Mineral Community Hospital acquires St. Regis clinic
The Jack Lincoln Memorial Clinic in St. Regis is now operated by Mineral Community Hospital after its medical director, Dr. Randy Lovell, opted to focus on his practice in Thompson Falls.
Since opening in 2015, the clinic has provided health care via appointment or walk-in, with denial to no one without insurance or the ability to pay.
Hospital officials described the transition as a win-win situation for patients and both medical facilities.
"Mineral Community Hospital was asked if we were interested and we are excited for the opportunity to expand,” said Laurel Chambers Haskins, hospital CEO. “We are excited to have all health care in Mineral County under the Mineral Community Hospital umbrella and we are grateful that Dr. Lovell and his staff have done a wonderful job of building a nice practice in St. Regis.”
Chambers Haskins said they will use the same electronic health care record that the hospital employs.
“This will allow health care providers to have access to medication lists, health histories, and lab reports when they are seen in the ER,” she said.
The Lincoln family still owns the land and building, and is providing the building for health care use.
“The clinic will still be called the Jack Lincoln Clinic," Chambers Haskins said. "Due to regulations, we are required to add Mineral Community Hospital Jack Lincoln Clinic. We are in the process of hiring staff at this time. The Jack Lincoln Clinic will be open Monday through Friday.”
Chambers Haskins explained the logistics:
“We are happy to help patients with the transition of care and the steps to take to allow Mineral Community Hospital to receive records from their previous primary care provider. The phone number will stay the same and we encourage patients to call for help with any transitional questions. It does take some time to go through licensing processes, credential providers and get our [electronic health record] ready to go for the new location. It was a very quick turnaround, and it may take some time to get up and running, but we are happy to see patients in our Superior Clinic until everything is in place.”
She said patients will begin to see new services available at the facility.
“We will add point-of-care testing such as Hemoglobin A1C’s and respiratory panels available for rapid results,” she said. “Our occupational therapist plans to do some group activities and training in the space. We have a nurse that is trained in integrated behavioral health and can assist patients with connecting to resources. In addition, we work closely with the Mineral County Health Department and have ideas for coordination and utilization of that space. Hopefully we can have someone provide counseling services as well.”
Chambers Haskins said to watch for an upcoming open house/meet and greet in the next few weeks.
The staff is also planning other events until they can officially see patients in St. Regis.
“Our goal is that we will run the clinic to match our Superior Clinic and provide great health care and we are so excited to serve another portion of Mineral County,” Chambers Haskins said.
The Mineral Community Hospital Jack Lincoln Clinic is located at 341 Montana 135, St. Regis, MT. 59866. It can be reached at 406-49-7307 or by fax at 406-649-7309.