Northern stops offering health screening to the public

Montana State University-Northern has discontinued its longstanding practice of offering low-cost health screenings to nonemployees.

MSU-Northern wellness director Janet Trethewey said the university dropped the program at the request of Northern Montana Health Care, which said the screenings competed with its services.

"They did it very politely," Trethewey said Tuesday. "They said, 'It's your choice, but this is the law.'"

More than 2,000 screenings were done for nonemployees in the last three years, she said.

As a result of Northern's decision, the Hill County Health Department has begun of...