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Description

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Wheatland Memorial Healthcare is a critical access hospital presently licensed for 25 acute bedsswing beds

As part of a joint pilot project the hospital has a Telepharmacy Department the first of its kind in the state of Montana This allows the local community to have their prescriptions filled by a pharmacist 90 miles away and dispensed in the hospital by the systems secure cabinet More details on the telepharmacy are available in the Services section of our site

Our Diagnostic Imaging Department now offers Computerized Radiology Digital Mammography Ultra Sound procedures Dexa Scan bone densitometer and CT Scan services More on these services in the Services section

OUR MISSION
Responsive to the healthcare needs of the communities we serve Wheatland Memorial Healthcare is dedicated to providing sustainable quality care with respect compassion and teamwork

The staff is committed to serving residents and their families hospital patients clinic visitors chronically ill and emergency patients with the same high level of quality and care

The local community were a part of continues a hundredyear tradition of caring for its members At Wheatland the mission is reflected in everything we do from special events involving the entire hospital community to daily duties

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History

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Celebrating 60years
All year long we will be celebrating our 60th Anniversary Check back often to see what events we have celebrating our Diamond Anniversary

In the 1940s the Kiwanis Club desired to erect a veterans plaque which would bear the names of men from this area who served in World War II This idea however came to a halt after investigating its usefulness and the price which was around 450000 There were more meetings and discussions that followed until the thought of having a Wheatland County Hospital came to life It was understandable that a hospital would be favored because of its necessity The nearest hospital was located in Lewistown which is an hour drive away Committees were set up to research the project And before long a bond was overwhelmingly passed in the amount of 7500000 In 1945 Mr D E Perkins generously donated the land for the hospital

After the war it was obvious that additional funding would be needed due to inflation Another bond was issued in 1948 in the amount of 10000000 A Grant of 5000000 was received from the Federal Bureau of Public Health and State Survey and Construction to be spent on the building and hospital equipment The community also contributed money in the amount of 4000000 Upon its completion this facility carried a wholesome investment of 26500000 plus lots of donated services from dedicated folks around this area

On April 29 1951 Wheatland Memorial Healthcare a 31 bed facility opened its doors for the first time to cater the health care needs of Wheatland County and the surrounding areas

The Lutheran Hospitals and Homes Society operated the facility under a Lease Agreement The LHHS also appointed the first Governing Board from the local community Mr Howard Place was the first Administrator and Ms Louise Hanson was the first Superintendent They managed the facility along with Drs Edward Gans and Raymond Johnson four nurses five nursing aides a receptionist three assistants a maintenance person and a technician was added later Mrs Olga Steinhauser was the first patient admitted on April 30 1951 and the first baby delivered was Colleen Kalberg on May 2nd

The Guild has played a significant part of this facility as it was also established in 1951 It has donated and launched several fund raising projects One of which is a bronze plaque dedicated to the servicemen who lost their lives in WWII now on display outside the laboratory on the 2nd floor

In December 1962 an anonymous donor purchased the three lots East of Wheatland Memorial Healthcare and donated the land to the hospital for future expansion

A Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on April 20 1969 for the new Nursing Retirement Home and hospital renovation project This was funded by a bond issue that was approved in 1966 in the amount of 32500000 and federal Hill Burton Funds totaled 29039300 The city of Harlowton also provided 500000 for paving work The facility received a 5000000 Xray unit donated by Mr and Mrs Robert Stevens and 6420000 in miscellaneous contributions A formal dedication was held on January 17 1971

An addition of 44x150 feet was added to the existing facility area of 42x130 feet With the new addition the hospital capacity was brought to a total of 25 hospital beds 31 nursing home beds and five baby bassinets

In 1982 Alberta Bair generously donated 14500000 specifically for the construction of a new clinic which is now known as the Bair Memorial Clinic The county commissioners held public meetings to listen to the concerns of the community and discussed as to where the new building should be situated The existing Clinic was located in downtown Harlowton In the early part of 1983 a plan and architectural drawings were approved and construction began It was completed in September of 1983 by Fischer and Sons Construction The Clinic was attached to the west end of the facility The medical clinic moved to the new location in October

Over the years the hospital received numerous donations and grants that became the bloodline for this facilitys existence A new trust fund for the Wheatland Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home was established in 1983 The first 10000000 was donated by the Bair Family Additional donations and successful investment policies has allowed the organization to maintain a Strategic Fund today

One of the newest services added to the facility is the Telepharmacy in May of 2004 The first of its kind in the entire state of Montana and was awarded the 2004 Innovation in Health Care Award by the Montana Hospital Association for its technological creativity to provide medical care for communities like Harlowton and the surrounding counties

Currently Wheatland Memorial Healthcare has 25 beds Clinic Laboratory Xray and Physical Therapy Surgery services stopped in the early part of 1990 but we still deal with emergency cases Although the maternity services were discontinued in 1987 its good to know that there were 2000 babies delivered in this hospital since its establishment

On July 1 2006 the facility made a significant change to enable it to take advantage of new federal reimbursement programs The nursing home was delicensed and the hospital now treats those patients in the 25 acute careswing beds This conversion is the same type that other small hospitals across the country are making Hospital finances are extremely complex and this move helped us to receive additional reimbursement from the federal government without increasing charges to our patients

In 2006 the hospital continued its efforts to stay on the cutting edge of technology by adding a CT scanner and bonemineral densitometry DXA scanner A new emergency power generator system was added this same year that now allows the entire hospital campus to be under emergency power during power outages Between 2005 and 2007 all of the hospital patient rooms were renovated and modernized In 2007 a new Telemedicine Studio and a Community Health Education Center were constructed to take advantage of technological advances in healthcare

Wheatland Memorial Healthcare was born from a simple and noble desire to honor our servicemen And because of the untiring dedication of our local citizens this facility continues to evolve and strives to meet its purpose to serve the healthcare needs of this community