Middle of Nowhere Montana
By: Courtney Hallock
When I first found out
I’d be placed in Glasgow, MT
I can’t lie – my stomach dropped
I tried to maintain a positive outlook
“It’ll be fine”
“It’s just a short time”
In the middle of nowhere MT
Next was my “first summer experience”
I was a nervous wreck
Total unsure of myself
And the place I’d repeatedly return to
The middle of nowhere, MT
But I began to meet my preceptors
Everyone was genuine, welcoming and kind
I realized that this landscape breeds a special kind of person
Down to the earth and tough
In the middle of Nowhere MT
I stumbled upon the museum
And learned about the history of Francis Mahon Deaconess Hospital
A place born with the desire to provide quality healthcare
To the middle of nowhere MT
Next spring I returned
Less nervous and more curious
You see I was beginning to discover
How unique and how extraordinary is
The middle nowhere MT
Now it’s late July, middle of harvest
Something I would have never taken note of the year before
I see fields of straight gold
And families piled in the truck bed eating sandwich’s
Watching the combines work the fields till sundown
It’s a different kind of beautiful
Here in the middle of nowhere MT
I meet people from all walks of life
From well-off to paycheck to paycheck
Conversations are always easy
There’s something special
About the middle of nowhere MT
I hear stories of patient driving two hours each way
Just to see the doctor
I look at a map I begin to realize
The healthcare implication of living in
The middle of Nowhere MT
“My wife had a heart attack and STAT air was grounded”
“They drove her 70 miles to Malta”
“On an icy two-lane highway”
“There, the weather was good enough to fly”
“You see it’s a game of cat and mouse”
“With mother nature in the winter”
“In the middle of nowhere, MT”
How do health outcomes change?
When your precious golden hour
Is eaten up by transportation
Out of the middle of nowhere MT
Go look at the map
See the vast expanse of the state
Look for hospitals in MT
You will find only three with specialty care
In the northeastern corner
Each hour apart
In the middle of nowhere MT
The reality hits – remoteness
The most isolated region of the lower 48
This has healthcare implications
On the families and love one’s
Whose home is
The middle of nowhere MT
What can be done?
It’s a complicated picture
Multifactorial – you might say
What can be done?
Many potential solutions
Realistic? – hard to say
What I do know is
I’ve had a change of heart
About middle of nowhere MT
I care about this special place
Where life moves a little slower
I care about the people here
Who are salt of the earth
I care about their way of life
A different kind of beautiful
I am so grateful to live, work and learn
In the middle of nowhere MT
Picture: Fort Peck Reservoir