Bozeman Health to double ER capacity amid population growth

Bozeman has nearly tripled in size since Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center opened in 1984. With the city still growing, the hospital is expanding to plan for the next decade.

Kallie Kujawa, Bozeman Health Chief Operating Officer, said patients shouldn’t notice a change in services, as the emergency room will remain fully operational throughout construction.

“Right now we give very timely, fast care — some of the top 1% outcomes for stroke and heart attack in the country,” Kujawa said. “We want to maintain that and we need to double the size of the ER.”

Over the past five years, emergency room visits have increased 32%, Kujawa said, and she expects that number to climb another 40-50% over the next decade. The volume of traumas has multiplied as well, she added, and those cases are growing more acute — a pattern shaped in part by the region’s abundance of skiing, climbing and backcountry recreation.

“Traumas are a big portion of our emergency services we offer,” Kujawa said. “But also, if you have a gall-bladder attack or appendicitis or you’re having some sort of infection, all of those things come to our ER because we’re the only ER of our size and level in a tri-county region.”

Bozeman Health owns a large parcel of land surrounding the hospital, as well as hundreds of acres across the street. Kujawa said the challenge of the expansion isn’t space but rather money, as the high cost of living in Bozeman also drives up the cost of labor.

With the bidding process ongoing, Matt Miller, chief philanthropy officer for Bozeman Health, said a final budget has not yet been determined.

“But we know it’ll be in the tens of millions of dollars,” Miller said.

Since Bozeman Health announced its strategic plan in 2023, Kujawa said they’ve worked to ensure that the process is collaborative — including input from physicians, medical staff, families and the community.

“We’ve toured different leadership groups and different people through our facility, and have shown them the need for that expansion,” Kujawa said. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Next month, Miller hopes to channel that community support into Bozeman Health’s hospitality gala, a ticketed fundraiser for the emergency room expansion.

“We’ve had a record number of sponsors this year, which has been a really incredible show of support from the community,” Miller said. “Right now, we’re down to our last 75 tickets that we’re trying to sell.”

Scheduled for Saturday, April 25, at the MSU SUB ballrooms, the Wild West-themed gala will feature a hosted bar, live auctions, a raffle, and live music from Bozeman-based artist Cole Decker. Miller said he hopes it brings in $600,000 to help launch the hospital’s next chapter.

“We’ll be celebrating Bozeman Health’s heritage, 115 years of history and treating and caring for the community,” Miller said. “And also looking forward to what’s ahead.”