As Montana hospitals struggle with employee recruitment because of rising housing costs, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle's editorial board wrote Dec. 5 that building employee housing for new staff at Bozeman Health could help.
Bozeman's housing prices are among the highest in the state, according to the editorial board, and Bozeman Health reported 400 open staff positions this year.
The health system already owns land around the hospital and built homes on part of that land, but stopped after receiving criticism. The editorial board said Bozeman Health should partner with private-sector businesses to build affordable housing for new staff rather than sell high-end housing.
This is a method other hospitals are pursuing as well, such as Idaho's St. Luke's McCall Medical Center and St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center in Ketchum. Glendive (Mont.) Medical Center also owns employee housing, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.