The Joliet community is fearing the loss of the town's only primary care clinic after the practice was informed it will no longer be allowed to function in the town's Community Center.
The clinic, which is a satellite site affiliated with RiverStone Health, has been operating there since 2008. Over the years, they have sublet the space from Beartooth Billings Clinic Physical Therapy, splitting up the days so that both practices could coexist.
Now, Beartooth Billings Clinic Physical Therapy is expanding and needs to run all five days. The group alerted the Joliet Clinic that by spring of 2025, they will no longer be able to operate at the facility.
For patients of the clinic, like 72-year-old Lynn Coughlan, it creates anxiousness that the town's health provider might be gone in less than a year.
"It's going to make a lot of changes for me and the community itself," Coughlan said Tuesday afternoon. "It's just not going to be convenient. It would be really harmful for the community because they are so accessible here."
Coughlan said that if the facility could no longer offer primary care, residents would have to resort to other facilities outside of town, which would eliminate the environment she loves.
"It's very comfortable here, and there's no pressure on you at all," Coughlan said. "We're almost like family. If something's wrong, you know, we call them."
But it isn't just the environment Coughlan fears to lose. She also added worries about the long drive to Billings during the winter time, as well as concerns over longer wait times for appointments.
“It’s kind of like a country doctor," Coughlan said. "When they’re gone, the only thing you’ll have left is the bigger cities and you can hardly get in. It’s going to make things pretty dire for those who need the services."
RiverStone Health Physician's Assistant and head doctor at the Joliet Clinic Kaci Jansma agreed with many of Coughlan's concerns.
"We do primary care, so from cradle to grave, we take care of all ages," Jansma said. "That's a lot to cover and really impactful to have in a small community."
Jansma spends a few days at the clinic in Joliet and a few days at another satellite clinic in Bridger. She said the need for convenient healthcare is crucial in rural communities.
"It's really easier for us to prioritize healthcare if it's nearby," Jansma said. "If it costs us a trip to town, it's a financial burden, it's a time commitment, or you're away from your job or your ranch."
That's why Jansma said she is going to fight to keep the clinic alive. She said she is working on fundraisers or community events that can hopefully find them a new location.
"We're going to stay here," Jansma said. "I'm going to find a way to make it happen, but I'm going to need a lot of community support."
