVMC is still here to benefit the Meagher County community members.

Our Hospital’s History

Hospital Funding & Donations

Financial support for the facility was primarily made from donations in from the community while also donating their furniture for the hospital’s patient rooms. Meagher County residents purchased stocks at $25 per share. Just as the donations came from locals, much of the hospital’s construction was completed with volunteer labor. Further funds to benefit the hospital were raised through piano recitals and the fundraising benefits hosted by the American Legion Auxiliary fundraising.

A kitchen shower was held to collect utensils and equipment, and a community sewing group made patient gowns and doctor’s scrubs. The hospital guild developed a plan for volunteers to keep the hospital clean once it was opened. A single check provided the necessary funds to complete the operating room and purchase equipment.

The 1950s & 1960s

Our hospital opened for business by December 1957, although it was initially opened in 1953 and needed to negotiate better for a resident doctor. Operational challenges in 1958 were much the same as they are today - unexpected expenses threatened the facility. Difficulties included: results from fire life safety surveys resulting in expensive repairs or modifications, problems finding enough nurses, and payment for services was slow in coming. During the '60s, the hospital faced closure several times, but with the community's help, it managed to survive each financial crisis one step at a time.

The 1970s & 1980s

In 1976, a 31-bed nursing home was added to the complex. The nursing home construction and activities addition were paid for by the Harmon Trust Fund. Marguerite Bair Lamb's last will and testament established the Charles M. Bair Memorial Trust in 1976, which allowed an annual gift to Mountainview Medical Center.

A rural health clinic was opened in 1987 and was funded mostly by the Bair Trust. Renovation and remodeling of the hospital began in June 2003, with more than half the funding secured in advance to secure the project. Fundraising and construction continued through most of 2004, and the building project was completed by the end of the same year.