MISSOULA AND SURROUNDING AREA:
Missoula (population 70,000) is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluences with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot Rivers and at the convergence of five mountain ranges, in western Montana. Often described as the "hub of five valleys," Missoula is often considered the cultural hub of Montana. It is home to the University of Montana, a public research university with a population of around 14,000 drawing crowds for numerous sporting events, and a wide variety of music, drama, dance and other cultural events.
Missoula lies at the intersection of U.S. I-90, U.S. highways 10, 12, and 93, and Montana highway 200. At the Missoula International Airport, four major carriers provide service to thousands of cities worldwide through nonstop and connecting flights
Missoulians are very active people and those who chose to make Missoula home are drawn here for the accessibility to the outdoors. Hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, trail running, mountain-biking, fly-fishing and hunting are all accessible recreational activities in town and immediately surrounding town. The Clark Fork River runs through town with a man-made kayak/surf play wave in the center of town. The famed Norman Maclean novel, A River Runs Through It, and the movie to follow are based on the fly-fishing history on the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers. The Mission Mountains begin north of town and lead to Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park. The rugged Bob Marshall Wilderness area is north and east of Missoula. The Bitterroot Mountains are south of Missoula. Travel in any direction in Montana and you can discover a different mountain range. Snow Bowl ski mountain is 15 minutes north of Missoula and offers challenging in-bound skiing as well as access to out-of bound ski terrain. Big Sky and Moonlight Basin are larger resort skiing destinations about 3-4 hours east. We have a Nordic trail system in town at Pattee Canyon. The Rattlesnake Wilderness at the north end of town is also groomed for Nordic skiing most of the winter season.
We are home to several local coffee roasters, numerous breweries and the 10 Spoons Winery. University of MT and local historic Wilma Theater bring countless bands and musicians to our town. From May through October we have a weekly/weekend farmer’s market in the downtown area. Out to Lunch and Downtown Tonight are outdoor food/entertainment festivals that occur weekly during summer months at Caras Park and offer food vendors and performing artists/live music. There are several public pools, parks and small children’s museums. Nearly every weekend from April through October, Missoula is host to a downtown festival which can include food, beer, music and family-friendly games/entertainment.
COMMUNITY MEDICAL CENTER
Community Medical Center is Joint Commission and CARF-accredited, 151-acute-care-bed, full-service hospital on a 45-acre campus. It is one of only three facilities in the state offering high-risk obstetrical care and neonatal intensive care, and the only hospital in western Montana with an acute care pediatric unit and pediatric intensive care unit. CMC delivers more babies each year than any other hospital in Montana. The Regional Referral Center had almost 1,600 deliveries last year. Community Medical Center started its affiliation with a university sponsored Family Medicine residency program in 2013.
The CMC ER is a Community-Level Trauma Facility, and CMC partners with Providence St. Patrick on a ground and air ambulance inter-facility emergency transport program, including neonatal transports. CMC has a Level III-B NICU licensed for 22 beds with the capability to serve 33 patients because a number of rooms can be expanded. Three Pediatric Anesthesiologists staff the Anesthesiology Department.
Community Physician’s Group (Community’s employed physician’s group) currently employs 65 providers and continues to grow. Specialties include primary care, a walk-in clinic, and many specialties such as pediatric surgery, cardiology, psychiatry, and occupational health just to name a few. The 25 offices are located throughout Missoula and into the Bitterroot Valley and even further, to make healthcare more convenient for patients. Some CPG providers also travel to rural clinics or hospitals in the area to see patients in their home towns.
Subspecialty care in pediatrics is provided in multiple disciplines, many through outreach from Seattle Children’s Hospital. The list of clinics/providers is attached for reference. Nurses and physicians in clinic will help in identifying appropriate subspecialists for consult/referrals during resident rotation.
MISSOULA VALLEY PEDIATRICS
We have 4 primary pediatric providers – Dr. Tom Randall, Dr. Leslie Scott, Dr. Sandra Simmons, Dr. Allison Young - and an additional part-time acute care pediatrician – Dr. Meredith Lease – who participates in teaching our Family Practice Residents. We are anticipating our 5th pediatrician will be joining our practice in September, 2017. We have two pediatric nurse practitioners – Ryan Barrett and Wendy Haller – who see patients for acute and well visits independently from the pediatric primary care providers. Our Parent Partner, Robin Clason is a member of our care community who has a child with complex medical needs and will reach out to parents of families with children who have complex medical needs at the provider request. Our social worker, Heidi Morris, works in both inpatient and outpatient pediatrics to provide resources to high need families and a broad range of services/supports for our medical home, in addition to providing individual therapy for certain families/patients.