Hot Springs Clinic holds grand opening
<p>The Eastern Sanders county Hospital District Board cuts the ribbon during the grand opening of the Hot Springs Clinic.</p>
About 300 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception to celebrate the grand opening of the new medical clinic in Hot Springs on Wednesday. The clinic began providing care for patients a week prior to the event and was built largely with support from private donors across Sanders County.
Presided over by Dr. Gregory Hansen, President and CEO of Clark Fork Valley Hospital, the event celebrated what he described as a true community effort to improve the health and well being of Hot Springs residents.
“We are very excited that the community has been able to build a facility that will last for years to come,” said Hansen.
Representatives from Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester praised the efforts of residents as a demonstration of what can be accomplished when people work together to improve their community.
The previous facility was in such poor condition that according to nurse Sarah Cooper, “We had to set the brakes on wheelchairs to prevent them from rolling away. The floor was in such poor shape, it felt like you were on a roller coaster when you walked on it.”
Hansen singled out long time physicians’ assistant Al Shear, nurse at the clinic for 18 years, Paula Stobie, Jim Rexhouse with the Sanders County Community Development Committee, the Salish-Kootenai tribe and the architect Ray Courtner for recognition.
Hansen had special praise for the Eastern Sanders County Hospital Board who led the fundraising effort, generating over $250,000 with a wide variety of activities including a recycling project that gained national attention.
The “Tired Iron” project began with residents gathering scrap metal including washing machines, dryers, wheel-chairs, anything that could be recycled and hauling the material to Pacific Steel and Recycling in Missoula. After the publicity generated from residents recycling over 32 tons of scrap metal, donations began to come in from as far away as Florida.
Aided by generous contributions from private citizens, local business people, the graduating class from Hot Springs High School and CFVH, the fundraising committee formed by the hospital board raised the money for construction of a new clinic in just over a year and a half.
As board member Ray Flesch cut the ribbon, the crowd applauded and then made their way inside to tour their new facility, nearly double the size of the previous building. Catered by CFVH chef, Milton Pierce, community members wandered around the new structure admiring tangible evidence of their hard work and dedication.