Community Health Partners to Merge with One Health
Post Date: Sep 03, 2024
News & Press
LIVINGSTON, Montana – Community Health Partners (CHP), the federally-qualified community health center serving both Gallatin and Park Counties with behavioral health, dental and medical care, pharmacy, as well as educational services, will merge with One Health, a community health center based in Hardin, Montana. The merger allows both organizations to grow more effectively while continuing to provide valuable care to low-income, uninsured and vulnerable populations across eastern and south-central Montana.
“Since this partnership was announced late last year, both of our organizations have been working diligently to ensure a seamless transition for both our patients and staff members,” said Lander Cooney, CHP’s CEO. “Pending regulatory agency approval, this partnership will take two successful community-level providers and create a broader regional organization serving the primary healthcare needs of more than 24,000 patients.”
Three members of CHP’s board of directors will join the board of One Health to represent the unique needs of Gallatin and Park Counties. In 2023, the board members of each organization voted unanimously for the merger noting that the two entities were kindred spirits with similar mission and vision statements. Patients served at both organizations will experience minimal changes in their care teams, medical records, prescriptions or any other component of their ongoing care. In addition, there will be no job losses at either entity, and by working in concert, the new organization hopes to be more competitive in employee recruitment and retention.
The combined organization will have more healthcare delivery sites than any other community health center in the state and will be headed by One Health CEO and practicing physician in Hardin, David Mark, MD. In addition to billing all insurances, including Medicaid and Medicare, community health centers offer a sliding fee scale to uninsured or underinsured patients based on their family size and income.
CHP, founded in 1997, currently provides care to more than 10,000 unique patients in its clinics in Belgrade, Bozeman and Livingston, while also serving teens through partnerships with both the Belgrade and Bozeman School Districts. It has 135 staff spread across the two counties. One Health, which operates seven sites in Montana and four in northern Wyoming, with several additional school-based and drop-in center locations, cares for 14,000 unique patients with a staff of 300 and was founded in 2012. Both organizations are not-for-profit entities in Montana.
“The healthcare landscape continues to change rapidly and we want to be ready for whatever comes at us,” Cooney explained. “By harnessing the best of what two leading healthcare organizations have to offer, our patients and care teams will be at the cutting edge of what matters most – innovation, technology and caring relationships. We look forward to showcasing more in the near future.”