HELENA — Benefis Health System announced last Thursday that it has closed oncology and infusion services at the specialty center in Helena.
The closure left patients facing changes in where and from whom they receive care. For many, this is more than a change of location; it’s another uncertainty in an already difficult journey.
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“Panic, not only worry for the staff but also I don’t know what I am going to do,” Katelyn Kimball, a Benefis patient, said.
Kimball is one of around 200 patients who were told services would be ending either by phone or by nurses at their appointments.
“It is huge; if I cannot do my fluids, I get very sick, and it can be dangerous,” Kimball added.
The hospital said the changes come amid challenges surrounding the recruitment of a permanent oncologist, despite some infusion services being used to treat chronic illnesses.
“What we are really looking for is a full-time individual that is an oncology provider that is able to provide those services while living here and being a part of the Helena community,” Rayn Ginnaty, the president of System Care Continuum for Benefis, said.
Benefis also says the cost of the ongoing coverage from short-term providers is unsustainable.
“We have opted to close that infusion suite purely because we just right now do not have the volumes that make it financially feasible for us in this community right now,” Ginnaty added.
Oncology services will restart in Helena as soon as a permanent provider is recruited.
The hospital emphasized that filling that role is a top priority.
But for many, finding another option in the meantime is difficult.
“I can’t go to St. Peter’s because they don’t have the hours. I work until a certain point and was going to get my port accessed afterwards, and so I either have to take off of work once a week, which is not really an option, or find something else,” Kimball said.
Those who continue with Benefis will be able to see providers at Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute in Great Falls.
