2024 ANNUAL REPORT
WHOWEARE
Mineral Community Hospital is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We are a 25-bed critical access hospital that is committed to patient care and treating your loved ones like family. Mineral Community Hospital’s mission is to improve the health and quality of life of our community. We understand that seeking health care can be difficult to navigate and our mission is to be here when you need us to help you and your family navigate the healthcare system.
OURSERVICES
Inpatient/Skilled Services:
Skilled Swing Bed
Inpatient Care
Long Term Care
Emergency Services 24/7
Surgery/Procedures: Colonoscopies
Upper Endoscopies (EGD)
Primary Care:
Medicare Annual Wellness, Well-Child Visits, Sports
Physicals, Same-Day Sick Visits, Integrated Behavioral
Health, Chronic Care Management, Chronic Disease
Management, Women’s Health, Adult Immunizations,
Cardiac Monitors, Telehealth,
Veteran’s Care in the Community
Cardiology Outreach - Billings Clinic
Other Services Offered:
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Imaging Services (CT, Digital Mammography, Echocardiograms, EKGs, MRIs)
Laboratory
Outpatient IV Infusions
Outpatient Nursing
AMESSAGEFROMOURCEO
Happy Milestone year for MCH – we are celebrating 50 years of service in our community. Fifty years ago, some brave individuals took a leap of faith and with community support built a new hospital on the belief that healthcare should be local, compassionate, and always available when our community needs it most.
As we celebrate this milestone, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey MCH has been on —through many tough challenges, triumphs, and many moments of awesome patient care related stories. I find it hard to even imagine that this is my 25th year of working at MCH.
This year, our growth has been nothing short of inspiring. Our outpatient clinic brought the Jack Lincoln Clinic under our umbrella and is continuing to grow. Our outpatient therapy clinic is busier than ever, now offering Occupational Therapy alongside two talented Physical Therapists and a PTA. And with our new diabetes education and nutrition counseling services, we ’ re making important strides in improving the care of our patients. Our dietician has also worked to improve nutritional services for our hospital patients.
Through it all, our Emergency Room remains a cornerstone of critical care, staffed by highly trained professionals who provide life-saving stabilization when it matters most. Infection Control and Emergency Preparedness Programs have been at the forefront of our priorities, ensuring we provide the safest environment possible.
We also recognize the importance of cybersecurity and patient data protection in today’s world, enhancing our support systems and threat detection to safeguard sensitive information. And while we grow, we remain financially focused working hard to keep our operations positive and sustainable for the years ahead.
Looking forward, some of our goals of the year include replacing our 50year-old generator to ensure uninterrupted care in event of power outages and exploring an expansion of our outpatient therapy space to better serve our community.
None of this would be possible without the dedication of our incredible team. They are the heart of this hospital the nurses, providers, specialists, and support staff who work tirelessly to provide the best, most compassionate local care possible. Their commitment to excellence reminds me every day why we do what we do.
As we celebrate 50 years of Mineral Community Hospital, we hold true to our motto: "Here when you need us." We are committed to upholding the motto for the next 50 years and beyond. Thank you for being a part of our journey. We look forward to serving you, growing with you, and continuing to be the healthcare provider our community can trust.
-Laurel
Laurel Haskins, CEO
2024BOARDMEMBERS
The Mineral County B d f Di i i mber board responsible for setting ce for Mineral Community Hospital fi , and four are corporate me
Spangler
Ken Vandehey
Peggy Temple, Corporate Director, Chair
Bessie Spangler, Elected, Vice Chair
Diane Magone, Elected Director
Jessica Schaak, Corporate Director
Leona Crichton, Corporate Director
Sue Hazlett, Elected Director
Ken Vandehey, Elected Director
Gloris Castles, Elected Director
Mary Jo Lommen, Corporate Director
Bessie
Jessica Schaak
The Mineral County Medical Foundation was formed to provide a source of tax-exempt funds to support medical needs for Mineral County, including Mineral Community Hospital. The foundation is made up of Mineral County residents who recognize the value of the hospital and the future health of our community. To become a member or to get more information regarding The Medical Foundation please contact Erin Woodson at MCH to discuss. 406-822-3702.
EMERGENCY ROOM
Mineral Community Hospital Emergency Department strives to provide top-quality, efficient, and friendly service.
Karyn Ridgeway, MD
Brian Lopez, MD
Jane Whetzel, APRN, PA-C
John Miller, MD
Christopher Hallberg, MD
Karyn Thornton, PA-C
Your MCH Emergency Room Providers have over 100 years of combined experience!
TRAUMATEAM-2024
Mineral Community Hospital is a level IV Trauma Center. In 2024 your MCH Trauma Team held a booth at the Mineral County Fair with education regarding stopping the bleed - they handed out Stop the Bleed information and prizes. They also raffled off two wonderful first aide kits. Mineral Community Hospital trauma team also participated in the Local Emergency Planning Committee’s Mass Casualty Exercise.
FAMILYMEDICINE- CLINIC
Mineral Community Hospital Clinic is a department of Mineral Community Hospital. Our staff is here when you need us to care for you and your entire family. In 2024 the clinic hosted our annual Youth Health Fair. We were able to complete 63 well child visits and sports physicals during the three-day event. MCHC focused on connecting patients to resources using our Integrated Behavioral Health model. We also added Jack Lincoln Clinic at the end of the year and look forward to it’s growth.
Jake Whetzel, MD - Chief of Staff/Clinic Provider
Megan Pugh, PA-C - Clinic Provider
Morgan Kellogg, MD - Interventional Cardiologist (outreach)
Laura Salyers, MD - Psychiatrist (telehealth)
Providers at MCHC are always here to see you when you are sick, but we also love to see you when you are well!
MCHC completed 140 Medicare Annual Wellness Visits in 2024. MCH Clinic had 4,443 visits in 2024 and 575 nurse visits!
Deanna Montgomery, RN, Valerie Benatti, CMA, Brittney Kottre, Reception, Brianna Kruger, CMA, Jake Whetzel, MD, Pegan Pugh PA-C, Alise Ruthford, Reception
WEBELIEVEINCOMMUNITY
It is important to MCH to be a part of our community and help as much as we can with community-wide projects. Some of the benefits that we were able to provide to our community in 2024 include:
Our employees and community members donated enough supplies and money to provide 100 Mineral County students with school supplies.
Mineral Community Hospital provides financial assistance to patients that meet the requirements for charity care which in 2024 amounted to $51,351.61.
Dr. Jake Whetzel and staff attended career day at the Superior Elementary School. Discussing future career paths while playing games and eating breakfast with students.
Health Fair labs were offered to Mineral County residents which are selfdirected lab tests at a reduced cost.
Erin Woodson and Samantha Rogozynski presented information on Mineral Community Hospital’s Skilled Swing Bed Program at the Superior and Alberton Senior Centers.
Mineral Community Hospital employees donated time to multiple local organizations such as the Mineral County Fun Run and Healthy Communities Coalition.
Dr. Jake Whetzel completed the wrestling certifications at the Superior High School for the Wrestling Team.
Cassandra Ostle hosted a Stop the Bleed table at the Mineral County Fair, handing out summer toys and MCH swag while giving education about bleeding wounds along with Adult Injury Prevention Tips.
2024
Treats
for
employees receiving flu vaccines
Mineral County Run Run in Alberton, MT
Dr. Whetzel and a future nurse at Career Day.
Nurse Cassie teaching students how to Stop the Bleed.
School supplies donated for Mineral County Students.
Erin & Sam at the Superior Senior Center.
QUALITYASSURANCEAND PERFORMANCEIMPROVEMENT
Quality assurance and performance improvement projects play a pivotal role in enhancing the standard of care within our hospital. By systematically assessing and addressing areas of improvement, such initiatives ensure that patient safety, satisfaction, and outcomes are continually optimized.
Our Clinic worked on a QAPI project to help improve the mental health of our patients. Each patient was screened with a depression screening tool called a PHQ3. Anyone scoring a positive would receive a PHQ9, and any patients with a score greater than 20 was referred to Integrated Behavioral Health to work on ways to reduce their depression screening number.
The Dietary Department worked on creating a more dynamic menu. They tracked patient satisfaction, food waste, and spending on food purchases. They were able to lower their spending on food and reduce the food waste in the kitchen.
Our Environmental Services worked on decreasing the amount of batteries used in our hand sanitizers. Over the course of 8 months they were able to decrease the amount of batteries used from 6.4 batteries/day to .27 batteries/day and save over $400 per month.
The Lab worked on order accuracy in the electronic health record by working with the clinic on ensuring orders were properly placed in the patient’s chart. They were able to get 95% compliance after the second quarter due to education and tracking of order entry.
The Purchasing Department studied the impact of missed supply charges in the Emergency Department. They worked with nursing on keeping missed revenue under 5% and came up with a way to utilize nursing to reverse duplicate charges and catch missed supply charges.
Our Pharmacy Department tackled a huge project and worked with nursing to increase medication scanning rates. They were able to work together with our electronic health record and ensure our formulary matched the orders in the system to increase medication scanning across the hospital.
The Radiology Department worked with the clinic to ensure that orders were placed correctly in the electronic health record prior to the patient arriving for the radiology service. The two departments were able to work together and achieve 100% compliance with X-Ray orders being placed in the EHR prior to patient arrival.
On behalf of everyone at Mineral Community Hospital, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to our community for your continued trust and support.
It is an honor to care for you and your loved ones, and we remain committed to providing compassionate, high-quality health care close to home. Your confidence in us motivates our entire team to keep striving for excellence every day. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives and for making us a trusted part of this community.
