In April of 2013, planning for the well-child program began at Granite County Medical Center (GCMC) with the goal of providing the necessary healthcare to all children in rural Granite and Powell Counties. The towns and places of service are Drummond, Hall and Philipsburg (Granite County); and Avon, Helmville and Ovando (Powell County). The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation contributed $10,000 in June of 2013 to launch the program in Granite County in November of 2013, followed by Powell County in January of 2014.
The Well-Child program includes visits to determine whether children are growing and developing properly and, if needed, referrals are made to other essential service providers. Participating families receive a better standard of care and parents are spared the burden of medical and travel expense, which is especially important for Granite and Powell Counties, characterized by significant poverty, distance to medical providers and lack of health insurance.
In addition to the Well-Child Visit Program, because five out of six of the schools in the area do not have a nurse on-site, additional services provided are school screenings that include dental, heart-lung, scoliosis, vision, hearing and measurements of milestones.
For more information visit: http://www.granitecountymedicalfoundation.org/home/news/
Contact info: Sharon Fillbach, (406) 859-3271, Granite County Medical Center