Montana Governor Visits Rural Critical Access Hospital to Announce Facility Upgrades

Governor Steve Bullock Friday visited the Missouri River Medical Center in Fort Benton and announced that the Critical Access Hospital will receive $800,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for mechanical system upgrades to its aging facility.As a Critical Access Hospital, the Missouri River Medical Center must have emergency staff on hand at any given time. In a rural area, that could mean the difference between life and death for residents where the next closest medical center is a 45-minute drive to Great Falls.The grant will help fund the replacement of failing or outdated mechanical equipment, including emergency generators, a new fire alarm system, and a new heating and cooling plant. Additionally, funding to the Missouri River Medical Center will allow the hospital to retain 65 full-time, good paying jobs.