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

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

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

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

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

Fort Peck Tribes - Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center 2021

Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center Behavioral Health Capacity Building Project

Spotted Bull Resource Recovery Center (SBRRC) is the primary addiction treatment service provider in Fort Peck, offering chemical dependency services and inpatient treatment to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and surrounding community. With this grant, SBRRC will add mental health services to the care it offers people with substance use disorders. To accomplish this, SBRRC will provide training to its staff to help them develop the necessary clinical competencies, contract with a mental health provider for therapeutic services, implement culturally relevant healing practices, and develop a third-party billing system. Funding will support the contract with a mental health consultant and behavioral health telehealth providers. It will also support the project's evaluation and travel for site visits. The project will be completed through established partnerships with the Indian Health Service, Volunteers of America, and Our Home, Inc.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Heart Butte Schools 2021

Feather Woman Healing Lodge Business Plan

Heart Butte School District will contract with RJS & Associates, Inc. (RJS) to develop a business plan for a new facility, the Feather Woman Healing Lodge, to serve students who are homeless or experiencing mental health crises. Heart Butte is a community in the Blackfeet Nation. The school district has purchased two modular homes to be used as a youth shelter that will serve up to 12 students (six girls and six boys) at a time. The business plan will address staffing needs, operation and maintenance costs, insurance costs, risk management, potential funding sources, and other operational infrastructure needed for the facility. Heart Butte Schools currently has a school-based health center provided by the Tribe through the Southern Piegan Clinic. This new facility will strengthen the partnership with Southern Piegan and build a stronger continuum of care for students needing more intensive services and safe shelter.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Helena Indian Alliance 2021

New Clinic Addition/Design

Helena Indian Alliance (HIA) is an urban Indian health center based in Helena and serving the surrounding counties. This grant will support project management during a clinic remodel and expansion that will enable HIA to provide integrated physical, behavioral, and dental services for patients. Funding will allow HIA to contract with SMA Architects to complete the clinic design and provide oversight and project management throughout the construction process. HIA is located in what used to be the U.S. Army Reserves Sheridan Hall building, and this project builds on two prior Montana Healthcare Foundation grants that helped HIA plan and prepare for this critically-needed remodel. The first grant, in 2017, created a master plan looking at how HIA could improve and expand the services they provide to their patients by updating the layout of their building. The second grant in 2018 helped HIA complete a structural assessment of the building, which was necessary before this construction could begin. HIA has secured financing for this project, estimated at roughly $1.1 million. By updating their building, HIA will be better equipped to implement high quality, integrated care, expand the services they can provide, and better address the health needs in their community.

Grant Amount

$85,750

Term

24 month

2021

Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana 2021

Strategic Planning for Little Shell Tribal Departments

The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana is the newly federally recognized Tribe of the Ojibwe people. Its service area includes Cascade, Blaine, Hill, and Glacier counties. This strategic planning project will help the Tribe begin developing a high-quality, effective health system by supporting the Tribe to create a mission and vision to meet the needs of its people and by providing expert technical assistance on health system design, infrastructure development, and operations. The Little Shell Tribe will model its new health system on Alaska Southcentral Foundation's award-winning NUKA System of Care. Funding will support a contract with the Southcentral Foundation to provide technical assistance and training throughout the planning process and the early stages of implementation. The project will be completed through close collaboration among the Little Shell Tribal Council, Tribal staff, and community members.

Grant Amount

$196,542

Term

24 month

2021

Messengers for Health 2021

Indigenous Evaluation and Dissemination of the Báa Nnilah Project

Messengers for Health works to improve the health of people living on the Crow Indian Reservation and outlying areas through community-based projects designed to empower communities to address their unique health issues. For this project, Messengers for Health will partner with two Tribal nations to adapt, implement, and evaluate a chronic disease self-management program – “Báa nnilah” – the grantee developed on the Crow reservation program. The evaluation will help the grantee and tribal partners adapt Báa nnilah for the specific needs of these Tribes, and it will help establish Báa nnilah as an evidence-based program, making it potentially reimbursable through the Tribal Health Improvement Program and providing sustainability for the project over the long term. Partners include Crow, Fort Belknap, and Rocky Boy Indian Reservations. Funding will support community members from the three communities to come together and develop the evaluation plan, support the adaptation of program manuals, and implement and evaluate the program in each community.

Grant Amount

$99,695

Term

24 month

2021

Peoples Partners For Community Development 2021

Northern Cheyenne Food Initiatives

People's Partner for Community Development (PPCD) is a Native-led nonprofit serving the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. It helps create a robust reservation economy while maintaining strong connections to the land, traditional values, and cultural history. This project will plan for the development of a small, state-inspected meat processing facility and mobile harvest unit to create a local healthy grass-fed beef food chain reasonably priced for the Northern Cheyenne community. PPCD will hire a consultant to develop a strategic business plan for securing this local food chain. Funding will support the consultant and the initial costs to hire a full-time meat processor. Project partners are HOPA Mountain, the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council, local school districts, and local grocers.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Awe Kualawaache Care Center 2020

Infection Control Training

This grant will provide infection control training for the Awe Kualawaache Care Center staff. The Care Center provides long-term care to the Crow Tribe and the surrounding community; its mission is to preserve culture between the elderly and youth. Funding will be used to purchase software to track infections and help the staff member who is leading this work enroll in an infection control certificate program.

Grant Amount

$3,000

Term

12 month

2020

Blackfeet Tribal Health 2020

Blackfeet Tribal Health 638 of the Community Health Education Program

The Blackfeet Tribal Health Department will work to assume management of its Community Health Education Program from the Indian Health Service (IHS) under Public Law 93-638 (this is often called the “638 process.”) This grant will help the health department complete a feasibility study and plan for assuming the Community Health Education Program; funds will help the Tribe hire a contractor to help with the 638 process. Adding the Community Health Education Program into the health department will help it achieve accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board and coordinate a more robust portfolio of community health-related activities.

Grant Amount

$19,877

Term

12 month

2020

Fort Belknap Tribes 2020

Billings Area Community Health Aide Program

With this grant, the Fort Belknap Indian Community plans to extend Tribal self-governance and support the Community Health Aid Program (CHAP). To do this, the Tribe will build on the existing foundation of state and federal CHAP statutes and authorities granted to Tribal sovereign entities. Partners include all the Tribes in Montana, the Governor's Office, the state legislature, the Tribal Caucus, and Tribal colleges and universities. Grant funds will provide technical assistance to each Tribal area delegate and support the Billings Area Certification Board and the Academic Review Committee. Once established, the CHAP program will increase access to medical, dental, and behavioral health providers on the reservations. It will also provide local training to help retain the Tribal community workforce.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2020

Native American Development Corporation 2020

Medication Assisted Treatment Clinic Feasibility Planning

The Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center (BUIHWC), operated by the Native American Development Corporation (NADC), used this planning grant to expand its substance use disorder treatment services to include medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The goal was to provide more comprehensive, collaborative, and coordinated care to address the opioid use crisis in the American Indian community of Billings. BUIHWC conducted research to quantify the need for MOUD; formalized community and regional partnerships with health care providers, law enforcement, workforce development, housing, and other community support services; increased primary care provider training and the ability to prescribe medications associated with MOUD; established a framework for a comprehensive feasibility plan that includes implementation steps, a timeline, an operating budget, sources of revenue, operational and fiscal impacts, and a sustainability plan; and identified and applied for additional funding sources. The project secured an additional $500,000 through the Indian Health Service and is working to leverage third-party reimbursement for services provided through the clinic  .

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2020

Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council 2020

Supporting the RMTLC Health Sub-Committee with a Health Policy Analyst / Indian Health Care Advisor

The Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council (RMTLC) will hire a full-time health policy analyst to support the RMTLC Health Subcommittee. The new employee will coordinate the subcommittee's quarterly meetings and provide analysis, technical assistance, and training to support the Tribal leaders' health advocacy efforts. Primary partners include the Indian Tribes of Montana and Wyoming and the Urban Indian Health Programs in Montana. Grant funds will supplement the RMTLC's resources to support the position. The goal for this position is to provide internal support so that the RMTLC Health Subcommittee can better support tribal health policy and participate on national advisory committees.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2020

All Nations Health Center 2019

Strengthening the Circle: Increased Capacity for Increased Health

All Nations Health Center's Strengthening the Circle project was designed to increase the center's capacity to provide high-quality, integrated health care services to American Indians living in and around Missoula. The project implemented a holistic care model that improves coordination and collaboration within and between care teams. This included allocating staff time to design and execute the model, providing training to clinical and non-clinical support staff, and delivering high-quality technical assistance to support the successful implementation of the model. All staff were trained to use the electronic health record system, case conferencing, and co-location to provide patients with holistic rather than siloed care. Population health data and analysis are used to inform planning efforts. By providing integrated patient care that is reimbursable under Medicaid and Medicare, the health center is on track to increase annual revenue by at least 75%. All Nations' partnership with Greenway Health, a health information technology services company, will provide ongoing resources and support to maintain the progress that has been made and identify future opportunities for improvement.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2019

Families First Learning Lab 2019

Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe Family Education Services

The Families First Children’s Museum (FFCM) will provide family education classes and resources for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal (CSKT) community intended to foster healing and help develop resilient communities. The project will introduce new, relevant, and evidence-based curricula within three separate tracks: parents/caregivers, foster parents, and childcare providers. Funding will be used to hire native instructors and support curriculum development. Through current partnerships with CSKT, the Department of Human Resource Development, and Salish Kootenai College, as well as growth in collaboration with the Tribal Health Department, Tribal Education Department, local childcare providers, and organizations like the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, FFCM’s work will extend to reach more families and create connections between parent education skill development and a stronger family resource network.

Grant Amount

$26,118

Term

12 month

2019

Fort Belknap Tribes 2019

Fort Belknap Indian Community Dialysis Center Feasibility Study and Business Plan

The Fort Belknap Indian Community will complete a study to determine theneed for andfeasibility ofdeveloping adialysis servicefor the community. They plan towork with FortBelknap Tribal Health and Indian Health Service to understand how many dialysis patients reside on the reservation. As part of the study, they will also visit other tribal dialysis programs in the state.Funding will be used to supportstaff time to complete the study, travel expenses to visit other dialysis programs,and water testingto determineif Fort Belknap’scurrent water supply cansupport the unit and potential treatment options.

Grant Amount

$29,425

Term

12 month

2019

Fort Peck Tribes Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program 2019

The 23rd IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion

The Fort Peck Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program staff participated in the 23rd UIHPE World Conference on Health Promotion in New Zealand, along with 70 other countries. At the conference, the staff gave a multi-media presentation and learned about indigenous food and fitness initiatives from around the world. When they returned, they shared what they learned with other tribes in Montana, Minnesota, and North Dakota. The staff who attended the conference are also continuing to use what they learned to inform the Healthy Foods Healthy Living Family Program (established as part of Fort Peck’s T-HIP program). This program is working to improve childhood nutrition and fitness and counter the community’s food deserts.

Grant Amount

$15,500

Term

12 month

2019

Northern Cheyenne Tribal Board of Health 2019

T-HIP Planning and Implementation

This project helped the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Board of Health (NCTBH) plan for and implement Tier 1 of the Medicaid Tribal Health Improvement Program (T-HIP). T-HIP implementation coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which substantially impacted the project. The life expectancy for the people of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation is approximately 57 years for men and 61 years for women, nearly 20 years shorter than that of Caucasian Montanans. The overall goal of this project was to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases among this population and strengthen community action for improving the reservation’s overall health. Funds were used to hire a T-HIP director to oversee and implement Tier 1 over six months, as well as a medical director, but the medical director was not able to attend on site due to the pandemic. Funding also went towards the purchase of Daphne software, which is used to manage clients, document encounters, create care/action plans, schedule appointments, conduct assessments and surveys, and generate required T-HIP reports. One significant accomplishment was the hiring of four drivers to provide crucial transportation services for patients needing to get to the hospital in Billings. The project helped the Tribe conduct COVID-19 community surveillance testing that included 500 T-HIP clients. The T-HIP program is self-sustaining from Medicaid reimbursements, which will allow the program to continue building out Tier 1 implementation and to expand to Tier 2 and Tier 3 over the next couple of years.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2019

Northern Cheyenne Tribal Board of Health 2019

Northern Cheyenne Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Development

The Northern Cheyenne Tribal Board of Health will develop a strategic plan to create a drug court component to the Northern Cheyenne Recovery Center. Many tribal communities have used the Tribal Healing to Wellness Court successfully. Developing this model will help solidify partnerships with the between the tribal health and judicial systems and enable the Tribe to develop an intensive case management approach for clients, implement team “wrap around” meetings, and provide family therapy and peer support. Funding will be used for staff training, and development of a strategic and state compliance plan.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2019

Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council 2019

Supporting the RMTLC Health Sub-Committee with a Health Policy Analyst / Indian Health Care Advisor

This grant helped the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leader's Council (RMTLC) re-establish a health sub-committee composed of representatives from each Tribe and an Urban Indian Health Center representative. The sub-committee meets quarterly to provide tribes and key partners a forum to discuss health policy directly impacting tribal members and to make recommendations to the RMTLC regarding Indian Health Services and other health services, including Montana Medicaid, the Tribal Health Improvement Program, and other medical services accessed by tribal members. The sub-committee chairperson will bring the sub-committee’s recommendations to the quarterly RMTLC board of directors meeting for action. Funding was used to hire a health policy analyst to provide support, leadership, and guidance to the sub-committee. Responsibilities of the analyst include coordinating quarterly meetings, communicating with committee members, providing expert policy analysis, and developing policy papers and recommendations. The analyst also serves as a liaison to the American Indian Health Leaders group, facilitating collaboration and coordination between RMTLC and the Tribal and urban Indian health center directors. 

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2019

All Nations Health Center 2018

Walking Well with Traditional Healing

This project successfully increased the health center’s capacity to provide culturally adapted, evidence-based, and trauma-informed awareness to the over 500 active clients they see each year. Project accomplishments include providing historical trauma education sessions and Community Resiliency Model workshops to the Missoula community. Mending Broken Hearts, a grief support series, was provided to clients who reported a deeper understanding of historical and inter-generational trauma and were able to begin addressing the impact on their own lives. Finally, a trauma-informed organizational assessment was completed, and trauma-informed practices were incorporated into the diabetes prevention education series offered to teens and adults.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2018

Blackfeet Tribal Health 2018

T-HIP Tier 1 Daphne Software Support

This project helped support the Blackfeet Tribe’s start-up costs for implementing the Tribal Health Improvement Program (T-HIP). The grant helped the tribe to purchase a software system (Daphne) designed to track T-HIP care management reporting measures. The grant also helped set up and staff the T-HIP office, develop their services, and sign a task order to begin Tier 1 services. Daphne is computer software for recording and reporting care management information for T-HIP and other care management initiatives. Now that the primary elements of the system are in place, the tribe will begin providing care management services to high–risk Medicaid recipients on the Blackfeet Reservation to improve health outcomes and reduce their reliance on high-cost emergency and hospital services. The program is sustainable through Medicaid T-HIP payments. 

Grant Amount

$12,000

2018

Fort Peck Tribal Health Department 2018

Third Party Billing Project

This project will develop a plan and supporting documents, train key staff, and develop partnerships to maximize third-party revenue generation for the Fort Peck Tribal Health Department. The project will work across tribal health programs and in close coordination with tribal and non-tribal partners including MT DPHHS, Indian Health Services, North Eastern Montana Health Services, Spotted Bull Treatment Center, Red Bird Woman Center, Fort Peck Tribes Veteran Affairs Office, Fort Peck Tribal Supplemental Health Insurance Program, Fort Peck Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program, and Fort Peck Transportation Department. The project will generate revenue from tribal health services that will be used to strengthen current services and address health facility needs.

Grant Amount

$149,572

Term

24 month

2018

Helena Indian Alliance 2018

Sheridan Hall Structural Assessment

This grant will allow Helena Indian Alliance to hire an architect and professional engineering team to review and structurally assess Helena Indian Alliance’s building for the purposes of expanding and adding new programs. Helena Indian Alliance has seen a significant increase in demand for services such as general health care, case management, mental health services, substance use, and various other programs. The project will produce a finalized structural assessment that can be combined with their existing preliminary architectural report (also funded by MHCF) and used to secure financing a renovation and expansion project. For this project, the Helena Indian Alliance is partnering with Montana Business Assistance Connection and Montana Facility Finance Authority.

Grant Amount

$26,000

Term

12 month

2018

Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Foundation 2018

Implementing Trauma-Informed Care and Approaches with Montana Indian Health Care Organizations

Mountain-Pacific Quality Health collaborated with Indian Health Service facilities, Tribal health departments, and urban Indian centers to support implementation of comprehensive approaches to trauma-informed care that effectively address trauma and its impact on American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations in Montana. Mountain-Pacific helped put trauma-informed policies and procedures in place through staff trainings—held in person for the first year and virtually during the COVID pandemic—as well as guides for trauma screening, treatment, and referral. In order to help Indian health organizations' clinical and nonclinical staff understand the impact of trauma, recognize the symptoms, and know how to respond appropriately, Mountain-Pacific held webinars and open office hours to promote awareness and provide instructional education. It also offered quality improvement tools and resources to help organizations assess, implement, and evaluate their strategies and worked with non-AIAN communities to help them understand and implement trauma-informed care. Mountain-Pacific emphasized the importance of using culturally appropriate Indian healing methods as tools to build resiliency and recovery from trauma. The project developed strong collaborations with stakeholder organizations and local and state health departments to ensure that community members' needs continue to be met.

Grant Amount

$98,284

Term

24 month

2018

Native American Development Corporation 2018

Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center

This grant supported planning for and opening the Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center. In December 2018, the new center began providing comprehensive primary care and behavioral health services to the American Indian community in Yellowstone County. They are continuing to expand the services they provide. They are now an approved provider for Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurers and have hired a state approved substance use provider. This structure will enable them to collect reimbursement for the services they provide and will ensure long term sustainability. As part of this project, they also successfully established meaningful partnerships with other health organizations in the community and will begin to implement an integrated behavioral health model of care within their primary care clinic.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2018

One Health 2018

Feasibility study for Itchik Diiawakaam Family Healing Center in the Apsaalooke Nation

OneHealth completed a feasibility study for establishing the Itchik Diiawakaam Family Healing Center within the Apsaalooke (Crow) Nation. The study determined that a supportive housing model could sustain the Healing Center if capital funds could be raised for construction costs. Through this project, the Healing Center received its 501(c)3 status. They plan to complete a business plan and conduct a capital campaign to raise funds to build the facility. The Healing Center will provide a program and facility that allows individuals and families to heal together in their community while immersed in Crow cultural values and support. The center’s focus on relational justice, foster care alternatives, integrative approaches to mental and physical health, meaningful work, trauma resolution, and indigenous models of education will serve as a blueprint for the exploration process. The center will be piloted in Lodge Grass on the Crow Indian Reservation, and residents will be engaged in all facets of program creation and implementation. Project partners include Lodge Grass City Government leadership and tribal community members.   

Grant Amount

$49,350

Term

12 month

2018

Two Eagle River School 2018

Two Eagle River School Wellness Project

Two Eagle River School partnered with Freedom Lodge and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe (CSKT) Tribal Health Department to bring a licensed mental health counselor into the school to provide behavioral health services to the students. Two Eagle River School is a tribal alternative middle and high school serving 110 students on the Flathead Reservation. After multiple suicides in the community over the year before the grant, the school identified an immediate need to address the mental health and historical trauma needs of the students. The project helped equip students and staff with tools and knowledge to address trauma. They are now providing prevention services and CSKT has applied for a grant to support the behavioral health position within the school for the next five years.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2018

All Nations Health Center 2017

Qua Qui Connection: The Circle of Good Medicine & Holistic Care

This grant supported the All Nations Health Center (the urban Indian health center in Missoula) to provide integrated, comprehensive, culturally appropriate care for one of the largest urban Indian populations in the state. This underserved population has suffered disproportionately from diabetes, high-blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and obesity—conditions that are both preventable and treatable with appropriate primary care services. Over the course of the grant, the All Nations Health Center hired a full-time family nurse practitioner to provide primary medical care; created organization-wide policies and procedures that guide and support the integration of medical and behavioral services; trained all clinical, support, and administrative staff on integrated health care models; obtained a medication assisted treatment (MAT) certification for the nurse practitioner, allowing them to treat those struggling with opioid use issues; helped the community better understand the structure and importance of integrated health care; and transitioned to an electronic health records (EHR) system that supports full integration of care. With the addition of primary care services, the All Nations Health Center was able to be recognized by Medicaid and Medicare as an urban FQHC, giving it access to a more favorable rate of reimbursement, which will help ensure its sustainability into the future.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2017

Blackfeet Community College 2017

Trauma Informed Planning Grant

This two-part project will begin to create a trauma-informed campus on the Blackfeet Community College and disseminate a culturally-based, trauma-informed toolkit to other agencies on the reservation, and develop a feasibility and business plan for an integrated behavioral health student health center on campus. To create a trauma-informed campus, this project will train trainers in a culturally-based historical trauma curriculum, provide professional development in integrated care models, strengthen campus and community referral resources, create an action team, and provide support to students. The National Council for Behavioral Health will assist in creating a detailed strategic plan for implementing integrated behavioral health into the student health center. The goals for the student health center are for it to not only provide students with primary and behavioral healthcare screenings but also with space for behavioral health and nursing students to practice trauma-informed integrated health.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2017

Blackfeet Tribal Health 2017

Blackfeet Emergency Medical Services program

The Blackfeet EMS Program trained and certified three paramedics from Blackfeet Tribal Health’s emergency medical technician staff. With the advanced certifications, the Blackfeet EMS Program is now able to bill at a higher rate and will continue to expand its program. The revenue allowed the tribe to purchase three new ambulances with advanced equipment, which is helping the program to provide a higher level of service. By certifying their paramedic staff, the Blackfeet Tribe is addressing their workforce challenges and providing improved emergency response to the community. The program is sustainable through revenue generated from billing services.  

Grant Amount

$75,136

Term

24 month

2017

Blackfeet Tribal Health 2017

Tribal Health Improvement Program

This project provided funding for a project coordinator position to help design and implement the Blackfeet Tribal Health’s Tribal Health Improvement Program (T-HIP). T-HIP is Montana’s innovative new Medicaid waiver program that provides per capita funding for tribes to address factors that contribute to health disparities in the American Indian population residing on the reservation. Our grant funded the project coordinator position for six months and allowed the tribe to develop and execute a task order with the State of Montana to begin implementing Tier 1 of the T-HIP program. Tier 1 of the T-HIP program addresses high utilizers of health care on the Blackfeet reservation and provides care coordination and outreach to this population. The tribe is now providing care management, health education and transportation to the Blackfeet community, and the program is entirely self-sustaining; they are now planning for Tier 2 of the T-HIP program.

Grant Amount

$42,000

Term

12 month

2017

Eagle Shield Center 2017

The Blackfeet Community Hospice Project

This planning project supported the establishment of a partnership among tribal agencies on the Blackfeet reservation who will collaborate toward developing hospice services for the community and provided a one-day workshop to educate the Blackfeet community about hospice and end-of-life care. Since 2007, Blackfeet community members and a researcher from Montana State University have been collaborating on end-of-life experiences among Blackfeet people using a participatory approach. The partnership includes the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, the Eagle Shield Center, the Blackfeet Tribal Health Department, Tribal Planning, Blackfeet Community College, Blackfeet Family and Child Services, Indian Health Service, and the Tribal Diabetes Clinic. At the conclusion of this project, solid partnerships had been established; the workshop on available hospice services in the Blackfeet community increased the community’s knowledge of end-of-life care needs and services. Eagle Shield Center will continue to work towards establishing hospice services through the new partnerships and advisory committee.

Grant Amount

$26,262

Term

12 month

2017

Fort Belknap Tribal Health 2017

Centralized Billing Capacity Building Project

This project will help establish Fort Belknap’s centralized billing department by expanding the range of billable services and establishing internal controls to ensure legal compliance. The revenue generated will support prevention programs and help the tribe assume management of their behavioral health services from the Indian Health Service. Funding will also be used to hire a consultant to assess the revenue cycle process, controls and operations, and recommend specific improvements.

Grant Amount

$65,000

Term

24 month

2017

Fort Belknap Tribal Health 2017

Diabetes Care Clinic

This grant supported the Fort Belknap Indian Community to develop a Diabetic Care Clinic to provide high-quality, consistent, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate care to residents of the reservation who are diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes. The clinic, which has been fully functional since 2017 and has provided more than 500 diabetic care visits, helps patients gain the knowledge and skills needed to make adjustments to their diet, exercise, and medication for optimal health and quality of life. The establishment of an independent, tribally run health board to administer the clinic and provide governance and oversight to the program is in its final stages, with the majority of health board members selected. Third-party billing processes and procedures were developed to sustain the new clinic and services. The clinic continues to increase its client base and is working towards care coordination agreements with Veteran Affairs and Medicare to increase revenue to support the services.

Grant Amount

$90,000

Term

24 month

2017

Fort Peck Tribes - Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center 2017

Tatanka Gdes’ka Capacity Building Project

Spotted Bull Recovery and Resource Center (SBRRC) used this grant to establish a self-sustaining inpatient treatment center on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, with a focus on methamphetamine use disorder. The goal was to ensure that those with medical and mental illnesses complicating a methamphetamine addiction can receive comprehensive, effective treatment. This project successfully achieved all its primary objectives. SBRRC employees received training in peer recovery support, program management, integrated behavioral health principles, and medication-assisted treatment. A full-time staff member was hired and trained to conduct third-party billing to help sustain the center. SBRRC upgraded its infrastructure to meet in-patient treatment standards and received state licensure and JCAHO/CARF certification. And SBRRC partnered with other organizations to raise awareness about the need for a treatment facility, conduct community outreach, and encourage community members to take ownership of the problem and get involved in the planning process. Providing the long-term programming needed by the community was a challenge since most billable hours for treatment are only within the 30- to 90-day range. But SBRRC addressed this by allowing clients needing more treatment to keep receiving outpatient services and housing support as they transition back into the community. Three additional federal grants totaling $2,981,018 were awarded to SBRRC to support the program.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2017

Hays Lodgepole School District 50 2017

Fort Belknap Indian Community Homeless Youth Feasibility Study

For this project, the Hays-Lodgepole Public School and the Fort Belknap Indian Community Council assessed the feasibility of designing, constructing, operating, and facilitating housing and supportive services to improve health and education outcomes for homeless youth on the Fort Belknap Reservation. The project successfully created 15 new community partnerships bringing together tribal leadership, community members, and youth over the course of 10 planning meetings. The finalized feasibility study includes two site options for the youth shelter along with an overall floor and feasibility plan that will allow the tribal planners to seek funding for the second phase of the project which will involve the construction of the facility.

Grant Amount

$49,000

Term

12 month

2017

North American Indian Alliance 2017

Butte Urban Indian Health Alliance Strategic Planning Initiative

The goal of this project was to create a strategic plan to help the North American Indian Alliance Butte (NAIA) move into its next decade of service. A consultant worked with the NAIA’s board of directors and executive director to complete a community needs assessment. After surveying the community and collecting feedback, the consultant developed recommendations for how to adjust the organization’s programming and services to better serve the community. However, due to leadership turnover, the report was not finalized or implemented.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2017

Northern Cheyenne Tribal Board of Health 2017

Northern Cheyenne Revenue Enhancement

This project helped the Cheyenne Board of Health increase the revenue they generate from clinical services, create a stronger patient registration process, and identify additional services that they are able to support through billing insurance. Grant funds were used to hire a new staff position to focus on insurance enrollment, and a consultant to help with revenue cycle management. They began coding and billing for clinical services in-house, which increased their third-party revenue. Their new patient registration process has helped patients and clients apply for other resources for their medical needs. At the end of this grant, the tribe had received over $750,000 in increased revenue that will be reinvested into the health system. The revenue increase has led to implementing spending policies to serve the needs of the community better.  

Grant Amount

$75,000

2017

Rocky Mountain Tribal Epidemiology Center 2017

From Plans to Action: Prevention and Support for Pregnant Blackfeet Women Using Opioids on Blackfeet

In 2016, MHCF supported the Rocky Mountain Tribal Epidemiology Center and their Boston University-based partners to work with the Blackfeet Tribe and the Indian Health Service Blackfeet Community Hospital on early-stage planning work to address opioid use by pregnant women. The funds supported a conference hosted at the Blackfeet Community College, a detailed report and feedback, an inspirational Blackfeet visit to the Lummi tribe’s opioid maintenance program, and the formation of a new, multi-partner opioid prevention task force on Blackfeet. This project continued this work through task force strengthening and capacity-building, focus groups/key informant interviews with clinicians and substance-using pregnant women, the production of a “gap analysis” to determine treatment shortfalls for substance-using pregnant women on Blackfeet, and the production of a feasibility analysis and business plan for developing services to address perinatal drug use. Ultimately, the project resulted in the coordination and development of a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) clinic for pregnant women and families on the Blackfeet Reservation. The grantee was also able to successfully secure additional funding to support further development of the project through the State of Montana STR grant and a Tribal Opioid Response grant which will supplement the services offered through the MAT clinic. A building on the Blackfeet Reservation was secured for the MAT clinic and a partnership was establish with Community Medical Services. Community Medical Services provides the induction and medication management services and Blackfeet Tribal Health provides the care coordination and behavioral health services for the women and families.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2017

Southern Peigan School Health 2017

Behavioral Health Services for At-Risk Youth Served by Southern Peigan School Health (SPSH)

Through this project, the Southern Peigan school-based health center began offering substance use disorder services as part of an integrated behavioral health model of care. Standardized screening for substance use has been implemented, and providers have been trained in SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment). Grant funds were used to hire a licensed addiction counselor to provide treatment services within the existing school-based health center. The National Council for Behavioral Health provided training and technical assistance. The health center’s services are sustainable through third-party billing from licensed providers, and they plan to expand their services and hire additional staff.   

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2017

Billings Clinic 2016

American Indian Healthcare Advocate Program

This project provided outreach, information, and health insurance enrollment assistance to American Indian people residing on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations and the urban American Indian population residing in Billings. Through the American Indian Healthcare Advocate Program, outreach events, presentations, and informational materials were distributed to over 700 individuals with questions about Montana’s Medicaid expansion and how obtaining health insurance could increase their access to quality health care. Twenty-six people were directly enrolled in a health insurance product for which they were eligible but not yet enrolled and 177 people were assisted in the enrollment process. Additionally, a qualitative research project was initiated to gain insight into American Indian perceptions of health insurance and health care.

Grant Amount

$46,820

Term

12 month

2016

Blackfeet Tribe 2016

Centralized Third Party Billing System

The Blackfeet Tribe created a centralized third-party billing office for their health system. The billing office allows the tribe to maximize revenue from the health services they provide and improve the financial management of revenue from third-party billing. The project hired a benefits coordinator and patient accounts coordinator to assess their current programs and identify billable services. The billing office collected over $2.5 million in revenue and provided referral services for Blackfeet Tribal Medicaid recipients for denture and brace services. The billing office is helping the tribe improve and expand health services to serve the needs of their community better and create a more fiscally stable, and sustainable structure for existing health programs. The office is sustainable through the revenue generated from billing services. 

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2016

CSKT Tribal Health Department 2016

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Integrated Behavioral Health Program

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe (CSKT) Tribal Health Department developed a detailed strategic plan to integrate behavioral health into primary care and to train their current behavioral health staff and primary care providers on conducting motivational interviews and brief interventions. With the established protocol, screening tools, and a workflow plan in place, primary care and behavioral health providers are now able to consult with one another regarding behavior change for preventable disease as well as for indications of mental illness and substance abuse problems. As part of the project, CSKT also piloted a daily “huddle” to improve communication and introduce behavioral health staff into the primary care clinic. They found this to be positive and have an immediate impact on patient care and outcomes. It created a collegial and friendly environment between staff teams and resulted in successful warm hand-offs, brief interventions, and the establishment of ongoing care. Due to leadership and staff turnover, they have experienced challenges in the progression of an integrated model. The project also allowed a team of 12 program directors to travel to the SouthCentral Foundation in Alaska for a site visit and training. 

Grant Amount

$35,000

Term

12 month

2016