Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Sleeping Buffalo

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Sleeping Buffalo RockSleeping Buffalo Rock · Photo: Robstutz · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
Health in Sleeping Buffalo · CDC PLACES 2025

Where Sleeping Buffalo residents get care

CDC publishes only some of its health estimates for Sleeping Buffalo, not the seven a Health Grade needs; here is what we do have.

Modeled estimates for adults 18+, from ZIP code 59261. How CDC estimates town health

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about health in Sleeping Buffalo

Sleeping Buffalo is short on every kind of care federal data tracks

Sleeping Buffalo’s county is a federal shortage area for primary care, dental care and mental health care, meaning too few providers for the people who live there. Getting care ↓

Heart disease, COPD and stroke run high in Sleeping Buffalo

1 in 11 adults have heart disease (8.7%), vs 6.6% across Montana. 1 in 11 adults have COPD (9%), vs 7% across Montana. Stroke is also above the state: 4.5%, vs 3.5% across Montana. In all, Sleeping Buffalo runs above Montana on seven of 11 chronic conditions. Conditions ↓

More high blood pressure in Sleeping Buffalo, and more people treating it

37.7% of adults have high blood pressure (Montana 31.9%), but 78.4% of them take medicine for it, vs 73.4% statewide. Checkups ↓

Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the Montana figure falls outside Sleeping Buffalo’s likely range; Sleeping Buffalo’s figures come from ZIP code 59261, which may reach past town lines.

★ What stands out · Getting care

Care in and near Sleeping Buffalo

No hospital or community health center in Sleeping Buffalo itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERPhillips County Hospital - CahMalta · 17.4 miDirections →
+Low-cost careBighorn Valley Health CenterHarlem · 57.9 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
17.4 mi
Phillips County Hospital - Cah
Malta · not rated
ERRural critical access
45.8 mi
Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital
Glasgow · not rated
ERRural critical access
56.6 mi
P H S Indian Hospital-Ft Belknap at Harlem - Cah
Harlem · not rated
ERRural critical access
57.9 mi
Bighorn Valley Health Center
3 sites · nearest in Harlem
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
85.4 mi
Garfield County Health Center
Jordan · not rated
ERRural critical access
98.3 mi
Bullhook Community Health Center
Havre · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
✓ Primary careNo HRSA shortage area covers Sleeping Buffalo itself
✓ Dental careNo HRSA shortage area covers Sleeping Buffalo itself
✓ Mental healthNo HRSA shortage area covers Sleeping Buffalo itself

Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Sleeping Buffalo; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Sleeping Buffalo adults…

Sleeping Buffalo runs above MT on 8 of 12 conditions. Tap one to see it as people.

9 of every 100 Sleeping Buffalo adults have heart disease
Montana: 7 in 100 · worse · likely 7.7–9.8%
Better than MTWorseAbout the sameMontana
Checkups & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Sleeping Buffalo adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Montana.

75%Yearly checkupMT 72%
62%Dentist visitMT 63%
85%Cholesterol checkMT 83%
67%Colon screeningMT 64%
74%MammogramMT 75%
78%Taking BP medsMT 73%
1 in 12
working-age adults has no health insurance
Sleeping Buffalo 8.3% · Montana 1 in 11 (9.3%)
Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with Montana

Share of adults, with the Montana figure marked.

Get no exercise 24.5%MT 20.6%
Sleep under 7 hours 34%MT 31.4%
Binge drink 18.4%MT 20.3%
Smoke cigarettes 14.8%MT 13.6%
0%10%20%30%40%
Sleeping Buffalo, betterSleeping Buffalo, worseAbout the sameMontana
Where Sleeping Buffalo gets moving

Walk with neighbors

The easiest exercise habit to keep is one with company.

Mind & connection

How Sleeping Buffalo adults are doing

About the same as Montana on each measure.

3 in 10Sleeping Buffalo adults feel lonely
28.4% · MT 30.7% · About the same as MT
1 in 5Sleeping Buffalo adults lack social or emotional support
20.7% · MT 21.2% · About the same as MT
1 in 4Sleeping Buffalo adults have been diagnosed with depression
23.3% · MT 24.9% · About the same as MT
1 in 6Sleeping Buffalo adults are in frequent mental distress
16.3% · MT 17.2% · About the same as MT
The one neighbors can help with

3 in 10 Sleeping Buffalo adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.

Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.

Find a group →

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 9
Sleeping Buffalo adults worry about having enough food
11.1% · MT 11.7%
About the same as MT
1 in 12
Sleeping Buffalo adults worry about keeping their housing
8.4% · MT 9.1%
About the same as MT
1 in 16
Sleeping Buffalo adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
6.2% · MT 6.5%
About the same as MT
1 in 14
Sleeping Buffalo adults lack reliable transportation
7% · MT 7.5%
About the same as MT

8.3% of Sleeping Buffalo adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.3% across Montana.

Around town

Sleeping Buffalo and the towns around it

How health changes across the town line.

Health next door

TownHealthObesityDiabetesSmokingFigures from

Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.

Disability

Living with a disability

Shown without a better/worse judgment.

32.6%

of Sleeping Buffalo adults live with a disability (Montana 30.9%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs15.9%
Thinking or memory14.1%
Hearing10.6%
Errands alone8.7%
Vision5.2%
Dressing or bathing4.4%
Montana

Questions about health in Sleeping Buffalo

Why doesn’t Sleeping Buffalo have a Health Grade?

Every Health Grade is built from seven of CDC’s PLACES estimates, and CDC doesn’t publish all seven for Sleeping Buffalo.

What hospital is closest to Sleeping Buffalo?

Phillips County Hospital - Cah in Malta, 17.4 miles in a straight line from Sleeping Buffalo’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room. It has no Medicare star rating.

Neighbors talk health

Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Sleeping Buffalo.

Town Square →
Ask your neighbors

Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Montana figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.