February 2026 Community Update

We have exciting news to share about our hospital and the care we provide to our community.

New Doctors Joining Our Team

We are happy to welcome Dr. Paula Godfrey to our Emergency Department. Dr. Godfrey is a board-certified emergency medicine doctor with 20 years of experience, mostly in rural communities in the Northwest. She worked with us last year and enjoyed it so much that she is coming back full time. Dr. Godfrey will start in March 2026.

We are also welcoming Dr. Russ Nichols, a board-certified family medicine doctor with emergency room experience. Dr. Nichols worked at our hospital in the past and has over 20 years of experience in rural health care. He will be helping in the Emergency Department as needed.

Lastly, we are welcoming Dr. Guy Zickgraf, a board-certified family medicine physician with over 15 years of experience. Dr. Zickgraf will work in the Emergency Department and will begin in March.

With these additions, our emergency and hospital care teams will be fully staffed.

Growing Our Care Team

We continue to add skilled providers to better serve our community.

· A new Nurse Practitioner, Stephanie Green will begin next month and support specialty care services.

· Another Nurse Practitioner, Erin Gosnell will join us this summer after finishing her training.

· Dr. Robert Yee, a family medicine doctor, will support hospice care and residents at the Care Center beginning in February.

· Dr. Robin Virgin will join us later in February to support women’s health and family medicine services.

· Dr. Brent Shepherd will join our team this spring to continue family medicine and obstetrics care.

We are thankful for all our providers who care for patients every day with compassion and dedication.

Training the Next Generation of Blue Mountain Hospital Providers

We recently signed an agreement with the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, allowing medical students to train at our hospital. We expect to welcome students as early as this fall.

We are also once again a training site for OHSU rural family medicine residents, helping bring future doctors to rural communities like ours.

CNA Training Program Starts This Month

Our “Grow Your Own CNA” Program – Cohort #3 begins on February 6. There was a strong response from the community, with 15 people applying for 10 available spots.

This is a five-week training program, and all participants are hired as full-time Certified Nursing Assistants at the hospital or Care Center while they learn. Programs like this help us build a strong local workforce and create new career opportunities.

Thank you for your continued support. We are proud to serve this community and remain committed to providing high-quality, local health care close to home.

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