Caring with Compassion in Western Montana
Providence is one of Montana’s largest healthcare providers. Our not-for-profit network includes hospitals, physicians, clinics, care centers, hospice and home health programs, and diverse community services across western Montana. With Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson and more than 40 clinics, we’re working together to provide quality care to those in need.
Providence has a long history of caring for residents in Montana since the Sisters of Providence arrived in the state in 1864. Providence has been part of the community for generations. And we’ll be here for generations to come.
Quality Healthcare for All
We believe healthcare is a basic human right. We’re here to serve the evolving needs of the communities we serve and make excellent healthcare available to all.
Our focus on providing our communities with the full continuum of care makes Providence a model in Montana and beyond. We work collaboratively across traditional boundaries to develop patient-centered practices that help make lifelong quality care accessible and affordable.
- Lindsay Benes, PhD, RN
- Hayley Blackburn, PharmD
- Damian Chase-Begay
- Ben Davis
- Kevin Eichhorn, MD
- Reed Humphrey
- David Lakin
- Josh Maki
- Dale Mayer, PhD RN
- Lara Salazar, MBA
- Kirk Bodlovic, Interim Chief Executive
- Jenna Hendrickson, Chief Operating Officer, Providence Medical Group
- Chris McClead, Chief Mission Officer
- Caryl Perdaems, Chief Administrative Officer, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center
- Krissy Petersen, Chief Nursing Officer
- Laura Shelton, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Providence Medical Group
- Claude Tonnerre, MD, Interim Acute CMO & Division Chief, Medicine
- Kelly G. Bagnell, MD, Chief of Staff, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center
- Kirk Bodlovic, Interim Chief Executive, Montana Service Area
- Chandala Curtiss, Director Primary Care
- Stephanie Goble, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Providence Montana Health Foundation
- Tracy Hartzell, Director, Surgical Services
- Jenna Hendrickson, Chief Operating Officer, Providence Medical Group
- Samantha Hoogana, Director of Inpatient Nursing, Providence St. Patrick Hospital
- Shannon Knuchel, Director Lab Services & Outreach
- Morgan McCarthy, M.D., Ambulatory Division Chief Providence Medical Group
- Chris McClead, Chief Mission Officer
- Amber Norris, Executive Director, Strategy & Business Development EWA/MT
- Caryl Perdaems, Chief Administrative Officer, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center
- Krissy Petersen, Chief Nursing Officer, Montana Service Area
- Stacy Rogge, Chief Communication Officer, Montana Service Area
- Sadie Russell, DNP, APP Division Chief Providence Medical Group
- Laura Shelton, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Providence Medical Group
- Gregory Smith, MD, Division Chief Surgery
- Claude Tonnerre, MD, Interim Acute CMO & Division Chief, Medicine
- Karyn Trainor, Chief Human Resources Officer
- Jeremy Williams, Director, Critical Care
- Kevin Brooks, Chief Executive, North Division
- Cara Beatty, MD, PCN Chief Executive, Central Division
- Scott Foster-Edwards, MD, PCN Chief Executive, North Division
- Scott O’Brien, Chief Executive, Eastern Washington & Montana
- Elizabeth Wako, MD, Chief Executive, Swedish Health Services
Community benefit investments are one way Providence lives its Mission. For generations, we’ve offered a caring hand to those with the greatest need in our community.
In the past year, we devoted millions in community benefit to make sustainable improvements in the health of our diverse communities throughout Montana.
Learn More About Community Benefit in Montana
In the face of rapidly changing healthcare, our commitment to our Mission to care for everyone remains unchanged. When the Sisters of Providence made their way Montana over 140 years ago, they faced many unknown challenges and succeeded in their simple but significant Mission: to serve the poor, sick and vulnerable - without counting cost - with courage and grace.
This ministry greatly depends on partnering with others in the community who are equally committed to doing good and improving the health of all. Together with community partners we conduct community health assessments to understand what our community needs are. Then with our partners, we identify the greatest unmet needs among the people in the communities we serve. These include lack of access to affordable care; lack of access to mental health services; poverty and homelessness; and barriers to healthy behaviors and disease prevention.
Providence was formed by the journeys of courageous Catholic Sisters who sought to meet the needs of the communities they served. Two congregations in particular – the Sisters of Providence and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange – had major roles in establishing and guiding the health system Providence is today.
Providence’s roots in Montana began in 1864, when the Sisters of Providence arrived with a clear Mission: to serve unmet community needs, especially among those who were poor and vulnerable. Their journey and early work laid the foundation for a lasting ministry of care in the region.
Through determination and community support, the Sisters expanded their efforts beyond St. Ignatius Mission to establish schools and hospitals, including St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. What began modestly grew over time as the hospital expanded to meet the needs of a rapidly changing and growing community.
Providence’s presence in Montana continued to grow in 1990, when the Sisters of Providence assumed responsibility for Saint Joseph Hospital in Polson. That commitment later led to the development of Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, bringing modern facilities and services to the Mission Valley.
Today, Providence carries forward the legacy of these pioneers by reimagining the future of healthcare delivery and improving the health of individuals and communities across seven western states. The Providence family of organizations remains rooted in its Mission to serve all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable, and committed to fulfilling its vision of Health for a Better World.
