MONTPELIER — Bear Lake Memorial Healthcare celebrated its 75th anniversary on March 21.

The event featured a display of assorted pictures, slides and News-Examiner newspapers from the last 75 years. These will remain available for public viewing in the hospital lobby for several more weeks. At the event, a brief welcome speech was given by Arel Hunt, BLMH CEO. This was followed by a ceremonial cake-cutting performed by Hunt and Craig Culver, BLMH board member. Cake was then freely shared with the community and the display was opened to the public.

In his welcome speech, Hunt emphasized the importance of the word “memorial” in the organization’s name as it reminds the community of the roots of the hospital, which began as a memorial to the World War I and World War II veterans of our communities who lost their lives for our freedom. We remember their sacrifice with appreciation and respect.

The Bear Lake Valley has a rich medical history, with the first building designed and constructed as a hospital in the southeastern corner of Idaho in Montpelier. That original hospital later became the Mary K Apartments on 8th Street. This was the Montpelier Hospital, which was built in 1912 by the late Dr. George F. Ashley to the then-modern standards. It was a two-story structure, with a capacity of 12 beds, and its doors were never closed over a period of about 34 years.

Operating concurrently with the Montpelier Hospital for a period of eight years, then as the only hospital in the county for an additional four years, was the Bear Lake Hospital, which was under the management of Dr. R.B. Lindsay and Dr. Reed J. Rich. The Bear Lake Hospital also had a 12-bed capacity and was located over the Fair Store. It opened in February 1937 and closed Dec. 31, 1949.

From Jan. 1, 1950, until the opening of the Bear Lake Memorial Hospital (March 21, 1950) there was no hospital in the county. At the time of BLMH opening, Idaho only had four hospital beds per thousand patients. Due to this deficit, federal funds were allocated to assist in the original BLMH construction.

At its opening in March of 1950, the Bear Lake Memorial Hospital had facilities for care of 35 bed (primarily shared room) patients in normal circumstances and 45 under emergency instances. Included in this number were 25 med/surg and 10 obstetrical cases (including a nursery with a 10-baby capacity). The hospital also had an X-ray machine and lab services.

Seventy-five years provides countless opportunities for growth, and Bear Lake Memorial Healthcare now proudly has 21 private beds, 36 beds for its Skilled Nursing Facility and 37 beds in its Bear Lake Manor. Within the hospital, they also offer general, orthopedic and gynecological surgery, often aided with one of their two new surgical robots, the DaVinci and Velys robots. Due to such advances in technology, patient care has shifted greatly in recent years.

More and more surgeries and procedures are becoming outpatient, and BLMH has risen to the need for additional and diverse services. BLMH has grown in scope in the last 75 years and now also includes a 24/7 Emergency Department; laboratory; radiology (including MRI, CT, mammography, X-ray and ultrasound); dialysis; chemotherapy; therapy (physical, occupational and speech); mental health; home health; wound care; and sleep lab. BLMH boasts a full medical staff of 12 in-house providers (including surgeons) as well as a host of visiting specialists in numerous fields.

We are so grateful to have been able to grow to fit the needs of our patients and community. This growth has been made possible through the support of the many who have spent countless hours of their lives building us up. This includes the service and donations of our community, past employees, volunteers and foundation. About a quarter of the efforts of the organization are made by our auxiliary volunteers, and we are so appreciative of your monumental service.

The Bear Lake Valley Healthcare Foundation’s fundraisers and community donations have made it possible to have the following: emergency department renovation, MRI machine, mammography, dialysis center, robotic surgery and renovated private patient rooms. Both the foundation and auxiliary also provide community support through things such as scholarships and community grants. As Hunt said, “That’s where we see our successes, where we stand each other up”.

The following quote was taken from the 1950 News-Examiner BLMH special edition: "When the doors of the Bear Lake Memorial Hospital are unlocked at 8 a.m. Tuesday, March 21st (1950), and the useless keys thrown away, since doors thereafter remain open 24 hours each day, staff members ... will be on hand to care for the wants of the public."

That quote has shown to be true for the past 75 years, and we at BLMH hope to prove it true for 75 more. Thank you so much for your support through the last 75 years. We look forward to continually serving our community. We are here for you when you need us, and you can count on us to care.