Montana News
Construction begins on a new hospital in Harlowton
With Montana News, I'm Elinor Smith. Harletton is getting a new hospital. Federal officials and hospital staff broke ground at the new site in Central Montana Friday. Montana Public Radio's Aaron Bolton has more. - The new 36,000 square foot facility is scheduled for completion by the end of next year. Wheatland Memorial Healthcare in Harletton is over 70 years old, and staff say it's hard to keep the building up to date with modern medical standards. Many rural hospitals have closed across the country because of funding issues and aging infrastructure. If Harletton's hospital were to shut down because of those issues, the next facility is over 50 miles away. Wheatland Memorial is benefiting from about $20 million in low interest federal loans, in grants that will help build the new hospital, and keep access to critical healthcare in the community. In Columbia Falls, I'm Aaron Bolton.