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Glacier County searches for new operator after Cottonwood declines to renew Northern Pines Care Center lease
Summary
County staff reported that operator Cottonwood will not renew its lease at Northern Pines Care Center when it expires June 30; county staff, working with Montana DPHHS, are pursuing several prospective providers, scheduling a walk-through Feb. 25, and set an internal contingency timeline if no commitment arrives by April 1.
County staff updated the board that Cottonwood — the current operator of Northern Pines Care Center — has formally notified the county it will not renew its lease and contract when the lease expires on June 30. The county said it has already begun outreach to potential replacement providers and is coordinating with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to find a new operator.
The staff member leading the search (identified in the meeting as Mike) said he has reestablished contacts and has preliminary, noncommittal interest from multiple firms. He asked a commissioner to attend a facility walk-through scheduled for Feb. 25; the county will require prospective operators to sign nondisclosure agreements before sharing financials and operational details.
Mike said state DPHHS has been engaged and that the county holds standing biweekly calls with DPHHS long‑term care staff, including inspector-general staff, to help identify and vet candidates. He also said he was invited to participate in state listening sessions about distributing a recent federal rural-health grant (discussed in the meeting as roughly $234–235 million) and urged that rural counties be given share for infrastructure and operations.
Staff raised two pressing constraints: reimbursement pressures (Medicare/Medicaid rates) and workforce shortages. He said providers are increasingly reliant on traveling nurses and temporary staff, which can dramatically increase labor costs; that combination has been a common reason other operators have closed or reduced services in rural Montana.
The county emphasized timing: staff said they want to secure a committed provider but set an internal contingency date of April 1. If the county does not have a firm commitment from a serious provider by that date, staff said they will shift from searching to creating a checklist and plan to vacate the facility.
Public commenters praised county staff efforts and volunteered local partnerships — from community colleges for CNA and nursing pipelines to assistance from the hospital — to shore up workforce needs. Several callers and commissioners emphasized the facility’s importance to elderly residents, to local hospital meals contracts and to other county services (for example, daily meals supplied to the detention center).
What’s next: County staff will host the Feb. 25 walk-through for prospective providers, continue biweekly coordination with DPHHS, pursue possible grant allocations for rural infrastructure, and report back to the commissioners with updates on provider negotiations. The county is prioritizing a replacement operator but is preparing contingency steps if recruitment fails.
