“Basically, what we’re requesting is $2 million to build a new clinic in Eureka,” said Carol Blake, a spokeswoman for the Whitefish hospital.
For the past seven years, North Valley has maintained a staff of two doctors and one physician assistant at a rural clinic in Eureka, 50 miles north of Whitefish near the Canadian border.
Crews already have broken ground on an expanded clinic there, Blake said, which when opened in September will sprawl across more than 8,000 square feet. Currently, North Valley Hospital is covering the cost of the $2 million expansion through its in-house operational income.
She has asked Rehberg, as well as Montana’s two senators, to request a federal earmark that would cover the full $2 million investment.
As a member of the House Health and Human Services Subcommittee, Rehberg’s earmark request carries substantial weight. That request, he said, already has been made, but Blake sent him back to the nation’s capital with additional supporting documentation, including a letter of encouragement from the Lincoln County commissioners.
“We’ll do the best we can for you,” Rehberg said, but he added that, if successful, the funding still might not be available until as late as next year.
For more information, read Wednesday's Missoulian or go to Missoulian.com.
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