Distinctly Montana Magazine

Care and compassion close to home L iving in Montana has many benefits, from blue skies and golden wheat fields to the friendliness that can only be found in small towns. But for the parents of children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses, living here has previously meant having to travel out of state to find qualified specialists. The burden is extreme, as is the choice many parents have been forced to make: staying with their child during treatment or leaving them in another's care so that they may work to cover mounting medical bills. St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings is addressing the shortage of pediatric specialists in Montana and Wyoming through the St. Vincent Children's Healthcare Physician Network. Dr. Carrie Neuhardt, a pediatric oncologist-hematologist at the Fortin Pediatric Specialty Clinic, is one of the physicians leading the effort. "When a child has a serious medical condition, it affects their parents and their siblings as well," Dr. Neuhardt explains. "By ensuring pediatric patients have access to specialists without having to travel hundreds of miles from home relieves some of the physical and emotional strain on the entire family." Dr. Neuhardt came to Billings from Louisiana, joining the Fortin Pediatric Specialty Clinic in 2012. The disorders she treats are wide-ranging, including leukemia, tumors, bone marrow failure and hemophilia. She is one of the few pediatric oncologists-hematologists in Montana, the western Dakotas and northern Wyoming. "States like Montana and Wyoming, which are large geographically but have limited populations lack many of the amenities of larger cities and at"By ensuring pediatric patients have access to tracting specialists can be challenging," she says. "Our goal is to change that specialists without having to travel hundreds of by creating a unique team environment that allows pediatric patients to heal at miles from home relieves some of the physical Dr. Carrie Neuhardt, and emotional strain on the entire family." the Fortin Pediatric Specialty Clinic pediatric oncologist-hematologist at home without compromising the quality of care they receive." According to Neuhardt, great strides have been made over the last several years in expanding specialty care for children thanks to the efforts of St. Vincent 24 D I ST I N CT LY M ONTANA • FALL 2013

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