New Ennis, Montana Hospital Breaks Ground Ahead of Schedule. Governor Schweitzer Attends to Speak about the Importance of Rural Healthcare in the State

The Madison Valley Hospital and Clinic (MVH&C) along with Project Giveback Founders Ted and Heidi Gildred are pleased to announce that Governor Brian Schweitzer will be speaking at the groundbreaking for the new MVH&C taking place on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 at 2:00 in the afternoon.

Governor Schweitzer’s attendance is particularly notable during a time when access to rural healthcare in Montana has become increasingly more important and as the state’s population continues to swell.

“Providing quality, affordable healthcare to Montana residents is a priority,” said Governor Brian Schweitzer. “The vast 145,500 square miles of our state, however, present challenges for those living in rural communities. Healthcare facilities such as the Madison Valley Hospital have the opportunity to provide convenient, quality care to folks in or near their own communities.”

“In an area where rural residents and most tourists, on average have to travel 50 miles to see a doctor or up to 300 miles to see a specialist, facilities such as the Madison Valley hospital are vital,” said Sam Korsmoe, executive director of the Madison Valley Hospital Foundation. “We needed to build a new hospital and clinic to maintain our status as a critical access hospital and we could have never done this on our own. Without the support of the local community, the Madison Valley would have been without an emergency hospital.”

Madison Valley Hospital Becomes Reality Thanks to Local Community

The MVH&C groundbreaking ceremony comes only one year after the major fundraising effort— Project Giveback—was launched. Last July, Sun West Ranch Developers Ted and Heidi Gildred started the campaign with a $500,000 pledge as an incentive for the entire Madison Valley community to get involved in the new hospital fundraising efforts. The community matched funds, dollar for dollar and because of the project’s success, the Gildreds agreed to “Project Giveback, Phase II, pledging an additional $600,000.

To date, the capital campaign has raised over $3.3 million of which more than half is directly attributed to the Project Giveback matching fund program. The total cost of the new 36,470 square foot medical facility is just over $10 million of which $6.5 million will be borrowed and the rest must be raised from private donations. The Madison Valley community has been exceptionally generous, providing more than 700 separate gifts towards the project.

In addition to Ted and Heidi Gildred, the MVH&C is especially thankful to the following lead donors: Sam & Sherry Scott, Peter and Ginny Combs and family, The Alton Foundation, and Lisa Canter.

“This groundbreaking would not be possible without the support of the community, and more and more people and businesses are seeking out unique ways to contribute,” said Heidi Gildred. “The Scott’s have made three separate gifts at critical points in the fundraising process to help keep the momentum going, bringing their donation to over $750,000. The First Madison Valley Bank recently donated their old building to the project, and the proceeds from the sale will go toward the hospital fund. It’s really exciting to see the community pull together and witness the dream of a new hospital become a reality.”

About Madison Valley Hospital & Clinic

The Madison Valley Hospital opened in the summer of 1950. Over the following six decades, it expanded in size and services a total of seven times. The most recent expansion took place in August 2006 with the inclusion of a Computerized Tomography (CT) scanner extension temporarily housed adjacent to the existing hospital, awaiting a dedicated space in the new facility.

Additionally, the new hospital will be 36,470 square feet and will connect to other facilities and specialists globally through a telemedicine network so that an X-ray, CT, blood draw, or other type of diagnostic test can be conducted in Ennis while analysis and interpretation can be enhanced by specialists in other medical facilities anywhere in the world.

JGA Architects and Engineers of Billings, Mont., has been engaged to design and engineer the new Madison Valley Hospital Clinic. Dick Anderson Construction from Great Falls, Mont. is the general contractor. The first phase of the medical facility is expected to be complete by the fall of 2008. For more information on the building project or to make a contribution, call 406-682-5923.