January 22, 2020

PMC is pleased to share with our community that Dagni Gleason, Physical Therapist, has joined our team & mission! Dagni received her Physical Therapy training from the University of Montana; and comes to us from Great Falls. Dagni provides general Physical Therapy; but specializes in Pelvic Health, with tremendous experience in Acute Care. Just over a month into her new role at Pondera Medical Center, Dagni says “I love Conrad and I love PMC! Very happy to be here!”

2019 was another tremendous year for the Rehabilitation Department at Pondera Medical Center. This department, which consists of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy, continues to receive high praise and ratings from patients of all ages and conditions. We are grateful to add Dagni to the dynamics of this department’s success.

January 07, 2020

Supplements are not regulated by the FDA like drugs are. What this means is the FDA does not test supplements on the shelf for quality, safety or effectiveness. There is no guarantee that what is on the supplement label is what is in the product. Scary? Yes. So how do you know if the supplement you are taking is safe? Look on the bottle for a label of NSF, Consumer Lab or USP. These three companies are third party companies that test supplements to ensure quality and safety.

January 01, 2020

New Years Eve is time of reflection, resolution and celebration. We gather to recognize the year’s accomplishments and set our visions to make the next 12 months “the best year yet.”

However, New Years also is glowing reminder of the upcoming year we will face without loved ones we’ve lost. The occasion spotlights tragedies and heartbreak that we’ve experiences since last December 31st. Empty seats at our New Years dinner… Christmas presents that sat unopened… Birthday parties without a cake, or guests, or song…

We challenge you to begin 2020 with, arguably, the most important resolution you can commit to: Don’t let your family get “the call.” We all know what call that is.

December 30, 2019

Pondera Medical Center is excited to announce our New Year’s Wellness Center membership & referral specials to new and existing members. As the area leader in healthcare, we take pride in our investment and dedication to community wellness. The PMC Wellness Center is open to our members 24/7, with codes securing a video-monitored and clean facility; and well equipped with equipment, big-screen tv’s, temperature control, and extra benefits like clean towels, water, workout examples, etc. We are very proud of our wellness center and look forward to sharing it with new members on their fitness journey.

December 24, 2019

The next three year cycle of the Community Health Needs Assessment has been approved by the PMC Board of Directors and is available to view on our website! Link is at the bottom of this page or by visiting www.ponderamedical.org/chna

December 17, 2019

Winners of the Annual CEO Awards and Archie Breding Award were announced Friday night at the PMC Christmas Party.

Congratulations to the CEO Employee of the Year, Anna McIntyre. Anna’s nominations were very touching and heartfelt; and spoke to her patience and kindness as well as her willingness to work very hard to ensure that we all get paid in a timely manner.

Our Laboratory Department was the CEO Department of the Year winner! The Lab, under the leadership of Barb Meuli, does extraordinary work, 24/7, ensuring respect, privacy and transparency for every patient. We are grateful for their professionalism and dedication to PMC.

The winner of the Archie Breding Award, given to a CNA every year for their dedication to ECF, as well as their team building skills, was Penny Smith! Please join us in congratulating Penny!

Hats off to this year's winners, as well as our entire team, for another great year at Pondera Medical Center! Thank you for all you do for our facility and community.

November 29, 2019

PMC was recently awarded the Montana Rural Healthcare Performance Improvement Network’s Quality Improvement Award!

The Montana Rural Healthcare Performance Improvement Network (PIN) is a voluntary membership of 48 critical access hospitals throughout the state.  Through this Network, member hospitals are able to benchmark their performance with their peers on a variety of financial, utilization and direct patient care measures that encourage safe, effective, patient-centered care delivery in even the most remote communities of the state.  PIN quality of care measures are based on national benchmarks, but are tailored to reflect the realities of the state’s rural population.

November 21, 2019

Dr. Jay Taylor, MD and Chief of Staff at Pondera Medical Center, has been awarded the Frank Newman Rural Clinician Leadership Award for National Rural Health Day, 2019! We are so proud to share the news of Dr. Taylor’s most-deserved recognition with our entire PMC Team and our community.

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To learn more about the Dr. Frank Newman Rural Health Award Winners and to read the nomination in its entirety please visit: http://healthinfo.montana.edu/happynationalruralhealthday.html

Please join us in congratulating PMC’s own Dr. Jay Taylor, this year’s Frank Newman Rural Clinician Leadership Award recipient. It is truly a pleasure to work with an individual of this caliber; and we are grateful to have Dr. Taylor at Pondera Medical Center!

October 16, 2019

Pondera Medical Center was recognized with the Cardiac Recognition Award at the Montana Hospital Association’s annual meeting in Billings on September 19th.  The Cardiac Recognition Award is sponsored by the Cardiovascular Health Program within the state health department. The Recognition Award singles out Critical Access Hospitals who demonstrate that they have the infrastructure and commitment to provide high quality care for patients with acute coronary syndrome, which includes heart attack.   Receiving the Cardiac Recognition confirms Pondera Medical Center meets high standards related to the utilization of evidence-based cardiac order-sets and protocols, provides laboratory services 24/7, has a well thought out transfer protocol and has administrative commitment to treating heart attack patients. 

This is the 9th year that the Cardiac Recognition Award was presented, and Pondera Medical Center is one of 21 Critical Access Hospitals to qualify for the award.  Requirements for the recognition include tracking and reporting key cardiac outcomes, using outcomes data to initiate quality improvement activities and coordinating regular healthcare provider cardiac trainings.

October 10, 2019

What was a beautiful tribute to his late wife Margaret Sill, on Tuesday, September 24th, Pondera Medical Center accepted a check for $50,000.00 from Walter Sill of Valier, MT.  Philosophical regarding his generous donation, Walter shared: “This hospital and extended care have helped me through some difficult times. It helped my wife in her hardest times, and I will most likely need it in the future. Margaret wanted to leave a donation that would help the hospital improve care for patients and make things better for nurses.”