HELENA — A longtime hospital board trustee from Townsend was recently named the Montana Hospital Association’s 2025 Trustee of the Year. Bill Upthegrove, a trustee for Billings Clinic-Broadwater, was given the award during the Montana Healthcare Conference in October.
Upthegrove joined the board about 14 years ago. At the time, the nursing home had closed and there was concern that the hospital, at the time called Broadwater Health Center, could follow suit.
“I wanted to understand what was going on, so I went down to a board meeting,” Upthegrove recalled. “I was sitting in the back row, and before the night was over, I was sitting at the table.”
The community rallied to keep the hospital open, and Upthegrove helped lead the hospital from that point to where it is today—one of the town’s largest employers with a 25-bed critical access hospital, an emergency room, primary care clinic, long-term care beds, imaging capabilities and a rehabilitation team.
The Montana Hospital Association award recognizes Upthegrove’s dedication to something he is passionate about—rural health care.
“I’ve heard the quotation before—if the hospital should close, you might as well roll up Main Street,” Upthegrove said. “If you think about it, hospitals are probably one of the primary employers in the area, so if they close, you’re going to lose that economic benefit.”
Upthegrove encourages people to get involved with their local hospital, whether that’s being on a board, or just showing appreciation to the doctors, nurses and staff.
“I think stewardship in your community to help your hospital sustain itself is very important,” Upthegrove said.
