Steele Memorial Medical Center Receives $300,000 Grant from M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust to Support $3 Million MRI Project

SALMON, Idaho — Steele Memorial Medical Center (SMMC) has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust to support a nearly $3 million investment in a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit. This represents one of the most significant technology upgrades in SMMC’s history and underscores the hospital’s commitment to advancing healthcare access for residents of Lemhi and Custer Counties.

As the most remote critical access hospital in the lower 48 states, SMMC plays an essential role in ensuring patients have access to timely, high-quality care. The new MRI will replace outdated equipment with advanced technology that delivers sharper images, greater diagnostic accuracy, and scan times reduced by half. In addition, the MRI’s larger design will allow SMMC to serve patients who previously faced barriers to obtaining this critical diagnostic service locally.

“This is a milestone investment for our hospital and our community,” said Preston Becker, CEO of Steele Memorial Medical Center. “With the support of the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, we are taking on this $3 million project to ensure world-class imaging technology is available even in the most remote corners of Idaho.”

In addition to the support from the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, the Steele Memorial Foundation’s 2025–2026 Annual Campaign is dedicated to raising funds for the new MRI unit. Community contributions will play a vital role in helping the hospital meet the full cost of this nearly $3 million project, ensuring that advanced imaging technology remains available for patients across Lemhi and Custer Counties.

This project is made possible with support from the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust.
M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants, programs, initiatives, and convenings for nonprofit organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington—that seek to strengthen the region’s educational, social, spiritual, and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways.

To learn more or make a contribution to the MRI project, please contact Jenny Tracy at (208) 756-5612 or jennifer.tracy@steelemed.org.