St. Peter's Health

How Republicans in Montana hijacked public health and brought a hospital to the brink.

Some Montana emergency responders, like those in the Madison Valley, are trying something new. Instead of only responding to 911 calls, they are working with patients in their homes to prevent unnecessary medical emergencies.

The COVID-19 Omicron variant is forcing changes to contract tracing in the state. It's also amplifying staff shortages at hospitals.

As COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide decline, at least one hospital has moved away from rationing care. But many large hospitals are still struggling with patient loads and staffing.

Hospitals self-report how much they give in community benefits, and their reporting processes are opaque. Even so, KHN’s analysis found that some of Montana’s wealthiest hospitals were spending well below the state and national averages.

The Montana State News Bureau first reported in October that St. Peter’s Health said three public officials harassed and threatened its providers when doctors declined a COVID-19 patient’s request for a treatment not authorized for use against COVID-19.

Montana’s Attorney General is facing a probe into his behavior after the Montana State News Bureau reported he and two other public officials allegedly harassed hospital officials in Helena. MTPR's Freddy Monares spoke with the Montana State News Bureau’s Holly Michels about the story.

A special legislative counsel will investigate allegations that Attorney General Austin Knudsen abused his power to intervene on behalf of a patient at a hospital in Helena.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Democratic leaders in the Montana Legislature are asking for an investigation into whether the attorney general abused his power by sending a Montana Highway Patrol trooper to a Helena hospital over a complaint from the family of a COVID-19 patient.

“Everybody is hard-up for concentrators. We have never run into this kind of shortage. We’ve been sending people home with these oxygen concentrators in record numbers and it’s stressed our supply.”