General News

The Helena area needs more access to health care and additional mental health providers and services, according a community health needs assessment recently conducted by St. Peter’s Hospital.  The report also shows the community has more hearing impaired individuals than in Montana and the nation, more injuries from lack of adult’s seat belt usage and firearms in the home, and greater substance abuse.

Congratulations to Shelley Stuart who will kick off 2013 on the right foot! She won the contest for the free one-year membership to Capital City Health Club advertised in the St. Peter’s Community Newsletter published in January.   

St. Peter’s Medical Group physicians are within Montana State employees' insurance network.

There have been some questions about whether State employees now insured with Cigna are within St. Peter’s network. St. Peter’s has been told by Cigna that St. Peter’s providers are enrolled with Cigna and considered in-network.

The issue stemmed from Med Solutions, the company that processes some of Cigna’s Pre-Authorizations. Med Solutions had an incomplete listing of in-network providers in Montana. Cigna is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Chandra Denney welcomed Helena's first baby of 2013.  Daughter Addison Kay Pettit was born at 4:30 a.m. January 1 weighing 6 pounds, 1.2 ounces, and being 19 inches long.  She joins brother Marshall Thomas, 8; the baby's father is Jason Pettit.

St. Peter’s Hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging Department has been accredited by the American College of Radiology for its Breast Ultra Sound Breast Biopsy service. The three year accreditation brings attention to the quality services that St. Peter’s ultrasound team provides to patients, and the individual qualifications and skill sets of each team member.

St. Peter’s Wellness is offering two opportunities for the public to receive a flu shot in October. Flu shot clinics are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 8, from 5 – 7 p.m., in the hospital’s Education Center; and Friday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the hospital’s Conference Rooms.  Flu vaccinations will be offered on a first-come, first served basis. Insurance billing will not be accepted.  The cost for those who self pay is $25 cash, check or credit card. Please use the Main Entrance for both locations.  

St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation’s golf tournament, held August 31 at Green Meadow Country Club, netted $19,600 to be used for the purchase of the new pediatric monitoring system. 

Montana and Wyoming’s only board-certified gynecologic oncologist is now accepting patients at St. Peter’s Medical Group North. Randall Gibb, M.D., of the Billings Clinic, will see patients the third Friday of each month, from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. He will also perform surgery in Helena.

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive at St. Peter’s Hospital, Thursday, Aug. 16, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Education Center.  St. Peter’s is located at 2475 Broadway; please use the Main Entrance off of Winne Avenue.

With extreme heat keeping some donors at home and severe storms forcing the cancellation of dozens of blood drives, Red Cross donations are at the lowest they have been in 15 years, creating an emergency need for donors of all blood types.

The public is invited to provide their input at a community forum about the search for St. Peter’s new President & CEO Monday, Aug. 6, from 6-7:30 p.m. in the hospital’s Education Center.

Staff from Quick Leonard Kieffer (QLK) of Chicago, a leading healthcare executive search firm which was retained by St. Peter’s to assist in its search, will introduce themselves and the firm and share the process they will use for the search.  The audience will be able to ask questions and provide input on what attributes they think are important in the new President & CEO.