Blackfeet Service Unit

Mission Statement

Blackfeet Community Hospital is dedicated to improving the health care and wellbeing of the community and those in need by providing professional, compassionate, caring, and accessible health care through continuous commitment to our patients and employees.

Addresses

Blackfeet Community Hospital
P.O. Box 760
Browning, Montana 59417
Main: (406) 338-6100
Fax: (406) 338-2959

Heart Butte Health Station
P.O. Box 80
Heart Butte, Montana 59448
Main: (406) 338-2151
Fax: (406) 338-5613

Services Offered

Behavior Health is open Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., emergency on-call services from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 8:00 a.m. until noon on Saturday and Sunday.

History

First opened in Browning, Montana in1937, the Blackfeet Community Hospital has since been transformed into an expansive modern day 110,000 square foot 28 bed comprehensive health care facility complete with a 64 slice state of art computer tomography (CT) unit within a fully digitized radiology and lab service department.

Outpatient dental and optometry services are available five days per week. The facility also has in-patient pharmacy capabilities including an automated outpatient pharmacy department filling up to 1200 prescriptions per day. A daily Women's Health Center providing pre and post natal care five days per week and a 24/7 OB/GYN department averages 200 to 210 newborns per year. An OR department provides surgical services for both outpatient and inpatient procedures with a full time general surgeon and contracts with other sub-specialties.

The hospital offers a full time diabetic clinic with daily Podiatry consultations and boasts of a sophisticated 8 bay emergency room equipped with a rooftop helipad transfer complex along with an urgent care/ same day appointment clinic delivering emergent and urgent care for slightly more than 131,000 patient encounters per annum. The facility contracts with other larger medical centers within the northwest to meet the needs of those patients experiencing severe trauma and or requiring critical care.

Located in the western portion of the 1.5 million acre Blackfeet Indian Reservation where Browning is home to over 7,000 descendants of the Ampska Pikuni Nation and bordering the crown jewel of our nations National Park System, Glacier National Park, the hospital picturesquely sits in the shadows of the "Backbone of Mother Earth" or what is more commonly known as the "Shining" Mountains of the rugged Northern Rockies. Several outdoor activities abound within a short driving distance including world class fishing, hiking, camping, boating and skiing. Calgary, Alberta Canada is a stone throw away for those desiring professional hockey and a very diverse Asian culinary culture. Amtrak rail services connect Browning with east west travelers on a daily basis between Seattle Washington and Chicago Illinois on the historic Empire Builder route.

Those hardy enough to endure the varying and dynamic weather patterns where wind speeds can gust to more than 100 mph and temperatures will sometimes fluctuate up to 100 degrees in a single day, Blackfeet Community Hospital employs over 250 FTE Health and Human Service public servants including 9 Family Practice physicians, 4 ER physicians, 9 Family Nurse Practitioner's and or Physician Assistant's, 8 RPh's/pharmacists, 5 dental officers, 1 pediatric dentist, 1 dental hygienist, a respiratory therapist, 2 Physical Therapists, 2 optometrists, 5 psychologists, 2 social workers, 2 Registered Dietitian's, and over 55 RN's with a supporting staff in administration, dietary, facilities, nursing, health information, business office and environmental health services.

The hospital also operates a small health clinic 4 days per week 30 miles south of Browning in the community of Heart Butte where a smaller staff of 1 provider, 1 RPh, a lab tech, an RN and 1 administrative support assistant provide direct patient care to over 5,000 patient visitors per year including pharmacy and general clinic services for the surrounding urban centers of Helena, Great Falls and Butte, Montana.

The Blackfeet Service Unit (et al) is accredited by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Community Information

Housing
Housing is located on the hospital compound but availability fluctuates depending on the staffing needs and the rotation of the medical students and residents. Government housing is assigned on an individual basis by the Administrative Officer, Blackfeet Community Hospital. There are single and two bedroom plexed-units, and two and three bedroom homes which are situated around the hospital area. All are within walking distance of the hospital. Civil service personnel are responsible for rent and utility costs in government housing. Commission Corps personnel receive housing allowances that cover the cost of rent and utilities in government housing.

Wood stoves can be installed in government homes providing the occupants request permission from the Chief Executive Officer. Installation and care of these stoves must adhere to regulations. The cost of purchase and installation is the responsibility of the occupant.

Staff also can elect to live in surrounding communities in East Glacier which is 15 miles west of Browning or in Cut Bank, Montana, which is 38 miles east of Browning. Local realtors in those communities can be contacted regarding rentals or purchase of homes. The largest town on the reservation is Browning; one half hour away is Cut Bank, where one can find additional services and shopping.

Community
A close-knit community, it is not unusual for the whole population to gather together and cheer on the local school teams at sporting events. Local culture is presented in the Museum of the Plains Indian, the Blackfeet Historic Site Tour and the Blackfeet Community College. Glacier National Park borders the western side of the reservation, providing unparalleled recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts.

Blackfeet Nation Website
Blackfeet Country is located in the northwestern part of Montana that includes most of Glacier County. On the north it borders the Canadian Province of Alberta Canada. The Blackfeet (Pikuni) belong to what is called the "Blackfoot Confederacy" where three other Tribes reside in Canada that make up this confederacy; North Peigan/pikuni, Blood/Kainai and Blackfoot/Siksika. On the west it shares a border with Glacier National Park and elevation vary from a low of 3,400 ft. in the southwest to a high of over 9,000 ft. at Chief Mountain on the northwest boundary.

Visit the Blackfeet Nation Website Exit Disclaimer: You Are Leaving www.ihs.gov