Kalispell Regional Healthcare President Velinda Stevens died early Sunday morning after a long battle with cancer, the hospital announced in a press release.

Curtis Lund, KRH Board of Trustees Chairman, said Stevens died just before 4 a.m. on Jan. 22.

“We’ve lost a visionary leader, and the people of Montana have lost one of their most passionate health care advocates,” Lund stated in the press release. “Those of us who had the good fortune of knowing and working with Velinda will miss our treasured friend and inspiring mentor. She leaves behind an incredible legacy that will impact this community and this organization for years to come.”

Lund will act as the hospital’s interim chief executive officer as the hospital board conducts a formal search for Stevens’ successor. Members of the KRH Senior Leadership Team will take on additional responsibilities as well and work with Lund to lead the organization through the transition.

Throughout her time at Kalispell Regional, Stevens was a voice for expanding health care as the Flathead Valley’s population continued to increase.

In a 2016 letter, Stevens wrote to the community that she never found a place equal to the Flathead Valley.

“We live in a special place. Because of that, our valley has grown significantly over the past 10 years,” she wrote. “As the population increases, so does the need for health-care services and specialty care.”

Within the last year, the hospital has continued to take steps toward becoming a medical destination.

After years of negotiations, Kalispell Regional Medical Center and North Valley Hospital finalized an affiliation that brought the Whitefish hospital under the Kalispell Regional Healthcare umbrella.

Within the same year, the hospital announced a 19,000-square-foot pediatric center as part of an effort to keep local families in the valley for care.

The hospital wrapped up a $14 million expansion of the emergency services department. It also announced it’s expanding its digestive health unit in a 25,000-square-foot building.

As an effort to continue Stevens’ vision of growth for health care in the Flathead Valley, her family established The Velinda Stevens Endowment for Women and Children through the Kalispell Regional Healthcare Foundation.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of support from the Kalispell Regional Healthcare family and from those across the state of Montana,” a family representative stated in the press release. “Velinda loved this community, and it’s humbling to know how much this community loved her in return. Thank you for respecting our privacy at this time as we cope with her loss.”

Stevens family requested that donations be made to either the endowment or the A.L.E.R.T. program.

Lund said a celebration of Stevens’ life will be held in the coming weeks.

“This is a difficult time for all of us at KRH, and no words that can adequately express our grief over her loss,” he said. “She dedicated her heart and soul to this organization and to the health of all Montanans,” said Lund, “The best way we can honor her memory is to commit ourselves to the mission of Kalispell Regional Healthcare, which she loved so very much.”

Cards and letters can be sent to:

KRH Administration

310 Sunnyview Lane

Kalispell, MT, 59901