Barrett Hospital and Healthcare 2022

Behavioral Health Consolidation Grant

Barrett Hospital & HealthCare is an 18-bed Critical Access Hospital located in Dillon, serving several rural communities in southwest Montana. This consolidation grant will build on Barrett’s previous successful integrated behavioral health implementation grant. It will allow Barrett to develop consistent screening protocols, pathways, and processes for anxiety and suicide risk; build psychiatric collaborative care management services; drive practice change through ongoing data analysis; optimize technology and electronic medical record tools to facilitate and deliver behavioral health care. Barrett will also implement social determinants of health (SDOH) screening to allow them to identify unmet needs like housing or transportation that impact health and well-being, and they will develop a referral system to connect patients to available community resources to address those needs. Barrett will also increase access to behavioral health services by adding another licensed clinical social worker or coordinated care staff member to its primary care team and pursuing a contract with existing partners for psychiatric consultation. Funding will support an additional full-time team member, consultation services for collaborative care, and direct expenses, including education, electronic medical record tools, and marketing. Barrett will complete the project in close collaboration with current partners, including social services and mental health agencies serving low-income community members and families struggling with food and housing insecurity, drug and alcohol use, suicidal ideation, and other needs.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

36 month

2022

Bitterroot CASA, Inc. 2022

Peer Advocate Model – Train, Pilot, and Transition

The Bitterroot Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) will train and utilize seasoned volunteers to support, coach, and supervise new CASA volunteers. Bitterroot CASA, located in the Bitterroot Valley, recruits and trains volunteer advocates to reduce trauma for children and advocate for the child's best interests in court. This project will allow the program to serve more children, support volunteers, and increase the retention of volunteers. The program has strong partnerships in the community and the court system, including the 21st District Court and community volunteers.

Grant Amount

$17,266

Term

12 month

2022

Blackfeet Tribe 2022

Blackfeet Responsible Parenting Project

Blackfeet Manpower’s Child Support Program will partner with the Aspen Institute Center for Native American Youth to create a standardized curriculum to educate teens and young adults on parenthood, and to support informed family planning, with an emphasis on prioritizing education, stable employment, and healthy relationships. This project will support the creation of a culturally appropriate standardized curriculum to share with young people on the Blackfeet Reservation and the facilitation of youth groups that will teach cultural traditions and crafts. The project will provide educational opportunities for youth ages 13-25 with an emphasis on building self-esteem, communication skills, problem-solving skills, and setting personal and community goals. Funds will be used to support the development of the curriculum, youth group gatherings, and incentives for attendance. Partners include schools located on the Blackfeet Reservation, Blackfeet tribal and family courts, Blackfeet Crystal Creek Treatment Center, and Blackfeet Community Hospital.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

24 months

2022

Butte SPIRIT Center 2022

Women’s Substance Use Disorder Recovery Home Planning

With this planning grant, the Butte SPIRIT Center (BSC) will develop a business and operations plan for a residential treatment home for women recovering from substance use in Silver Bow County. BSC provides supportive housing and services to those recovering from substance use disorders. The organization creates an accessible drug and alcohol-free environment, supports fellowship, and builds partnerships among the recovery community. This proposal builds on successful planning and implementation grants for the men's home, which is now fully operational and sustainable. BSC will use grant funds to hire a consultant and work with other women’s residential facilities in the state (including Carol Graham House, Michel’s House/Willow Way, YWCA-WINGS, Florence Crittenton, Rimrock, and Mountain Home) to gather information, produce financial models, and develop an operating plan for the Butte women’s home. Partners include MCDC, Southwest Montana Community Health Center, Action Inc., Montana’s Peer Network, and representatives from existing women’s facilities.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Carroll College Master of Social Work Program 2022

A Community Collaboration to Advance Integrated Behavioral Healthcare to Montana’s Indigenous Communities

Carroll College will develop an educational track to train graduate-level social workers in integrated behavioral health settings, directly serving Native American populations. Carroll College is a liberal arts Catholic college in Helena, MT. The goal of this project is to address the shortage of behavioral health providers using integrated care principles and practices and serving Native American individuals, families, and communities. In collaboration with consultants, nonprofits, and health care centers, college faculty will develop training specific to the needs of Native American populations, services, and care systems. The training will focus on integrated care, cultural humility, and understanding pathways towards healing. The project will conduct outreach with federally qualified health centers, urban Indian health centers, and tribes implementing integrated behavioral health to establish affiliation agreements and recruit potential students to the Carroll College Master of Social Work Program. Grant funds will support curriculum development, technology needs, travel stipends, and collaborative meetings. Partners for this project include Lacey Alexander, Director of Integrated Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorders at the Montana Primary Care Association, and Stephanie Iron Shooter, American Indian Health Director for the State of Montana.

Grant Amount

$49,692

Term

24 month

2022

Chippewa Cree Tribe 2022

Chippewa Cree Tribe Sustainable Food Systems Project CCTSFSP

The Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy Montana, located in North Central Montana, will create a sustainable food system on the Rocky Boys Indian Reservation. Through this grant, the tribe will hire a consultant to map the landscape of food projects and food resources in the community and draft food code regulations. The Chippewa Cree Tribe will administer the project through a partnership with the Tribal and Food Sovereignty Coalition and the tribe's planning department leadership.

Grant Amount

$24,500

Term

12 month

2022

Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana 2022

Supportive Housing Units for FUSE or like populations

Community Action Partners of Northwestern Montana (CAPNM) will lead efforts to develop permanent supporting housing in Kalispell, joining several larger Montana communities in the development phase of the Montana Healthcare Foundation's our Housing is Healthcare initiative. CAPNM has purchased 18 rental units and is working to obtain 17 additional units, which will be used to provide housing and supportive services for homeless people who frequently require emergency department care and hospitalization. This project will allow CAPNM to support the building and delivery of supportive services in these units. CAPNM will provide pre-tenancy support, tenancy support, and case management for participants. CAPMN will work with local partners to develop a service delivery plan for residents of the new units and work with CSH to develop a quality delivery model and sustainability framework. Funds will be used for consultation with Corporation for Supportive Housing and project management expenses. Current core partners include the community health center and city commissioners.

Grant Amount

$99,990

Term

24 month

2022

Confluence Public Health Alliance 2022

CPHA Startup Support

This grant will provide general operating support to the Confluence Public Health Alliance (CPHA). CPHA is a newly created non-profit organization that serves serves three corporate member organizations: Association for Montana Public Health Officials, Montana Public Health Association, and Montana Environmental Health Association. General support grants cannot be earmarked for a specific purpose or topic.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2022

Crow Tribe Health & Human Services 2022

Crow Tribal Finance Specialist – Medical Billing and Coding

Crow Tribe Health & Human Services is a tribal health department that supports the physical, behavioral, and cultural health of the Crow Tribe. This project will enable the health department to establish an effective tribal health finance department capable of billing and coding, records management, and procedure analysis. Revenue from health department services will provide a foundation for the Crow Nation to build effective, sustainable health care and public health programs. The grant will also support the development of the Crow Tribe’s Medicaid Tribal Health Improvement Program (THIP), a critical opportunity to create effective, tribally-led disease prevention programs. Grant funding will support a new finance specialist position salary and necessary training. Primary partners include the Crow Nation leadership and members of the finance team.

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

36 month

2022

Flathead City-County Health Department 2022

Flathead County Implementation Grant

This grant will support the Flathead County Health Department to implement the Crisis Now Model, with the goal of decreasing the number of behavioral health crises resulting in emergency room visits, hospitalization, and incarceration. The Flathead County Health Department (FCHD) leads a coalition that includes critical stakeholders in Flathead County, including Greater Valley Health Center, Flathead County Sherriff’s Office, Kalispell Police Department, Logan Health, Flathead County Commissioners, Western Montana Mental Health Center, Montana Public Health Institute, and other supporting agencies. This grant will support the implementation of a crisis line (988), expand the community's mobile crisis team, and create a crisis-receiving facility as a more effective alternative to hospitalization or incarceration for people in crisis. The coalition will use the grant funds for a coordinator to oversee the project, expansion of the mobile crisis team, and plan for the crisis-receiving facility.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

36 months

2022

Fort Belknap Tribal Health 2022

School-Based Health Program: Pearson Project

The Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC) Tribal Health Department, in partnership with the Harlem, Dodson, and Hays-Lodgepole school systems, will begin providing school-based health services. The project aims to improve the health, wellness, and educational systems to support higher academic achievement among all students attending each school. The Tribe will provide behavioral health services and primary care in school-based health centers. The project seeks to improve the overall school climate, enhance the classroom experience for teachers and students, and ultimately reduce student disciplinary referrals and improve academic and health outcomes. Funding will support the contracted position with Xanovea to lead the project and a salaried behavioral health psychologist position. Primary partners are the Office of Public Instruction, the FBIC Tribal Health Department, the FBIC Tribal Council Education Committee, and the Dodson, Harlem, and Hays Lodge Pole Schools. 

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

36 month

2022

Gallatin County 2022

Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition

The Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition (Coalition) will decrease the number of behavioral health crises that result in incarceration or hospitalization by implementing the Crisis Now Model. The Coalition is focused on building a more complete behavioral health continuum in Gallatin County. Its members include Gallatin County, Bozeman Health, the City of Bozeman, the Help Center, Community Health Partners, Connections, Montana State University, Bozeman School District, the Yellowstone Club Foundation, the Bozeman Health Department, advocates, and those with lived mental health and addiction experiences. This project will support the implementation of the crisis line (988), expand the mobile crisis team, and implement a crisis receiving facility as a more effective alternative to hospitalization or incarceration for individuals in crisis. More broadly, the coalition will continue to plan and support the implementation of a complete continuum of community-based behavioral health services – from prevention to early diagnosis and treatment – for the region. Grant funds will support a coordinator for project management, evaluation, and communications.

Grant Amount

$225,000

Term

36 months

2022

Great Northern Development Corporation 2022

Northeast Montana Supportive Housing Planning Grant

The Great Northern Development Company (GNDC) will implement a supportive housing learning collaborative that engages stakeholders across a six-county region of northeast Montana and the Fort Peck Reservation. Located in Wolf Point, GNDC provides housing education, first-time home buyer assistance, home rehabilitation, and affordable housing finance services in northeast Montana. The project will create a registry of tenancy support services and care management providers that serve the housing insecure and homeless population and an action plan to increase housing access and coordinate service providers with clients engaged in housing programs. GNDC intends to engage city councils, county commissions, and chambers of commerce in the region to identify key partners. GNDC will contract with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to facilitate stakeholder engagement, community education, and the development of best practices to share with the community. Funding will support the contract with the Corporation for Supportive Housing, project management, and stakeholder convenings.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Helena School District 2022

Planning Grant for School-Based Health Center Partnerships in the Helena Public Schools

Helena Public Schools will design school-based services for school sites by partnering with community health care providers, including Pureview Health Center (Helena's federally qualified health center) and the Helena Indian Alliance (and urban Indian health center). Helena Public Schools serves 7,700 students across 15 Lewis and Clark County schools. The grantee will develop a comprehensive vision and implementation plan for on-campus, community, and virtual support for youth in need. With this planning grant, Helena Public Schools intends to identify and build partnerships with partners that will commit to participating in the implementation of school-based health services. Grant funds will be used towards the salary of a coordinator for the project.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2022

Kalispell Regional Medical Center Inc. dba Logan Health Medical Center 2022

Logan Health SBHC Mobile Clinic

Kalispell Regional Medical Center dba Logan Health Medical Center (LHMC) is the medical hub of a nonprofit health system headquartered in the Flathead Valley of northwest Montana. This project will allow LHMC to begin providing primary, preventive, and behavioral health services to students in rural schools located in the communities of Kila, Marion, and Smith Valley and to expand behavioral health services to the Big Fork School District. LHMC will implement a Mobile School-Based Health Center to serve Kila, Marion, and Smith Valley rural schools that do not have the appropriate physical space for an on-site health center. They will also expand mental and behavioral health services to the Bigfork School District and provide these services on-site at the school. Medical, behavioral, and mental health care will be offered to students and staff of these rural schools. Telehealth services will be integrated throughout the school-based program to serve the target populations’ integrated health needs. Grant funds will offset medical and behavioral health providers’ salaries, supplies, and outreach and communications. The primary partners for this project are four school districts, including Kila, Marion, Smith Valley, and Big Fork.

Grant Amount

$299,993

Term

36 months

2022

LiveWell49 2022

Planning for the Financial Sustainability of LiveWell49

LiveWell49 (LW49) is a community coalition that is focused on prevention. It includes key stakeholders in Park County, including Livingston Healthcare, Community Health Partners, Livingston School District, Park County Community Foundation, Park County Health Department, and City and County Commissions. The project will expand LW49's community resilience, mental health promotion, and prevention efforts and develop a long-term sustainability plan. LW49 will utilize the grant funds for a consultant to develop a sustainability plan and administrative support to oversee the project and coordinate partnerships with community agencies.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Mineral Community Hospital 2022

MCH Integrated Behavioral Health

Mineral Community Hospital (MCH) will integrate behavioral health services into its primary care clinic to improve access to behavioral health for community members with complex social needs and patients experiencing crises. MCH is a 25-bed critical access hospital serving rural western Montana in Superior. The hospital plans to recruit a new behavioral health staff position for the primary care clinic, contract or recruit a psychiatrist to provide program oversight, and update its electronic medical records system to facilitate new screening workflows and data monitoring. Funding will support the new staff position, psychiatric consultation, and direct expenses like training, travel, and marketing. MCH works closely with the Mineral County Health Department and will collaborate on identifying community needs and expanding services.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

36 months

2022

Missoula College 2022

Community Paramedicine Curriculum

Missoula College will develop a curriculum in Community Paramedicine (sometimes referred to as "Community Integrated Healthcare” or “CIHC”). This will be the first Montana-based program that offers training in community paramedicine to emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. Community paramedicine allows EMTs and paramedics to expand their roles to provide certain non-emergency services, such as in-home follow-up visits after hospitalization, management of chronic illnesses, fall risk assessments, wound care, and limited behavioral health services. Missoula College will convene an inter-professional working group of faculty and health care professionals in medicine, paramedicine, nursing, and social work to build the curriculum. The curriculum will be delivered remotely using online modules, complemented by a clinical rotation, and is designed to provide emergency responders around the state with access to the training. Funding will support a project manager, instructional design, and curriculum development content experts. Partners include faculty from the Missoula College Health Professions Department, the University of Montana Social Work and Public Health Departments, emergency service providers, including Missoula Emergency Services, Inc., and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Community Integrated Health Program Specialist.

Grant Amount

$54,000

Term

12 month

2022

Montana Center for Inclusive Education, MSUB 2022

Establishing Connections in Eastern and Central Montana: A Planning Grant for the Institute for Neurodiversity and Applied Behavior Analysis

The Montana Center for Inclusive Education (MCIE) at Montana State University Billings will work with partners in Eastern Montana to develop a plan to help rural providers effectively serve children with mental, social, and behavioral differences associated with autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities, and mental health disorders. Through this grant, MCIE will develop remote training opportunities for providers and establish a pipeline for referrals of young children who would benefit from telehealth applied behavioral analysis therapy. Applied behavioral analysis therapy helps kids with autism learn skills and lessen problematic behaviors like self-harm. Funding will be used for staffing, supplies, and travel.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services - Public Health and Safety Division 2022

Montana Medicaid Survey

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) will survey Medicaid enrollees to learn about their ability to access health services, health-related behaviors, chronic conditions, and environmental factors related to their health. This information will be used by DPHHS, MHCF, and partners to understand and explain the impact of Medicaid on health access and to improve services and health promotion programs. DPHHS will accomplish this goal by selecting a random sample of Medicaid enrollees to complete an online or telephone-based questionnaire. DPHHS is partnering with the University of Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center (WYSAC) to complete this project. Grant funds will cover the survey development and implementation services that WYSAC provides.

Grant Amount

$65,000

Term

12 month

2022

Montana Free Press 2022

Health care reporting for Montanans

Montana Free Press will provide in-depth, ongoing coverage of health and health policy issues. These stories will be published for free on the Montana Free Press website and in collaboration with over 100 partnering news outlets across the state. Reporting will ensure that public health experts, policymakers, leaders, and Montana residents alike are aware of the policy debates and decisions made by their elected representatives and have access to the information they need to make informed decisions for their health and the health of their communities. Funding will support reporting and editorial staff positions. Partners include print and online news sites and radio stations across the state that re-publish Montana Free Press reporting.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2022

Montana Human Rights Network 2022

Transgender Community Support and Wellness Project

This planning grant will support the development of a statewide network focused on reducing isolation and increasing resilience through engaging transgender and non-binary people across Montana. The Montana Gender Alliance (MGA) – a fiscally-sponsored organization of the Montana Human Rights Network – provides community support and resources to transgender and nonbinary Montanans, as well as public education and training. MGA will complete a community assessment focused on eliminating barriers to participation for rural community members, such as lack of reliable access to high-speed internet. Funds will support hiring a project coordinator, travel expenses to carry out meetings as part of the community assessment component of the project, and marketing and advertising to promote support groups through social media. Partners include Shodair Children's Hospital, the Montana Primary Care Association, Bridgercare, Montana Legal Services Association, the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Montana Medical Association.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Montana Legal Services Association 2022

Strategic Planning of Additional Hospital-Based Medical-Legal Partnerships

This grant will support the Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) in developing hospital-based medical-legal partnerships that address health-harming legal needs and achieve better health outcomes for low-income patients. MLSA is a nonprofit law firm that empowers low-income people by providing free legal information, advice, and other services. Over the past six years, MLSA has developed innovative, successful medical-legal partnerships that serve a network of federally qualified health centers and Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. Through this grant, MLSA will extend this model to other communities by building a sustainable hospital-based medical-legal partnership structure, identifying interested hospitals, nurturing relationships with those hospitals, building needed data sets, and finalizing memoranda of agreement. Grant funds will primarily be used for staff salaries, consultant fees, and travel. MLSA will identify and develop three primary partnerships with Montana hospitals as part of the project's outreach phase.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Montana Medical Association Foundation 2022

Montana Professional Health and Wellbeing Program

The Montana Medical Association Foundation is joining with other health care coalition members to protect public safety by establishing a Montana program run by Montana health care professionals to assist and rehabilitate licensed Montana health care professionals who are found to be physically or mentally impaired. This coalition intends to establish a non-profit to provide these services to licensed Montana healthcare professionals and offer educational sessions with respect to recognition and treatment of alcohol dependency, and chemical dependency. The goal will be achieved through the committed work of a coalition of Montana healthcare stakeholders who will identify and bring the resources needed together for the creation of the organization and establishment of the medical assistance program. The funding will support MMA to develop a business and operations plan and establish a new organization. Partners include MHA, Montana Nurses Association, Montana Dental Association, and BHAM: broad buy-in from these organizations will be essential to successfully re-establishing services. The partners include the Montana Medical Association, the Montana Hospital Association, the Montana Nurses Association, the Montana Dental Association, and the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana.

Grant Amount

$38,160

Term

18 month

2022

Montana Office of Public Instruction 2022

Indigenous Foundations in Systems of Education: Shifting the Academic, Holistic Health, And Behavioral School Supports Provided to Montana’s American Indian Students

The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) will work to improve American Indian student academic and wellness outcomes by adjusting its support for academics, holistic health, and behavioral health. OPI serves as the state education authority in Montana and acts as the state-level governmental organization for education. OPI has incorporated Native American knowledge within its Tribal Relations and Resiliency Unit. Through this project, OPI will contract with the Elder and Cultural Wisdom Council to provide training to additional units within the organization. The units include American Indian Student Achievement, Coordinated School Health, and Indian Education for All. Each team will update its strategic plans and implement policies and practices to create necessary changes in the services offered to districts. Grant funds will support the consultant, cover the strategic planning efforts, and travel for meetings.

Grant Amount

$48,430

Term

12 month

2022

Montana State University 2022

Partnering to Provide Equitable Care to Unhoused Individuals Impacted by Opioid Use Disorder

The Montana State University College of Nursing (MSU CON) will use this grant to plan an innovative program to deliver medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders to people living on the streets. Unhoused individuals encounter many barriers to accessing this life-saving treatment. MSU CON will take a three-pronged approach to develop a street-based treatment model. 1) Seek insight and guidance from unhoused individuals with opioid use disorders. 2) Design a coordinated response by partnering with organizations already serving this population. 3) Engage interdisciplinary health profession students in this street-based model of care to build a pipeline of nursing, medical, and behavioral health clinicians capable of implementing the model. Grant funds will be used for staffing, supplies, and participant costs. Project partners include Partnership Health Center, Open Aid Alliance, and All Nations Health Center.

Grant Amount

$23,057

Term

12 month

2022

Mountain Home Montana 2022

Improving Mountain Home’s Continuum of Care for Indigenous Women and Children

With this planning grant, Mountain Home Montana will work with All Nations Health Center and Kauffman & Associates to improve their care continuum and access to services for indigenous women and children. Mountain Home Montana’s mission is to provide a safe home and nurturing community where young mothers discover their strengths and their children thrive. Mountain Home offers shelter for young mothers who need a place to live and a network of support as they create their own safe, stable, and nurturing homes. They aim to increase the percentage of Native women in their residential services from 16% to 30%. Through their justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion initiative, Mountain Home will work with project partners to review programs and spaces through an Indigenous lens and address identified health inequities. Funds will support completing a quality improvement assessment, creating a new referral coordinator position, and recruiting more Native staff across the organization. In addition to All Nations Health Center, primary partners include Montana Pediatrics and the Missoula City-County Health Department.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

NeighborWorks Great Falls 2022

Baatz Block Apartments Technical Assistance

In partnership with Homeward Development, NeighborWorks Great Falls is redeveloping the Baatz building in Great Falls to create 24 permanent supportive housing units. Permanent supportive housing combines affordable housing with support services (like health care, case management, employment health, and other social services) to address the needs of people who have experienced chronic homelessness. This will be the first permanent supportive housing site in Great Falls. NeighborWorks Great Falls and Homeward Development have secured $10 million in tax credits and other funding to cover construction costs. This grant will cover technical assistance for support services from BeauxSimone Consulting to establish best practices and procedures for property management and service alignment among partners (including YWCA, Alluvion Health, Opportunity Inc., and the Center for Mental Health).

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2022

Partnership Health Center 2022

Strategic Alliance for Improved Behavioral Health

This grant will support the Strategic Alliance for Improved Behavioral Health to decrease the number of behavioral health crises resulting from incarceration or hospitalization by implementing the Crisis Now Model. The Strategic Alliance for Improved Behavioral Health (Alliance) is a coalition that includes critical stakeholders in Missoula County, including Providence St. Patrick Hospital, Community Medical Center, Partnership Health Center, Western Montana Mental Health Center, All Nations Health Center, the Missoula City-County Health Department, and the City Council and County Commission. This grant will support implementation of a crisis line (988), expand the community's mobile crisis team, and create a crisis receiving facility as a more effective alternative to hospitalization or incarceration for people in crisis. More broadly, the Alliance will also continue to plan and support implementation of a more complete continuum of behavioral health services -- from prevention to early diagnosis and treatment -- for the region. The Alliance will utilize the grant funds for a coordinator to oversee the project and a consultant for updating the resource mapping and strategic planning.

Grant Amount

$225,000

Term

36 months

2022

Richland County Housing Authority 2022

Richland County Rural Housing Planning Grant

The Richland County Housing Authority (RCHA) will develop a community action plan focusing on Richland County’s homeless and housing insecure populations and coordinating housing and supportive services for this population. RCHA will contract with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to identify housing insecure individuals who frequently use community systems. It will also build partnerships with community service providers that can provide tenancy support and care coordination. The Richland County Health Department has identified housing as a critical health issue. It has partnered with the RCHA to convene stakeholders and develop a community plan to address housing access and service support for vulnerable populations. Funds will support the technical assistance contractor, project management, and convening. Partners engaged in preliminary steering committee discussions include the Richland County Health Department, Sidney Community Health Center, Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center, law enforcement, and Prairie Hills Recovery center.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Roots Family Collaborative 2022

Postpartum Doula Project

The Postpartum Doula Project, a program of Roots Family Collaborative, will provide free or sliding-scale postpartum doula services in Gallatin and surrounding counties for families in the critical developmental stage following birth. Roots Family Collaborative's mission is to connect all families to the support they need from pregnancy to parenthood. This planning grant will support a year-long process during which the organization will examine and build program staff capacity, identify new and existing strategic partnerships, develop an advisory council, identify and overcome barriers to creating long-term sustainability for the program, and develop a handbook for program implementation.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2022

St. John's Lutheran Ministries, LLC 2022

St. John’s United Workplace Integrative Behavioral Health Initiative

This project will develop on-site primary care with integrated behavioral health services for residents and employees of St. John’s United (SJU) senior living facilities. SJU is a significant provider of senior living opportunities, with campuses in Billings, Laurel, Red Lodge, and Hamilton. Its services include transitional inpatient rehabilitative care, skilled nursing, memory care, assisted and independent living, permanent supportive housing for older adults, home health, hospice, outpatient rehabilitation, and home and community-based services. The project goals include lower turnover, lower insurance premiums, higher work satisfaction for staff, and fewer hospital admissions and falls. They hope to achieve reduced rates of anxiety and depression and improved quality of life for both employees and residents. SJU’s work plan includes gathering initial health assessment data to develop implementation and service delivery targets. Funds will support the salaries of the team developing the project as well as consultation fees from mental health professionals. SJU will establish a new partnership with South Central Regional Mental Health Center for consulting services and future contracts with mental health providers.

Grant Amount

$24,500

Term

12 month

2022

Trust Montana, Inc. 2022

Engaging Private Sector Building Industry Professionals in Partnerships to Develop Permanently Affordable Homes for Montanans

Trust Montana will implement a replicable model for partnership between community land trusts and private sector building industry professionals as an innovative way to create more affordable housing. Trust Montana is located in Missoula and works to increase the number of permanently affordable homes in the state. This project will accelerate affordable home development by leveraging private developer construction financing, nonprofit grant acquisition expertise, land donations, related charitable tax benefits, and community land trusts' growing public and government support. Funds will support current staff in developing a tool kit and outreach plan and assisting rural communities across the state. Partners include WGM and Blueline Development, Inc.

Grant Amount

$95,604

Term

24 month

2022

TSNE MissionWorks 2022

Building Support to Advocate Effectively for Public Health at the State Level and Nationally

This grant will support the Network for Public Health Law in conducting a feasibility study to determine options for creating a more effective national and state-level advocacy platform to strengthen public health laws and funding. Public health has historically not received the funding required to allow county, tribal, state, and federal agencies to consistently carry out the core activities needed to protect and promote health effectively. Adding to this challenge, frustration with the public health response to COVID-19 triggered many state bills that limit the legal authority of public health agencies to protect the public from serious illness, injury, and death. Currently, no single organization exists to lead public health policy work at the state and national levels. Funding from MHCF will contribute to the overall study and ensure the inclusion of perspectives of rural and frontier public health experts.

Grant Amount

$15,000

Term

12 month

2022

University of Montana - Center for Children, Families, and Workforce Development 2022

Montana PAX Sustainability Initiative

This project will facilitate the implementation and sustainability of the PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX-GBG) in elementary schools around Montana. PAX-GBG is a school-based universal prevention intervention that teaches children self-regulation, self-management, and self-control. It provides educators with strategies to teach social-emotional and behavioral skills and academics, creating a trauma-informed nurturing environment. Considerable research has demonstrated the effectiveness of this model in preventing child and adult social and behavioral health issues. The University of Montana’s Center for Children, Families, and Workforce Development works with state agencies and local providers in education (k-12), social services, behavioral health, public health, and justice to improve their capacity to deliver high-quality resources and services to Montanans. Through well-established partnerships with the Office of Public Instruction, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Division, the Montana Healthcare Foundation, and elementary schools across the state, the Center will develop leadership and implementation teams that will receive training on program sustainability and implementation from the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN), which will provide expert consulting for this effort. Funding will support a contract with NIRN and offset staffing costs for center staff dedicated to the project.

Grant Amount

$200,000

Term

24 month

2022

University of Montana Office of Research and Sponsored Progams 2022

The Economic Impact of a Montana Law Income Housing Tax Credit Program

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana (BBER) will conduct a detailed, empirical analysis of how the establishment of a Montana Low-income Housing Tax Credit Program to finance affordable housing development would affect Montana's supply of affordable housing and impact the state's economy. The research will estimate how the development, construction, and completion of affordable housing units would likely respond to the establishment of the housing credit program. It will also model the impact of these units on the state's economy using Regional Economic Models, Inc., a validated economic and policy analysis model. Funds will support BBER staff time to conduct the analysis and offset the costs of the analysis model. Primary partners include the Montana Housing Coalition, Montana Department of Housing, Interdepartmental Housing Integration Project participants, and Montana developers of low-income and supportive housing.

Grant Amount

$28,473

Term

12 month

2022

Action Inc 2021

Butte Housing is Health Care Data Coordination Project

Action, Inc. is the nonprofit community action agency for the six-county region around Butte and works to develop pathways out of poverty for area residents. This grant will support Action, Inc. to create a database that allows the Butte Housing is Health Care Initiative partners to track and coordinate housing units and supportive services. It will begin by working with partners – including the Butte Housing Authority, St. James Healthcare, and Southwest Montana Community Health Center – to assess the data systems they currently use to track homeless individuals and their interactions with health, justice, and social service systems. Then, the team will agree to a set of data elements that will allow partners to track and more effectively manage outcomes for these individuals and build them into the new data tracking platform. Funding will support project coordination staffing, consultation, and data system access. The new shared data system will enable the partners to align housing units with supportive services, creating a more effective permanent supportive housing program for the region.

Grant Amount

$42,896

Term

24 month

2021

All Nations Health Center 2021

All Nations Housing Feasibility Study

All Nations Health Center is an urban Indian health center located in Missoula; it serves over 4,000 Native American people. This project will help the center conduct a feasibility study for a new facility incorporating housing and an integrated care clinic. Homeward, a local affordable-housing developer, will conduct the study, including housing development costs and available funding resources for financing. MASS Architecture Design will finish a preliminary architecture report detailing the logistics of an integrated care clinic. The Native American Development Corporation will support organizing finance options for the new building. Funding will support the contractors to complete the feasibility study, housing development costs, building design, and finance options.

Grant Amount

$74,250

Term

12 month

2021

Alliance for Youth, Inc. 2021

Development of Recovery Support Services Funding Model and Peer Support Capacity Building, Implementation, Evaluation and Integration Into Crisis Intervention Program

Alliance for Youth is a nonprofit organization that advances healthy youth development through a collaborative approach to substance use disorder education, prevention, intervention, and treatment. Sober Life is a program within Alliance for Youth that provides peer and recovery support services. With this grant, Alliance for Youth will partner with Alluvion Health to provide peer support services for Alluvion's Crisis Intervention Program. The Crisis Intervention Program decreases relapse rates among people struggling with substance use disorders and diverts people in crisis away from emergency rooms and jails. This partnership will help develop a sustainable funding model for peer support and expand services in Great Falls and North Central Montana. Funding will support staff salaries and contracts for billing and clinical supervision for peer support. Partners include Alluvion Health and the local Crisis Intervention Program organizations.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2021

Arlee Community Development Corporation 2021

Pivoting from Emergency Food Response to Food Sovereignty (FSC) Programming with Healthy Local Foods

The Arlee Community Development Corporation will establish a walk-in, choice-based food pantry and a food resource center for the Jocko Valley (comprised of Lake, Sanders, and Missoula Counties), providing more local, healthy food options for the community. This project will help create local partnerships and reorganize food distribution models to connect local producers with local communities. The resource center aims for less dependence on low-quality staple foods and instead emphasizes locally grown, more nutrient-dense food options. Partners include Confederated Salish and Kootenai (CSKT) Tribal Health, CSKT Food Sovereignty Initiative, Mission Mountain Food Enterprise, and Montana Growers Cooperative. Funding will support project personnel and a consultant who will help with project development and travel expenses.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021

Billings Clinic 2021

Regional Integrated Behavioral Health Integration Project

Billings Clinic is a health care system that serves the state of Montana through a network of regional affiliate hospitals. For this project, nine critical access hospitals (which began implementing integrated care through a prior grant) will continue the process of transforming their primary care practices to a high-quality integrated behavioral health model, and up to five additional sites will join the network and begin implementing integrated care. The project aims to promote a deep understanding of integrated care practice and benefits, support long-term, sustainable engagement at rural sites, and promote integrated care conformity across the Billings Clinic affiliate network's Montana sites. Billings Clinic will continue network development activities and data sharing, with close collaboration and support of the Billings Clinic Regional Services team and the Montana Healthcare Foundation's technical assistance providers. Funding will support startup costs for additional care managers for the region (located in a rural affiliate site) and remotely support the rest of the facilities.

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

36 months

2021

Butte SPIRIT Center 2021

Butte SPIRIT Home, Scaling up Staffing to Support SUD Recovery Home Sustainability

The Butte Spirit Center Substance Use Disorder Recovery Home is a candidate for state approval as a substance use disorder (SUD) treatment center, providing residential treatment and transitional housing (American Society of Addiction Medicine Level 3.1 care) for seven adult men in recovery. Its executive director is a certified peer support specialist. The organization will need to hire personnel to meet staffing requirements for the level of service they seek to provide because Montana Medicaid proposed changes in staffing requirements that will take effect in January 2022. This implementation grant will support the salary and benefits of a clinical director and residence manager. These positions will be covered by Medicaid revenue once the grantee can bill for services beginning June 2022. The grantee has strong relationships with referring providers and other community partners like Southwest Montana Community Health Center, St. James Healthcare, Montana Chemical Dependency Center, the SMART program through Community, Counseling, and Correctional Services, Inc., and Montana Peer Network.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Cancer Support Community Montana 2021

Expansion of Behavioral Health Programs in Missoula

The Cancer Support Community Montana (CSCMT) is based in Gallatin County and supports individuals and families impacted by cancer, helping them improve their quality of life. This project will help CSCMT open a Missoula chapter to serve Western Montana with support, education, and hope and improve mental health and quality of life for youth and adults impacted by cancer. CSCMT will bring on an executive director and a clinical program director to help it expand its behavioral health services and help Missoula quickly implement evidence-based programs that have proven benefits to cancer patients, caregivers, and their families. Funding will support the new staff positions. Primary partners include the oncology centers at Providence St. Patrick Hospital and Community Medical Center and other care providers in the community.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Center Pole 2021

Increasing Capacity and Food Quality to Create a Healthy Culturally Based Reservation Food System

Center Pole is a Native-led organization serving the Crow Reservation and surrounding areas since 1999. It conducts community projects on food security, food sovereignty, sustainable development, and community development while preserving Indigenous knowledge. This project will improve, expand, and streamline Center Pole's capacity to procure, produce, store, and distribute healthy foods. To do this, Center Pole will enhance its food warehouse and delivery system, educate staff on handling food procurement, storage, and distribution, and support local and traditional food entrepreneurs and community growers. Partners include Hopa Mountain Strengthening the Circle, Apsaalooke Abundance, and the Helping Hands Food Bank. Funding will primarily support staff to run the program and startup costs for Center Pole's service expansion.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021

Chippewa Cree Tribe 2021

Rocky Boy Food Sovereignty Project

Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation is in the remote Bear Paws mountains of North Central Montana. The remote location has contributed to a food desert on the Reservation, with the nearest grocery store selling fresh foods over 30 miles away. The Chippewa-Cree Tribe's Rocky Boy Food Sovereignty Project will develop a food chain of healthy products grown and produced on the Reservation. The project will help plant gardens, develop and market new value-added food products such as flour and pasta, and establish food handling laws. Locally grown and raised food products will be branded and made available to the community. Funding will help the purchase tools to support the food packaging and support a project coordinator who will develop and implement the program and build toward financial sustainability. Partners include the Stone Child College, the Rocky Boy Diabetes Program, Rocky Boy Public Schools, and the Chippewa Cree Agriculture and Sustainability Program team, which will serve as a board oversight for the project.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021

Community Hospital of Anaconda 2021

Integrated Behavioral Health

Community Hospital of Anaconda (CHA) is a critical access hospital serving the residents of Anaconda-Deer Lodge County in Southwest Montana. This project will build on our previous planning and implementation grants to CHA, allowing the grantee to complete and sustain the process of transforming their clinical care to a high-quality integrated behavioral health model. CHA will use grant funds and technical assistance to support a behavioral health provider position and optimize practice management, documentation, and billing. Moreover, the grant will support CHA in implementing The Meadowlark Initiative by providing direct support and training to the behavioral health providers and care coordinators serving perinatal patients and the general primary care population. This project will ensure behavioral health providers generate revenue and contribute to financial sustainability and long-term availability of services. It will also provide the primary care team with meaningful data analysis to support practice transformation and fidelity to the integrated care model.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2021

Community Medical Center 2021

Community Medical Center’s Consolidation Grant

Community Medical Center (CMC) is a large hospital in Missoula that serves the surrounding region. This project will expand CMC's capacity to provide the entire continuum of care for patients with mental illness and substance use disorders by fully integrating behavioral health into its primary care clinics, expanding services through telehealth to specialty and walk-in clinics, and thoroughly training and integrating its clinical teams. Funding will support a social worker to serve as a centralized behavioral health care manager for the project. This person will provide the personnel, psychiatric consultation, and clinical supervision needed to implement the project. Partners include the University of Montana's Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program, Walla Walla University's Masters in Social Work Program, Andy Laue, LCSW, who provides group clinical supervision for the behavioral health providers, and other community behavioral health providers who offer individual clinical supervision and psychiatric consultation to the team.

Grant Amount

$175,000

Term

36 months

2021

Day Eagle Hope Project 2021

Aaniiih/Nakoda Food Sovereignty on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation

The Day Eagle Hope Project is a Native nonprofit on the Fort Belknap reservation that addresses the disparities specific to cancer prevention, treatment, and management. It is a state-certified food bank, providing healthy, quality foods to the Reservation and surrounding area. This project will bring together community partners to provide food delivery services and education for the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and surrounding community. The food bank will work to reintroduce native and organic foods back into the community. It will also provide education alongside healthful foods to address further the health disparities in rates of chronic illnesses. Funding will help purchase fresh foods for the food bank, support transportation costs, and build community partnerships, specifically with Tribal Health. Partners include the Fort Belknap Indian Community, which will help with food delivery services, and the Fort Belknap Tribal Health Department, which will provide healthy eating and living education.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021

Fast Blackfeet 2021

Sustaining Food Security with MNT Service Delivery

Fast Blackfeet is working to address two crucial health problems in the Blackfeet Nation: food insecurity and nutrition-related illnesses (like diabetes). Fast Blackfeet is a Native-led nonprofit focused on nutrition, strengthening the local food system, and supporting a food bank on the Blackfeet reservation. For this project, Fast Blackfeet will work with consultants to explore sustainability for their Food Pharmacy Program, which is currently entirely grant funded. The Food Pharmacy Program allows providers to refer patients to the food bank for specialized foods to meet specific dietary requirements (such as a diabetic diet), counseling with a nutritionist, and vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables. Fast Blackfeet will develop a partnership with Blackfeet Tribal Health to establish third-party billing for services provided by nutritionists and dietitians. Funding will be used for consultants to complete business and sustainability plans and to provide guidance around the partnership with Blackfeet Tribal Health.

Grant Amount

$19,250

Term

12 month

2021

Fast Blackfeet 2021

Working Toward a Healthy, Food Secure Blackfeet Nation

FAST Blackfeet is a Native-led nonprofit organization that works to increase food access, reduce food insecurity, and improve nutritional intake and knowledge in the Blackfeet Nation. The O'yo'p' Food Pantry is a vital hub for FAST Blackfeet programs. It makes nutritious food readily available to Blackfeet families and aids in chronic disease prevention through clinics and dietitian counseling. This project will support the food pantry's growth and the development and sustainability of its operations infrastructure. Funding will support hiring additional personnel and help offset the costs of expanding the food pantry to meet the community's needs. Project partners include HOPA Mountain, Browning Public Schools, Glacier Family Foods, and the Montana Food Bank Network.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021