Patients with chronic lung disease have been arriving at a Flathead Valley clinic during a stretch when wildfire smoke from Oregon and Washington sank into northwest Montana's valleys. The air quality index in Columbia Falls peaked at 211 on Sunday, a level the federal scale rates as very unhealthy for everyone, before easing to 99 by Tuesday afternoon. The index sat above 150 for much of the previous week.
Dr. Timothy Nuce, medical director at Greater Valley Health Center, told the Daily Inter Lake that he has seen multiple patients struggling with poor air quality. "Most commonly, they are seen and treated for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, and asthma exacerbations," Nuce said.
