The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

The Big Sandy Medical Center has seen many changes over the last few years. From the transition to a Critical Access Hospital, adding an electronic health record system, the coming and going of providers and staff, remodeling projects, the opening of the Wellness Center, and the future opening of the Rural Health Clinic building. All of these changes are overseen by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors is a team of five community members, who volunteer their time to ensure operations at the facility are in the best interest of the facility as a whole, the community, and each patient. The current Board of Directors includes Harvey Keller, Bob Nelson, Ann Quinn, and Anna Bold, with one vacant chair. These folks dedicate 2-3 hours per month to help ensure the hospital is compliant with state and federal regulations, hospital policies and procedures, and financial operations. They have the ultimate authority and responsibility of the facility, but much of these responsibilities are delegated to the facility CEO, who manages day-to-day operations, and then reports back to the board once a month. Those meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month and are always open to the public. The Board has also been working with Cypress Healthcare Solutions, a team dedicated to offering management guidance and support.

Besides the monthly meetings, there is an annual meeting, usually held in November or December of every calendar year. This is the time when new policies are approved and adopted, annual financial reports are reviewed, and new board members are elected. This year, there will be two spots available on the Board. Harvey Keller’s three-year term is expiring, and the vacant chair that needs to be filled will have a one-year term to serve. Any Montana resident, who lives in the BSMC tax district is able to serve on the board. There are a few exceptions, for instance, spouses/significant others of employees are unable to serve on the board. If you are interested in supporting BSMC by becoming a member of the Board of Directors, contact any one of the nominating committee members: Jim Ray, Danielle Weaver, or Ann Quinn. Express your desire to be placed on the ballot and they will work with you to ensure you have the opportunity to be voted in if there are no exceptions to your serving in the role.

In the past, it has been difficult to find community members to serve on the Board. In fact, some of the current Board Members have served multiple consecutive terms, in part because finding replacements has been challenging. We are grateful for their willingness to continue to give their time. If you are interested in learning more about the role, please discuss it with a current board member, or the nominating committee and/or attend the next Board meeting, scheduled for September 28, at 5:30 pm.