GREAT FALLS — The federal government shutdown is already creating ripple effects in Great Falls, from closing a major attraction to raising questions about healthcare funding for thousands of residents.
The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, run by the U.S. Forest Service, has been forced to shut its doors. The closure comes at a time when the center typically sees more than 200 visitors per day. For many travelers, it’s a key destination stop.
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Kelly Paladino, director of the Lewis & Clark Foundation, says, “Unfortunately, because it is a federal entity, the building is closed and we can’t accept any visitors. That is always difficult for us. There is the financial aspect of it, because of course, we lose admissions, but it’s also more the connection that we have with the folks who come to visit us and the connection with our community.”
That lost connection was felt by visitors like Leslie and Mark Stevenson. On vacation from Colorado, the couple had taken a trip to Glacier National Park and made a priority to make a stop in Great Falls specifically to visit the Interpretive Center, but were met with locked doors. Mark explains, “This is a terrible disappointment. We wanted to make it a point to come to Great Falls for this. I’ve followed the Lewis and Clark story even before the bicentennial at this point, so I was really looking forward to this one.”
The closure could also affect the center's scheduled community events, including the October 14th “Big Medicine & York Outdoors” presentation by author Aslan Davis and the annual Halloween Spooktacular on October 26th, which drew more than 1,500 people last year. Paladino says the foundation is working with community partners to ensure those events can still happen, even if the interpretive center remains closed.
While some institutions are shut, federally qualified health centers like Alluvion Health are focused on their financial footing. Alluvion relies on two streams of federal support: discretionary appropriations, which must be approved annually by Congress, and mandatory funding for community health centers, which requires periodic reauthorization. Both expired at the start of the shutdown.
CEO Bill Preston said that for now, Alluvion can continue operations because the Bureau of Primary Health Care has enough discretionary funding available to keep grants flowing in the short term. He explains, “I think the big question for us for continuing services will depend on how long the funding is available and how long the shutdown continues.”
Preston explained that Alluvion began preparing around 18 months ago for the possibility of federal disruptions. The health center reduced some staffing and scaled back certain services, such as speech therapy and allergy care, to focus on its core mission: medical, behavioral health, dental, and pharmacy services.“Those were all hard things and hard decisions to do. But we knew that the future of the organization would be secured,” Preston said.
That planning means Alluvion is in a stable position. Preston estimates the health center can sustain operations for 12 to 16 months, even if federal funds are delayed. Alluvion serves nearly 12,000 patients annually, with more than 60,000 visits. Many are on Medicare or Medicaid, but the center also serves uninsured patients through a sliding scale program based on income. Care coordination teams work with patients to determine eligibility for federal programs and to reduce barriers to care.
Even with those safeguards in place, Preston said he worries about the bigger picture. “It concerns me that we’re putting people at risk of getting care. It’s really important that the government gets together, resolves these issues and moves forward with funding for community health centers.”
For now, Alluvion expects to maintain full services while keeping a close watch on federal developments. But for facilities directly tied to federal operations, like the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, doors will remain locked until lawmakers reach a deal.
