Bob Nelson steps down from the board, and MAtt Gullickson takes his place.
Big Sandy Medical Center held it's 60th Annual Meeting on December 19, 2024. A delicious chilli and soup supper was served in the newly remodelled dining room area of the facility. With about 20 people in attendance, there was ample space to eat and hear the happenings of the last year. Line items on the agenda for the meeting included a review of the by-laws, the medical guild report, elections of the new board members, the CEO report, and a Year in Review presentation. Over the last two years, the by-law committee has been working closely with legal council to update the By-Laws that were established over twenty years ago. This work continues to be in progress, so no changes to the by-laws were approved at this meeting.
Lisa Sipler, president of the Medical Guild reported yet another record breaking year at the Guild Rummage sale, with over $13,000 raised. That is quite a jump, from the $1,500 income 50 years ago. This year the Guild plans to donate to the CT construction project. Many thanks goes to all the volunteers who work more than a full time week to prepare and work the sale. The Guild and BSMC both received grants from the Lippard Clawitter Foundation, totalling $10,000, that will also be applied to the project. Now that the clinic has moved into it's own building, construction can begin on that part of the building to house the machine. It will be a great asset to the community.
Moving onto elections for the year, posed no need to cast ballots. There were two terms expiring this year. Amber Terry, who served the remainder of a vacant term, and Bob Nelson, who has been on the BSMC Board for over 20 years. After serving for so many years, Bob had stated that he was ready to step down, if a willing participant would step in. Amber agreed to remain in her seat for another three years, allowing the one nomination that was received to step into Bob Nelson's seat. Matt Gullickson was then accepted for the three year term. He will be officially welcomed in the regular board meeting in January. We thank Bob for his many years of service, the time and wisdom he shared with our facility and his desire to maintain the mission of our facility.
Ron Wiens, CEO offered a beautiful message of thanksgiving and peace, as he introduced Jessica Ophus for the Year in Review presentation. The presentation highlighted all of the changes and completed projects that have taken place in the last year. Mind-blowing statistics were also shared. Did you know that BSMC paid it's employees almost 3 million dollars in the last 12 months. If even half of that was utilized inside of the community of Big Sandy, that is a huge impact in the businesses of our community. The laundry staff, both in house, and at Havre laundry washed over 50,000 pounds of laundry in the last 12 months. For scale, that is as much as the weight of the average snow plow! You'll be able to view the presentation it it's entirety soon, keep an eye on the Facebook page.
The meeting concluded with words of gratitude. For the Board Members, the Leadership team, the employees, and the community. It takes every person to keep our facility operating. We remain one of few independent facilities in Montana and that is in large part due to the people we serve. Without you, the people, we wouldn't exist. Thank you for continuing to trust us with your care and the care of your loved ones. BSMC is here for the community.
