Dear Editor: St James in a Decline of Quality Care

Dear Editor,

I am writing on behalf of, and with the help of, a dear friend. It has come to my attention that, since the merger of SCL Health with Intermountain Health in 2022, St. James Hospital in Butte has gone from staffing 9-10 qualified surgeons to only four! Of those no longer at the hospital, three failed to renew their contracts due to a decrease in salary (?), while two others simply retired, according to the Montana Nurses Association. What does this all mean? Must our expected quality of healthcare at what some would call "our beloved" St. James Hospital suffer because of this merg...