Seeley Lake
Seeley Lake, MT · Health
Fairfield Sun Times
Hungry Horse News
Flathead Beacon
Lakeside Sewer District Pauses Annexations as Capacity Nears
Lakeside County Water and Sewer District approved a temporary moratorium Tuesday on new properties seeking annexation into the wastewater treatment district. District board members said the remaining capacity at its facility will be reserved primarily for properties already within the district. “Our first responsibility is to protect our commitments to...
Flathead Beacon
NBCMontana
Kalispell neurologist wins Montana Medical Association award of merit
KALISPELL, Mont. — After three decades of caring for patients in Montana, Kalispell neurologist Bret Lindsay has been selected for a statewide honor recognizing service and leadership in health care. Lindsay has been named the Montana Medical Association’s 2026 Healthcare Honors Award of Merit. The award recognizes people who...
Flathead Beacon
Providence Opens New Rural Health Clinic in Polson
Just over a year after breaking ground on a rural health clinic in Polson, community members, donors and hospital staff gathered Sept. 30 in front of the new building just behind Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. “Over the years we’ve heard about this need over and over again,” Chief Executive...
Yahoo!
fireapparatusmagazine.com
‘A Big Relief’: New South Kalispell (MT) Fire Station Breaks Ground After Years of Planning
Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont. Work on a new South Kalispell fire station off Airport Road is finally kicking off. The need for a new fire station in the South Kalispell Fire District has been the subject of discussions for the last 25 years, said Fire Chief Chris Yerkes. It has been on his to-do list since he took over as chief in 2008.
Hungry Horse News
Columbia Falls Eyecare welcomes new doctor
Longtime Columbia Falls optometrist Dr. Troy Ypma and staff have a new spacious facility on Third Avenue East. Ypma also recently welcomed associate optometrist Dr. Mark Fischer who joined the Columbia Falls Eyecare staff Sept. 8. Fischer was practicing in Arizona when he and his fiancee Meagan Helton were vacationing here, visiting Glacier National Park. The couple missed the seasonal changes as Fischer grew up in Iowa, so they were looking for a change. They just happened to see the opening advertised in a trade publication, and Fischer applied and was hired. “It almost felt like fate,” he said. Fischer has a doctorate in optometry from Pacific University, graduating in 2023. Ypma grew up in Bozeman, has an undergraduate degree from Montana State University and his doctorate from the Southern California College of Optometry. Ypma had been practicing at an office on Fifth Street. But the practice needed more space, so he decided to build a new facility, which they moved into in December 2025. Ypma has been practicing in Columbia Falls for 22 years. The building, which includes signature stonework done by his father-in-law Mick Diede and exposed timbers celebrates Columbia Falls’ aesthetic. It was designed by architect Mark
NBCMontana
New clinic to open in Polson
NBC Montana Staff — A major expansion of health care access in the Flathead and Mission valleys is being celebrated today in Polson. Providence St. Joseph Medical Center is holding a ribbon-cutting for its new Rural Health Clinic. The clinic is located on 13th Avenue East, near the Boys...
Whitefish Pilot
Guest opinion: Contained pollution is an illusion
The removal of Columbia Falls’ oldest municipal water well following detection of a “forever chemical” raises important questions about plans for the large Teakettle Heights subdivision near the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company (CFAC) Superfund site. It also underscores the need to better evaluate whether all high-density developments could pollute or deplete our water supply. As someone who spent a career managing environmental, safety, and health operations at massive federal nuclear and research installations, I know firsthand that groundwater does not respect corporate property lines or bureaucratic boundaries. For years, state officials and eager developers have operated under a comforting illusion: that a clean line can be drawn on a map to neatly separate toxic industrial legacy from profitable residential growth. The recent detection of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) at nearly double the federal limit completely shatters that baseline confidence. It lays bare an uncomfortable truth that local residents have raised for years: we simply do not understand the hidden, shifting pathways of our local groundwater, and we are gambling our public health, and future water supplies, to find out. City officials rightfully acted fast to disconnect the affected municipal well after routine testing flagged the dangerous toxic compounds. Yet, the city's
The Western News
New cardiologist joins Cabinet Peaks Heart Center
Cabinet Peaks Medical Center is pleased to welcome Dr. Jason Okuhara to Cabinet Peaks Heart Center, where he will begin seeing patients in September. Dr. Okuhara brings more than 15 years of experience in cardiovascular medicine, with a career that includes both large health systems and rural and critical access hospitals. Dr. Okuhara completed his training in Cardiovascular Diseases and Interventional Cardiology in New Jersey before practicing in the Southeast and Midwest. Throughout his career, he has worked in a variety of healthcare settings and has helped establish and grow cardiovascular service lines. His leadership experience includes serving as Chief of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Director and Cardiac Rehabilitation Director. After years of practicing in different healthcare environments, Dr. Okuhara said he was drawn to Cabinet Peaks because he wanted to work in a small-town setting where he could provide patients with access to cardiac care they might otherwise have to travel hours to receive. “I have practiced in all different types of settings, from large hospital systems to small rural and critical access hospitals,” Dr. Okuhara said. “After all my experiences, I decided I wanted to work in a small-town atmosphere and offer cardiac care and treatment plans that
cutbankpioneerpress.com
Suicide prevention and awareness should not just happen in September, but continue year-round
September is officially National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and Logan Health - Shelby sponsored Connect Over Coffee in recognition of 988 Day on Sept. 9. Everyone was encouraged to stop by the coffee spot of their choice in Shelby, Whistle Stop Bakery, the Prairie Peddler and Cass' Perky Perks for a free cup of coffee and information on suicide awareness and prevention, along with different resources were available.
cutbankpioneerpress.com
Conrad native Kadie Baney returns to the Hi-Line to provide Behavioral Healthcare
Logan Health is pleased to welcome Social Worker Licensure Candidate Kadie Baney, SWLC, MSW, to its primary care team. Baney specializes in behavioral health and is now accepting new patients at Logan Health Rural Health Clinics in Conrad and Cut Bank. A Conrad native, Baney earned dual Bachelor of Arts...
Flathead Beacon
Logan Health Nurses Ratify New Contract with Immediate 18% Raise
Unionized nurses at Logan Health in Kalispell announced a new approved contract with the hospital last week, marking their biggest to date, said Donna Nelson, a registered nurse and union delegate. Nurses ratified their first contract with SEIU Healthcare 1199NW representing them in 2021, a process that took two years...
Lake County Leader
Pablo residents raise concern over nearby gravel pit
Pablo residents are raising concerns about the many problems a proposed gravel pit in their backyard may cause. Last month, residents received public notice of the opencut mining permit application for the Harding Pit, filed by Mission Valley Concrete Industries. The proposed location is at the corner of Montana Avenue and Division Street in Pablo, about half a mile east of Highway 93. The permit area covers 32 acres and, according to the letter residents received, is estimated to remove 750,000 cubic yards of gravel. The pit is estimated to operate for up to 14 years, with reclamation to be completed in the fall of 2040. Pablo couple Justin and Sam Perkins have been elected by their neighbors to voice local concerns and have raised questions about dust and noise pollution, traffic, safety and water quality impacts, noting that Pablo has no zoning ordinances to prevent this within the townsite. During the public notice stage, the Perkins also voiced concerns that transparency and communication have not been executed well. “We’re not really opposed to that [the gravel pit]. We’re opposed to the location of it, ” said Sam Perkins, who has friends and family who own property around the proposed
NBCMontana
Logan Health primary care providers sign no-confidence vote
KALISPELL, Mont. — Logan Health primary care providers are raising concerns about leadership, signing a vote of no confidence. The vote comes after months of bargaining between Logan Health and the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. In a letter, providers say they no longer have confidence that primary...
Flathead Beacon
Logan Health Primary Care Providers Sign Vote of ‘No Confidence’ in Leadership
Just over half a year after Logan Health primary care providers unionized, providers signed a vote of no confidence in the hospital’s primary care leadership. Despite months of being in the bargaining process with Logan Health and representatives from the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), providers wrote they “no longer have confidence that primary care leadership is acting in the best interests of providers, staff, or patients.”
NBCMontana
Stillwater Hospice expands palliative care access across Flathead Valley
KALISPELL, Mont. — Hospice and palliative care are becoming more available across the Flathead Valley. For families dealing with a serious illness, getting care can sometimes mean long drives to appointments. Stillwater Hospice and Palliative Care has now been in Kalispell for about a year, celebrating their one-year anniversary...