On the brink: How the hospitals rural Montanans rely on are confronting an uncertain future

Carly Graf

There’s the roofed ambulance bay, where emergency patients can be unloaded without enduring the whipping winds and biting cold of the southeastern Montana plains. The decontamination shower stall is used to treat ranchers after fertilizer spills, and renovated inpatient rooms feature private showers and a pulley system to help people get out of bed independently.

Critical access hospitals are vital to rural health care in Montana. But what are they?

Today, there are 1,377 critical access hospitals nationwide. Montana is home to 50. They are spread from Troy to Ekalaka, Plentywood to Dillon, and dozens of small towns in between.