Central Montana Medical Center breaks ground on $15.6 million comprehensive cancer center

LEWISTOWN, MONTANA(Sept. 13, 2023)—Central Montana Medical Center broke ground Wednesday on a $15.6 million cancer center that will bring comprehensive cancer care services to central Montana. The project is made possible by $9 million in grant funding from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and the support of the community.

Once complete, the 17,830 square-foot cancer center will offer medical and radiation oncology services to nine rural counties in central Montana, filling a huge coverage gap by providing high-quality cancer care closer to home for nearly 50,000 residents.The CMMC cancer center will help relieve the stress and burden of patients and families who currently travel up to 220 miles, sometimes five days a week, to Great Falls or Billings for diagnoses, radiation treatments and other services.

Central Montana Medical Center plans to add a full-time oncologist in partnership with Billings Clinic Cancer Center, a part-time radiation oncologist and a linear accelerator machine. The new center will be built on the Central Montana Medical Center campus and connect to the hospital and all its services. The center will introduce the region’s only medical linear accelerator, which delivers radiation treatments quickly and accurately. 

An additional $2.4 million in alternates are being considered as construction and fundraising proceeds. CMMC is dedicated to raising $4 million through fundraising efforts and securing debt financing for the rest. Currently, more than $12.2 million has been raised including the lead gift from the Helmsley Charitable Trust in 2021. Fundraising efforts are still underway.