Livingston (Mont.) HealthCare plans to open a $43 million replacement hospital and clinic next week after years of using homes and trailers to help provide healthcare in Park County.
The clinic will open Oct. 26 and the new hospital will begin operations the following day.
The current hospital is located in a residential neighborhood, which prevented expansion of the structure, said Bren Lowe, CEO of Livingston HealthCare. As a result, the organization purchased six homes, five trailers and an apartment complex to help provide healthcare services to Park County's 15,880 residents.
“We did a lot with a little,” Lowe said.
The new 125,000-square-foot facility will combine all of Livingston HealthCare services under one roof including a 25-bed hospital, intensive-care unit, emergency department, physician clinic, labor and delivery unit and rehabilitation services.
The facility will employ approximately 310. The emergency department serves 5,000 patients annually. The clinic serves approximately 30,000.
Lowe said as Park County's population continues to grow and age, the need for a comprehensive facility was essential. The hospital also serves tourists of Yellowstone National Park.
“We did not have much of a future in that old campus,” Lowe said. “We couldn't continue to meet the expanding need.”
The current hospital building was sold last year and will be converted to a senior living center.
