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Good Monday morning. Last week was quite a ride. I didn’t expect to be chasing news about a health clinic closure in the middle of Election Day, but that’s just how things shake out sometimes. More on that below. In addition, you’ll find links to a ton of midterm election results and analysis to help understand what’s next for state and federal lawmakers.
But first… heads up, Great Falls :
Downtown storm drain construction has moved off of Central Avenue and onto Fifth Street, closer to Second Avenue North. Work on Central is done for the winter season, and the entire project is scheduled to finish in the spring.
A closer look at the health system’s investments
In June 2025, the Montana Facility Finance Authority board approved a $113,400,000 loan to Benefis Health System. The meeting took place inside a Benefis boardroom in Great Falls. After the board approved the loan, Benefis administrators led a tour of the hospital campus.
The loan included $55 million toward the hospital’s north tower upgrades and $16.2 million for the Goodnow Healthy Aging Center, which opened its doors a month ago. Benefis already had $217 million in outstanding loans with the Facility Finance Authority, which is an economic development arm of the Montana Department of Commerce.
The health system had about $662 million in operating revenue in 2024, compared with $687 million in expenses, according to financial information provided to the Montana Facility Finance Authority.
The board’s agenda included financial data to inform the loan decision and noted that the nonprofit health system had a history of steady income growth and an “excellent cash position.” The only concern noted was the potential for competition from other health systems that might expand or undergo mergers.
But last week, Benefis announced it would close a satellite clinic and discontinue services to protect the system’s financial health. An internal staff memo, which was later released to local media, said that “the financial environment is very difficult for hospitals and health systems.” In its memo and in statements to Montana Free Press, Benefis suggested that the financial headwinds stem from challenges with government insurers like Medicare and Medicaid — factors not mentioned a year and a half ago when securing construction loans.
On social media and in messages to me, readers seized on the perceived disconnect: How can the health system cut a clinic and services shortly after completing expensive capital projects? I asked Benefis for more context on those financial choices. The health system declined to discuss in detail, but Senior Vice President Kaci Husted sent an emailed statement.
“Benefis Health System’s recent capital investments have prioritized ongoing needed updates to key components of our core service offering as well as projects aimed at revenue diversification in an increasingly challenging governmental payer environment,” Husted’s statement said. “Our recently announced service line changes align with the same goal of solidifying our long-term financial stability as our capital projects.”
To recap the changes, Benefis plans to close its northwest clinic in Great Falls, which provides family medicine and urgent care just off of Third Street Northwest. It will also close a 20-bed inpatient specialty rehabilitation unit and discontinue outpatient mental health programs. The closure is expected to begin Dec. 19.
Recent capital projects include the north tower renovation, the healthy aging center and a luxury senior living development. The health system is also upgrading its urgent care capacity at the main hospital campus, which could help offset some of the urgent care provided at the soon-to-be-closed northwest clinic.
Benefis declined to say how staff positions will be impacted by these changes. Benefis is the largest private employer in the region with a reported 3,700 employees in 2025.
Photo Op 📸
Project partners and local officials cut the ceremonial ribbon behind the first finished house at Meadowview Village, one of the largest single-family home developments in decades for Great Falls.
The project, led by Missoula-based Upslope Group, aims to add 163 homes off Central Avenue and 46th Street. The homes are marketed toward working-class families. Great Falls city commissioners approved the project’s plans in June 2025.
Eye on Local Government 🏛️
Last week, Great Falls city commissioners heard from VenuWorks, the potential managing company for the Mansfield Theater and convention center spaces at the Civic Center.
VenuWorks manages 70 venues in 28 communities, according to its presentation and comments from CEO Mike Silva. The company handles operations, bookings, marketing and concessions. Silva said that one of the first orders of business would be to hire a local executive director.
“We are here to drive revenue and reduce the subsidy from the city on those two buildings,” Silva told commissioners.
VenuWorks has proposed a $12,000 monthly base fee, as well as a 6% commission on concessions sales and 10% of revenue from naming rights, sponsorships and display advertising.
The expectation would be that VenuWorks generates enough revenue at the Great Falls spaces to cover expenses and management fees. The city would be responsible for covering revenue shortfalls, according to Finance Director Melissa Kinzler.
Silva said VenuWorks could sign agreements with existing local users of the facilities, such as the Great Falls Symphony, that offer a right of first refusal on event dates, as long as they’re committed several months in advance.
City leaders hope a contract manager can work more aggressively to book acts and fill the event calendar. The city commission could see a proposed contract at its next meeting Nov. 17. If approved, the anticipated start date would be Jan. 1.
Last week, Commissioners Casey Schreiner and Shannon Wilson were supportive but wanted to learn more about the start-up costs.
“I know there are investment needs in the facilities,” Schreiner said. “Frankly, I don’t know if we have the money for it right now.”
VenuWorks’ presentation can be viewed here.
Great Falls in Brief ⏱️
Cascade County voters flipped one state Senate seat and appear to have flipped one state House seat from red to blue in the mid-term election last week. Republican Tom Lynch will join the Cascade County Board of Commissioners, and voters in the county overwhelmingly supported the three proposed ballot initiatives. Voter turnout in Cascade County was 68%, according to the elections department. See the full county-level results here.
Crow historian Marvin Dawes, Sr., will give a presentation called “Stories of Crow places and their relationship to Sacagawea” Tuesday at the Great Falls Public Library. Dawes is an enrolled member of the Crow Nation and a former park ranger at Little Bighorn National Battlefield. The presentation starts with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and is hosted by the Portage Route Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance.
Author Catharine Melin-Moser will give a presentation about the equine breeding exploits of three Montana mining magnates: Noah Armstrong, Samuel Larabie and Marcus Daly. Melin-Moser’s recently released book, “When Montana Outraced the East,” explores the topic. The presentation is Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. at The History Museum.
From the MTFP Newsroom đź“°
Feeling like you missed any news from the midterm election? Here’s the landing page for the thorough coverage that my colleagues reported throughout the week.
We launched a new live blog feature this year, and it’s archived here in full for a blow-by-blow recap of Election Day… and night. And the following day.
