(Sheridan, Montana, November 3, 2023) – The Ruby Valley Medical Center (RVMC) has purchased the Wagon Wheel Restaurant at 207 North Main Street in Twin Bridges from Janet and Shawn Dustin. The property will be used as the site for the new Twin Bridges Clinic. “The acquisition of the Wagon Wheel property will provide a very convenient location for the Twin Bridges area residents and visitors to access healthcare services and allows us to expand the range of healthcare services to the community,” said Landon Dybdal, CEO of the Ruby Valley Medical Center.
The new Twin Bridges Clinic will be approximately the same size as the current Wagon Wheel building, 4100 square feet. Construction is tentatively scheduled to commence in April, 2024. “If we have no issues and everything goes as planned, the new clinic should be completed by the end of 2024,” said Dybdal. The Main Street location on Highway 41 has been determined to be ideal. “All the providers are excited for the opportunity to have a presence on the Main Street in Twin Bridges for the new clinic,” said RVMC’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roman Hendrickson.
Up until three months ago, RVMC’s board and administration had been planning to build the new Twin Bridges Clinic on the property adjacent to the current clinic. However, at the suggestion of RVMC’s CFO, Cole White, the purchase of the Wagon Wheel property was reconsidered when the asking price was reduced. “The old clinic isn’t big enough and would cost more to remodel compared to building a new clinic,” Dybdal said. “Building a new clinic still makes sense with the new property.” Potential sites outside of Twin Bridges were also considered but were determined to be infeasible due to the cost of connecting to or installing sewer, water and power infrastructure.
Additional healthcare services at the new Twin Bridges Clinic will include a mobile x-ray machine and CLIA-waived lab testing. CLIA-waived lab tests can be performed by healthcare providers rather than requiring a state certified lab technician. These tests have been determined by the CDC and FDA to be so simple that there is little risk of error. CLIA-waived lab tests include pregnancy testing and some urine tests.
Within the next few weeks, RVMC will formally announce an invitation to bid on most of the commercial grade kitchen appliances, cooking utensils, kitchen supplies, furniture, cabinets, fixtures, and the Wagon Wheel log building. Dybdal noted that “we’re going to use some of the kitchen equipment when we expand the Medical Center but we need to have the contents cleared out and the building removed by early 2024.” Additional information and instructions for the invitation to bid will be published in the newspapers serving Madison County.
