HARDIN— The City of Hardin and Big Horn County are pushing to serve as the location for the new state mental health hospital.
Hardin is among a number of Montana cities offering space for the facility. Others include Laurel and Columbus.
Watch to see possible locations for the hospital:
City officials say Hardin is the strongest option for the hospital, saying they have a greater need for the economic boost because Hardin’s median income falls 22% below the state average.
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“We can improve the town of Hardin, Big Horn County. We have the workforce, I believe, with the unemployment that's in this county,” said Big Horn County Commissioner Larry Vandersloot.
The area has lost jobs over the years as the coal production industry has shrunk.
“I think we're due for it. I think we've earned it. I think we've earned it through our time as being the largest coal-producing county in the state and having to deal with the current challenges now and transitioning into some sort of different economic strategy,” said county economic development and housing director Lawrence Killsback.
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According to their proposal to the Montana Board of Investments (BOI), Hardin presents land with built-in utilities and infrastructure, such as sewer access, water hook-ups and roads.
“We have some money set aside where we could potentially help build any further infrastructure necessary,” said county accountant Michael Opie.
The proposal also presented advantages such as proximity to the Big Horn County Airport, and two interstate highways, I-90 and I-94.
Some possible considerations include nine acres of land by the BIA Hardin Correctional Facility at 1015 N. Lessard Ave and land in the Hardin Industrial Park area.
Some land will require approval from nearby property owners.
“These facilities require land, and we have the ability to leverage not only what the county has, but (what) the county can do as far as possible purchases or working with private landowners to secure land,” said Killsback.
Killsback said he has heard worries from the community, such as the dangerous patients a forensic mental health hospital could bring.
However, one property owner is welcoming the idea of a mental health hospital in Hardin.
“Considering we already have the BIA prison here, as long as the security and stuff is the same or similar to what is already in place for the BIA, we should be okay with it,” said Jason Allerdings, whose home overlooks the nine-acre plot of land next to the correctional facility.
The 2025 Montana Legislature approved $26.2 million for a mental health facility in eastern Montana, the second of its kind in the state. The Legislature did not identify a spot for the facility, but local officials in Yellowstone County learned in August that Billings was a possibility.
Several local officials expressed concerns about the facility, saying the area already has a healthcare workforce shortage and lacks sufficient outpatient treatment programs. On Sept. 10, Gov. Greg Gianforte ordered the Board of Investments to restart its search for a new site.
The state will decide where the facility will be built. No timeline on the decision has been released.
