Ronan/Polson

Rona/Polson, Montana WRITE Site

Map of Montana, with a star in the northwest corner indicating the location of the city of Ronan. St. Luke Community Hospital & Clinic

126 6th AVE SW

Ronan, Montana 59684

Phone: 406-676-3600

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center
#6 13th Ave East
Polson, Montana, 59684

Phone: 406-883-5680

Ronan and Polson are located on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana. Positioned near Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake West of the Mississippi and alongside the rugged, snow-capped Mission Mountains bordering to the northeast, this region is stunning. This charming communities sit on one of Montana’s most fertile farming areas. In a prime cherry growing region, Polson is home to numerous cherry orchards. In addition to supporting livestock and dairy production, common crops in the valley include alfalfa, barley flax, and wheat.

Photo of the Ronan landscape, looking down on the town with Flathead Lake and snowcapped mountains in the background.

Primary WRITE Preceptors:

Headshot photo of Dr. Megan Vigil, a woman with brown hair, jean jacket, and stethoscope.

Megan Vigil, M.D., (Family Medicine with OB)

Dr. Vigil graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Kellie Larson, D.O. (Family Medicine with OB)

Dr. Larson graduated from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Participating Physicians:

David Springs, M.D. (Family Medicine with OB)

Laura Hoganson, M.D. (Family Medicine )

JoAnna Billings, D.O. (Family Medicine )

Isaac Billings, D.O. (Family Medicine )

Cara Harrop, M.D. (Family Medicine )

Jamie Straub, D.O. (OB/GYN)

Site Contact:

Eristina Moore: eristina.moore@providence.org

Liane Clairmont: lclairmont@stlukehealthcare.org

St. Luke Community Hospital is a 25-bed, all private room facility. One of the five Family Medicine Clinics that make up St. Luke Community Health is located in Ronan.

The Primary Care Providers are family medicine specialists who provide care for patients of all ages. The focus of St. Luke’s is on primary care as the first line of defense against illness, chronic conditions, and injury, via preventive care with regular checkups and immunizations.

Common services of primary care include:

Pediatric, adolescent, adult, and elder care

Women’s and Men’s Health Care

Routine check-ups, preventive care, and wellness exams

Well Child Checks (With Sports Physical upon request)

Medicare Annual Wellness Visits

Screening for common health issues

Management of acute health conditions

Diagnosis and treatment of illness or injury

Referral to specialists for more serious conditions

Immunizations both for children and adults

Family Medicine

Managing chronic illness and coordinating complex care with specialists

Providence St. Joseph Hospital (OB/GYN rotations):

Built in 1959 and remodeled in 2000, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center is located at #6 13th Ave East, Polson. This 22-bed critical access hospital in Polson offers outstanding primary and specialty care. St. Joe’s offers a wide range of specialties including a 24-hour emergency department, obstetrics and gynecology, family practice, orthopedics, general surgery, rehabilitation, laboratory services, diagnostic imaging, full-service inpatient and retail pharmacy, nutrition, and social services. Specialty services include cardiologists from the International Heart Institute of Montana, oncologists from Montana Cancer Specialists in the Klein Cancer Center, pediatrics and audiologists from Missoula Vibrant Hearing. The services of two board-certified OB/GYN physicians at the Medical Center make it possible to cover all of a woman’s healthcare needs. The Nesting Place birthing center offers many amenities such as homelike patient rooms to make the birthing experience comfortable and peaceful. The walk-in clinic is available 7 days a week from 8 AM to 7 PM. The medical center also supports the Providence St. Joseph Medical Clinic located 11 miles south in Ronan. This clinic provides primary care medicine.

The Providence St. Joseph Medical Center website is: Providence St. Joseph Medical Center

Housing:

St. Luke has a duplex available for student housing in Ronan. The duplex is located across the street from the facility. Each side of the duplex has 3 bedrooms. One of the units has 1 ½ bathrooms and the other has 2 bathrooms. Both units have laundry rooms. Units are fully furnished including kitchen and all linens. The duplexes may be shared with other students who are also completing rotations at St. Luke. Pets are allowed in the duplex. Pet owners are asked to be considerate of other students completing rotations.

Location/Directions:

Ronan and Polson are located on Highway 93. Ronan is 59 miles north of Missoula and 61 miles south of Kalispell. Polson is 69 miles north of Missoula and 51 miles south of Kalispell. Driving distance from Seattle to Ronan is 473 miles and driving distance from Seattle to Polson is 487 miles.

Extracurricular Activities:

Ronan and Polson offer the opportunity for year-round outdoor recreation. There are bike/hiking trails in and around town, nearby state and national parks, such as Glacier National Park and the National Bison Range and Ninepipes National Wild Refuge: Flathead Watershed

Climate:

The average daytime temperature in January is 34 degrees F and the daily summertime temperature averages 81 degrees F.