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

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

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

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

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

Glacier County Health Department 2021

Tribal-County Crisis Coalition Launch (Blackfeet – Glacier)

The Blackfeet Nation and Glacier County Health Department will launch a "Tribal-County Crisis Coalition" (Coalition) that aligns resources from law enforcement, behavioral health, and medical services across the Blackfeet Nation and Glacier County. The Coalition will conduct sequential intercept mapping (SIM) to understand how people in crisis currently interact with law enforcement, emergency medical services, and behavioral health, and use the results of this mapping to outline a more effective model for crisis response. The project will also develop a sustainable implementation plan. The project will be led by the Glacier County Health Department and the Piikani Lodge Health Institute staff. Loveland and Associates will support mapping, data analysis, and strategic planning. Funding will support the coordination efforts, consultation, travel, and convening expenses. Partners include law enforcement, the Blackfeet Tribe's Culture and Hope Program, and Blackfeet Tribal Health.

Grant Amount

$74,999

Term

24 month

2021

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies - The Montana Coalition 2021

Building Bridges for Better Births

Building Bridges for Better Births aims to improve community-based support systems for families through pregnancy and after birth by facilitating relationships between prenatal care providers and family support providers. The program will support the development of community teams, a critical component of The Meadowlark Initiative® model of care. Community teams are made up of social service providers, peer recovery coaches, and related caregivers who all play an essential role in supporting pregnant and postpartum women and their families. This project is a continuation of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies'work to support The Meadowlark Initiative® in previous years.

Grant Amount

$74,601

Term

24 month

2021

Holy Rosary Healthcare Foundation 2021

Eastern Montana Perinatal Behavioral Health

Holy Rosary Healthcare will join the Meadowlark Initiative and improve access to mental health and substance use disorder care for pregnant women in Miles City and Eastern Montana. The project will integrate behavioral health services into Holy Rosary’s obstetrics clinic. As part of this project, Holy Rosary Healthcare will hire a care coordinator to work directly with patients and foster connections with social service organizations in the community. In addition to hiring a new staff person, grant funding will help establish telepsychiatry services and support coaching from the National Council for Behavioral Health to ensure the project’s success and sustainability. Partners include the Montana Health Network, the Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center, and Rimrock Foundation.

Grant Amount

$148,360

Term

24 month

2021

Madison Valley Hospital Association 2021

Integrated Behavioral Health

Madison Valley Medical Center is a 10-bed critical access hospital serving clients in Southwest Montana. This project will build on two previous MHCF grants to expand access to behavioral health services on-site in the hospital's rural health clinic and Big Sky Medical Center. Madison Valley will establish formal care pathways, advance staff training, strengthen behavioral health-primary care provider relationships, and create systems to improve referral tracking, care coordination, and the use of structured data to measure behavioral health outcomes. This grant will support targeted technical assistance along with on-site behavioral health and support staff. In addition to a partnership with Big Sky Medical Center, a focus for this project will be to establish relationships with behavioral health providers and resources outside the organization to improve patient access.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2021

Montana Health Network Health Inc. 2021

Eastern Montana Integrated Behavioral Health Project

The Eastern Montana Integrated Behavioral Health Project will support integrating behavioral health (IBH) into primary care for five rural healthcare facilities in eastern Montana (Baker, Ekalaka, Broadus, Malta, and Jordan). The grant will also allow three current IBH sites (Forsyth, Culbertson, and Terry) to refine and improve their initial IBH implementation efforts supported under MHCF's previous IBH network grant to the Montana Health Network (MHN). The goals for the project are to 1) implement routinescreening and early intervention for behavioral health and substance use issues in primary care; 2) improve care coordination between treating facilities; and 3) develop a sustainable integrated behavioral health model for existing and new facilities. Through implementing IBH in these facilities and consolidating the practice in previous grant sites in MHN’s network, the project seeks to improve health outcomes, contribute to a more effective crisis system in eastern Montana, and reduce the use of emergency services. MHN will use grant funds to provide project management, technical support and training, psychiatric consultation, and care coordination services. MHN will partner with Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center (EMCMHC) and Frontier Psychiatry to provide clinical services to patients at individual sites.

Grant Amount

$279,722

Term

36 month

2021

One Health 2021

Sacred Families Rosebud County

The Sacred Families Team at One Health Ashland will partner with health care providers in the region to reach pregnant women and families experiencing substance use disorders or mental health issues. It will provide screening, interventions, services and create a referral network under The Meadowlark Initiative®. A county health and social service provider coalition will design a community-wide, structured approach to funnel families identified through regular screenings to a care coordinator. The care coordinator will oversee services in five clinical care sites in Ashland, Lewistown, Chinook, Harlem, and Miles City. The care coordinator will travel among the sites to connect expecting families with a community-based peer support specialist and a behavioral health care provider, creating a bridge to a new, expanded community of care. One Health will continue its partnerships with Indian Health Services, Billings Clinic, St. Vincent's Healthcare, and Riverstone Health Center to create a structured process for providing continuity of care for families as they move between local prenatal care and delivery in Billings. Grant funding will support care coordination management across all five One Health sites. Partners include Indian Health Service Lame Deer Unit, Northern Cheyenne Recovery, Tribal Social Services, Rosebud Best Beginnings, and the Boys and Girls Club.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

One Health 2021

Sacred Families Fergus County

The Sacred Families Team at One Health Lewistown will partner with health care providers in the region to reach pregnant women and families experiencing substance use disorders or mental health issues. It will provide screening, interventions, services and create a referral network under The Meadowlark Initiative. A county health and social service provider coalition will design a community-wide, structured approach to funnel families identified through regular screenings to a care coordinator. The care coordinator will travel across the county to connect expecting families with a community-based peer support specialist and a behavioral health care provider, creating a bridge to a new, expanded community of care. One Health will continue its partnership with Central Montana Medical Center to create a structured process for providing continuity of care for families as they move between clinic-based prenatal care, delivery, and the community. Funds will be used for staffing of the care coordinator and peer support positions. Partners include Central Montana Coalition for Family Health, Central Montana Medical Center, and One Health.

Grant Amount

$135,200

Term

24 month

2021

One Health 2021

Sacred Families Blaine County

One Health - Chinook/Harlem is a federally qualified health center that serves the communities of Blaine County. Through this grant, One Health will join The Meadowlark Initiative and provide routine screening and treatment for substance use disorders as part of prenatal and postpartum care. The Sacred Families Team at One Health will partner with health care providers in the region to provide screening, outpatient care, referrals for specialty care when needed. They will also coordinate community services for pregnant patients with mental health and substance use disorders at One Health and clinics that offer prenatal care in the region. The team will develop a coalition of county health and social service providers to design a community-wide structured approach to screen and provide care coordination to address the social needs of women and families. A care coordinator hired through this grant will travel across the county to connect expecting families seen in other practices for prenatal care with a peer support specialist and behavioral health provider, creating a bridge to a new and expanded, coordinated community of care. Funding will support the peer support specialist and care coordinator positions to successfully implement the project work plan, data reporting, and offer evidence-based patient services. Partners include Blaine County Public Health, WIC, and SPROUTS.

Grant Amount

$135,200

Term

24 month

2021

Open Aid Alliance 2021

Uncovery Treatment Center Expansion Project

The Open Aid Alliance is a state-approved substance use disorder treatment organization serving the greater Missoula community. For this project, the Open Aid Alliance will expand its current substance use disorder program and increase its capacity to provide sustainable services. It will increase its current part-time clinical director to full-time and add a clinician, three case managers, and one certified peer support specialist. The clinical director is currently providing clinical services, and the move to full-time will allow for increased clinical and administrative oversight. Funding will support the clinical director's start-up costs and staff training. The project focuses on internal capacity building and does not have any primary external partners.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2021

Park County 2021

Park County Peer Support Specialist Program for Mobile Crisis Response in Park County

The Park County Behavioral Health and Crisis Response Coalition is a collaborative group of community leaders committed to improving county residents' access to crisis-related behavioral health services. The coalition selected the Park County Sherriff's Office to lead this project. The sheriff’s office is currently implementing a mobile crisis support team that goes into the community to help individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders. This project will integrate peer support specialists into the mobile crisis team, providing more effective outreach, engagement, and support for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises. This project will develop policies and procedures, training manuals, and overall infrastructure to support the onboarding of peers into the mobile crisis team. Funding will support hiring two peer support specialists and support clinical supervision, training, supplies, and travel. The project's primary partnership is with the Park County Behavioral Health and Crisis Response Coalition members, including local public health, law enforcement, the City of Livingston, Livingston Healthcare, Community Health Partners, the Human Resource Development Center, Mental Health Advisory Council, L'esprit Behavioral Health Center, and Park County.

Grant Amount

$74,790

Term

24 month

2021

Partnership Health Center 2021

Advancing Peer Support

Partnership Health Center (PHC) is a federally qualified health center serving the greater Missoula community. PHC provides a mobile support team that goes into the community to help individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders. This project will integrate peer support specialists into the mobile crisis team, providing a broader range of support for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises. PHC will convene partners participating in the Strategic Alliance for Improved Behavioral Health to make sure all the peer support efforts of the group are coordinated and will hire three new peer support specialists to work with the mobile crisis team. Funding will support convening and bringing on new staff. The project's primary partnership is with the strategic alliance; members include local public health, the City of Missoula, the University of Montana, All Nations Health Center, Western Montana Mental Health Center, Providence, Community Medical Center, and Missoula County.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2021

Providence Montana Health Foundation 2021

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center’s Journey of Hope

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC) is a critical access hospital with a rural health clinic and an assisted living center located in Polson within the Flathead Indian reservation, serving Lake County residents. SJMC provides prenatal and postpartum care in a coordinated, team-based approach and delivers approximately 175-200 babies per year by two board-certified OB-GYN physicians. SJMC's Journey of Hope project will integrate existing initiatives (Wrapped in Hope, Bridge to Hope, and Medication Assisted Treatment) within The Meadowlark Initiative® model. The overall goal is to address pregnant and postpartum women's substance use disorder and behavioral health needs, providing non-judgmental, quality health care, recovery support, resources, and referrals. Journey of Hope will focus on building and strengthening the bonds between a mother and infant; building trust with providers and the health care system; building healthy support systems to allow for infants to stay in the custody of their biological parents; and referrals to community resources for patients to address the social determinants of health. Grant funds will support behavioral health and care coordination staffing costs to successfully implement the project work plan, data reporting, and offer evidence-based patient services. Project staff will work closely with the wide range of agencies and organizations that serve impacted families, including Tribal Child Protective Services, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Child and Family Services, Drug Endangered Children Task Force, Drug Court, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Services, and Lake County Public Health.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

Providence Montana Health Foundation 2021

Providence Montana IBH Continuation and Specialty Clinic Expansion

Providence Montana Medical Group (Providence) is a network of 46 clinics in Missoula, offering the entire spectrum of primary and specialty medical and behavioral health care. This project will allow Providence to expand its capacity to provide the full continuum of behavioral health care and care coordination across its outpatient platform. This project builds on two successful prior grants that supported behavioral health integration into Providence's primary care clinics. With this consolidation project, Providence will begin screening patients for substance use disorders and social determinants of health needs, expand integrated care into its specialty clinics, and enhance its ability to provide care coordination. Funding will support the addition of licensed clinical social workers who will work with health care teams to manage patients' mental health and chronic medical conditions. Project partners include Providence's primary care and specialty clinic practice managers, physicians, providers, and Providence Medical Group leadership.

Grant Amount

$175,000

Term

36 month

2021

Providence Montana Health Foundation 2021

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center IBH Consolidation Grant

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC) is a critical access hospital serving over 30,000 residents on the Flathead Indian Reservation. This project will increase patient access to evidence-based, culturally relevant behavioral health services by building upon and improving SJMC's existing integrated care program across its primary care clinics. The project will provide behavioral health staff with training in cultural competence and evidence-based interventions to build resiliency when working with a patient population that has experienced substantial historical and interpersonal trauma. Funding will support additional behavioral health personnel in primary care and provide education, training, and supervision for existing staff. Project partners include the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, tribal health leaders, and other local health and community organizations.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

36 month

2021

Rimrock Foundation 2021

Substance Abuse CONNECT Crisis Diversion Project

This project will support Substance Abuse Connect (CONNECT) to redesign the crisis system in Yellowstone County. There are multiple crisis services available in Yellowstone County (peer support, inpatient behavioral health, and homeless outreach, for example), but there is a need for strategic alignment among services. With the help of a local coalition known as CONNECT, Rimrock will lead the project, using grant funds to hire an executive director who will work to align the efforts of the current crisis service providers. Partners that make up CONNECT include leadership from the local hospitals (Billings Clinic, St. Vincent Healthcare, RiverStone Health), School District 2, the Indian Health Service, Yellowstone County, the City of Billings, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Yellowstone County Continuum of Care Coalition, and the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana.Sub-committees of this group lead work on specific tasks in the strategic framework. The project aims to decrease emergency department utilization and criminal justice recidivism in Yellowstone County by developing a sustainable behavioral health crisis system.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation 2021

Clinical Supervision for Integrated Behavioral Health Quality and Sustainability

SCL Health Montana Medical Group (SCL Health) provides primary and specialty care through 14 clinics across Montana. This project will create and staff a clinical supervisor position at SCL Health to provide coaching, quality improvement, and safety support for integrated behavioral health services across the organization's primary care clinics. The clinical supervisor will improve clinical the quality of care and fidelity to the integrated care model in primary care clinics while also increasing engagement and retention for behavioral health specialists working in the clinics. Funding will support the clinical supervisor position and provide report writing capacity for the clinics to develop data monitoring reports and dashboards to improve outcomes. This project will utilize the internal partnerships it has established with each of its participating sites. Each integrated care clinic will utilize its partnerships for care coordination and referral for specialty care to meet each patient's needs.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

University of Montana Foundation 2021

Development and Implementation of the Montana Prevention Certification Board

The Montana Public Health Training Center (MPHTC) is housed in the School of Public Health and Community Health Sciences at the University of Montana. MPHTC provides training and professional development to public health professionals and health care providers throughout Montana. This grant will help establish a Montana Prevention Certification Board (MPCB) through MPHTC, whose purpose is to set and maintain professional certification standards for prevention specialists. MPCB will be a member of the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium, a national body whose function is to grant reciprocity from state to state, set appropriate standards for credentials, and administer a national prevention specialist examination. MPCB will build capacity to supply a well-trained substance abuse prevention workforce by increasing retention, strengthening the knowledge and skills base, creating a supportive network, establishing career paths, and providing active recruitment and cross-training. Official certification ensures public safety and oversight of the profession, requires professionals to demonstrate competency through experience, education, supervision, and passing a rigorous examination, promotes knowledge and skills to provide evidence-based practices, and keeps updated on prevention science. Funding will support the program manager, hire contracted trainers for training, and support the development of the MPCB.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) 2021

Beaverhead County Crisis Response Task Force

The Beaverhead County Crisis Response Coalition is a collaborative group of community leaders committed to improving county residents' access to crisis-related mental and behavioral health services. The coalition selected the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, a nonprofit mental health and substance use disorder treatment organization, to lead this project. This project will help define the comprehensive behavioral health crisis system strategy for Beaverhead County. The coalition will establish a formal charter for members, map the current and ideal crisis system, develop a strategic plan, and implement strategies. Funding will hire a project coordinator to help formalize the coalition and a mapping and data support consultant. The coalition consists of key leaders from local public health, law enforcement, schools, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, persons with lived experience, emergency medical services, elected officials, and social service organizations.

Grant Amount

$49,428

Term

12 month

2021

Addictive and Mental Disorders Division 2020

Communities that Care Training Expansion

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), Addictive and Mental Disorder Division (AMDD) will hire two Communities that Care (CTC) coaches to help implement the CTC program in six counties (Lake, Flathead, Silver Bow, Toole, Lewis and Cark, and Pondera). CTC is a sustainable, evidence-based program designed to promote healthy youth development, improve health and social outcomes, and reduce problem behaviors. With a previous MHCF grant, AMDD hired a CTC program coordinator and contracted with the University of Washington to provide intensive training and technical support to help ten communities implement the program. This grant will support hiring two additional coaches to help expand the program into six counties. The project's primary partner is the DPHHS Public Health and Safety Division, which leads the state's public health efforts and coordinates services to local and Tribal public health agencies. AMDD's goal is to implement CTC in every county in Montana, and it has committed to continuing to scale the program by using internal resources to sustain these positions after our grant is done, and to support additional coordinators.

Grant Amount

$178,824

Term

24 month

2020

Aware Inc. 2020

AWARE PACT Service Expansion-Region 4

AWARE used this grant to expand its existing Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team in Lewis and Clark County in order to serve people with severe disabling mental illness who require long-term, intensive support that exceeds traditional outpatient services. With technical assistance from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, AWARE was able to help 95% of its clients become involved and engaged with the community and maintain stable housing. AWARE established long-term and formal relationships with several landlords in the Helena community and an MOU with the housing authority, which will help ensure ongoing access to stable housing. Other accomplishments include completing a costing tool, updating the PACT business plan, and adding additional staff to the PACT team. AWARE faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and workforce shortages, which impacted the number of clients served and the implementation of the program. AWARE is confident that the situation will improve and that the current team will be able to expand its caseload and begin supporting the rural areas.

Grant Amount

$165,000

Term

12 month

2020

Center for Mental Health 2020

PACT Team Expansion & MACT Implementation

The Center for Mental Health (CMH) will expand its two existing Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) teams in central Montana and implement a new team in the state’s rural north-central region. The central Montana counties receiving expanded services include Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, Broadwater, Meagher, Teton, Cascade, Chouteau, Judith Basin, Fergus, and Petroleum. The north-central counties receiving new services include Glacier, Pondera, Toole, Liberty, Hill, Blaine, and Phillips. PACT is the core service of a tiered delivery system that targets people with severe disabling mental illness who require long-term ongoing support that exceeds traditional outpatient services. The goal of the service is to rehabilitate each client to their highest level of functioning. PACT teams are mobile and deliver services in community locations to meet clients where they are. Grant funds will provide technical assistance from the National Council for Behavioral Health and support the costs of expanding current services and developing and implementing new services. Partners include the hospitals and federally qualified health centers in the 17-county region, as well as AWARE Inc., St. Peter’s Hospital, PureView Health Center, Alluvion Health, and the Great Falls Indian Family Health Clinic. The project aims to stabilize 442 clients with severe disabling mental illness and reduce admission to inpatient psychiatric hospitals.

Grant Amount

$207,000

Term

12 month

2020

Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center 2020

MACT Services in Eastern Montana

Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center (EMCMHC) successfully implemented three Montana Assertive Community Treatment (MACT) programs that target people with severe disabling mental illness who require long-term ongoing support that exceeds traditional outpatient services. With technical assistance from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, EMCMHC was able to transition existing services, clients, and staff to the MACT model of care in the following counties: Carter, Powder River, Fallon, Custer, Treasure, Rosebud, Garfield, McCone, Phillips, Valley, Daniels, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Richland, Dawson, Prairie, and Wibaux. A total of 103 clients are currently being served through the three MACT teams, and outcomes include a significant reduction in emergency department utilization, hospitalizations, and interface with the criminal justice system. EMCMHC confronted a number of challenges, including delays due to COVID-19, difficulty getting clinical staff buy-in, needing to serve a vast rural area, and high staff turnover. Despite these challenges, EMCMHC has implemented two fully operational MACT teams, and the third team is close to full implementation. EMCMHC has established sustainable reimbursement through Montana Medicaid and has leveraged its success to secure a $3.6 million SAMSHA grant to help build out the continuum of care throughout the region.

Grant Amount

$202,515

Term

12 month

2020

Lewis and Clark County Public Health 2020

Designing A More Effective Behavioral Health Service Continuum in Lewis & Clark County

Lewis and Clark County Public Health created this project to redesign the behavioral health crisis system in Lewis and Clark County. The goals were to reduce emergency department admissions, reduce and de-escalate behavioral health-related criminal justice encounters and recidivism, and optimize crisis response with a Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) in order to improve the overall behavioral health and public safety in the county. A Behavioral Health Systems Improvement Leadership Team, which included a newly hired behavioral health program specialist, worked to identify needs and gaps in the current system and recommend improvements. The team developed a strategic plan, completed a comprehensive data analysis, and set priorities for implementation. The project successfully launched the MCRT, which served 172 people and diverted 102 from the emergency department, for an estimated savings to the system of more than $212,000. The project secured an $11,000 county tribal matching grant and technical assistance to guide crisis stabilization and receiving facilities in the county. The program was recognized by the National Association of Counties (NACo) with a 2021 NACo Achievement Award. Having established a formal charter with St. Peter's Health, the county sheriff, county commissioners, Shodair Children's Hospital, and PureView Health Center, the program is well-positioned to continue its work into the future.

Grant Amount

$78,598

Term

12 month

2020

Logan Health 2020

Integrated Behavioral Health for High Risk Pregnant Women Phase II

Kalispell Regional Medical Center (KRMC) will build on its successful 2017-2019 MHCF-funded project to bring integrated behavioral health services into the obstetrics (OB) setting, serving at-risk mothers in Flathead County, the Flathead, Blackfoot Reservation, and surrounding areas. This grant will enable KRMC’s Pathways Behavioral Health program to join the Meadowlark initiative, continue to fine-tune the clinical model, and continue data collection and reporting as a Meadowlark site. The clinical manager for KRMC’s three OB practices will provide project management for this grant. Grant funds will cover a portion of staffing expenses over the next two years to ensure program continuity. The project will also strengthen care coordination services and enable KRMC to screen for and address social determinants of health needs for at-risk mothers and families.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2020

Logan Health 2020

Integrated Behavioral Health Outreach

Kalispell Regional Medical Center (KRMC) will serve as a hub to support the implementation of integrated behavioral health (IBH) across its growing network of affiliate hospitals. Two affiliate hospitals that have already implemented IBH – Cabinet Peaks Medical Center and North Valley Hospital – will receive ongoing technical assistance to improve their IBH practice. Northern Rockies Medical Center and Pondera Medical Center are just beginning the IBH implementation and will use the funding to hire a full-time behavioral health provider at each location. Marias Medical Center will participate in a planning capacity, with a goal of beginning to implement IBH at the same time as they begin offering primary care services. KRMC will provide leadership and oversee all IBH implementation activities, including universal screening for depression and substance use disorders, care coordination, psychiatric consultation, and rural site training. The National Council for Behavioral Health will provide technical assistance. Expected outcomes include universal screening for behavioral health conditions in the primary care setting, improvement in depression and substance use disorder outcomes, decreased emergency room visits related to mental illness and substance use disorders, and improved coordination of care between participating facilities.

Grant Amount

$200,000

Term

24 month

2020

Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital 2020

Implemention of Integrated Behavioral Health

Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital will integrate behavioral health services into its five primary care clinics located throughout the Bitterroot Valley in Ravalli County. The hospital will establish a new partnership with Sapphire Community Health, the local federally qualified health center. With the new partnership, Marcus Daly will expand behavioral health screening, provide immediate access to either a behavioral health provider or telehealth appointment (depending on the location), and ultimately seek to improve health outcomes and reduce emergency department use related to behavioral health crisis. Grant funds will help Sapphire Community Health hire a care coordinator and behavioral health clinician to support patients’ needs. The National Council for Behavioral Health will provide technical assistance.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2020

One Health 2020

Sacred Families of Big Horn County

The Sacred Families team at Bighorn Valley Health Center will partner with health care providers in the region to reach substance use-exposed, expecting families, providing screening, interventions, services, and referral networks under the Meadowlark Initiative. A coalition of county and tribal health and social service providers will design a community-wide, structured approach, funneling families identified through regular screening to a care coordinator. The care coordinator will travel across the county to connect expecting families with a community-based peer support specialist and a behavioral health care provider, creating a bridge to a new, expanded community of care. Funds will primarily be used for care coordination and peer support salaries and travel and outreach/education. Partners include Indian Health Service Crow Service Unit, Crow Wellness, Crow Recovery, Bighorn County Sheriffs Victims Services, Crow Human Services Legislative Chair, Bighorn Hospital Emergency Department, Safe Care, YWCA of Hardin, Tribal Social Services, Billings Urban Indian Health Center, Crow ICWA Advocate, and Bighorn County Public Health. Together IHS and BVHC will pursue partnerships with Billings Clinic, St. Vincent’s Healthcare, and Riverstone Health Center to create a structured process for providing continuity of care for families as they move between local prenatal care and delivery in Billings. Project goals are to provide comprehensive, compassionate care to families, improve maternal and family outcomes; reduce newborn drug exposure, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and perinatal complications; and keep families together and out of the foster care system.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2020

Rimrock Foundation 2020

Rimrock Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)

Rimrock will implement a new Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team that serves Yellowstone, Musselshell, Big Horn, Carbon, Stillwater, Golden Valley, and Wheatland counties. PACT is the core service of a tiered delivery system that targets people with severe disabling mental illness who require long-term ongoing support that exceeds traditional outpatient services. The goal of the service is to rehabilitate each client to their highest level of functioning. PACT teams are mobile and deliver services in community locations to meet clients where they are. Grant funds will build this new PACT program's capacity through technical assistance by the National Council for Behavioral Health and bridge funding to help offset the cost of hiring and training new staff. Project partners include the Southcentral Montana Mental Health Center, Billings Clinic Behavioral Health Service, and the Montana State Hospital. This project aims to stabilize 196 clients with severe disabling mental illness and reduce admission to inpatient psychiatric hospitals.

Grant Amount

$197,148

Term

12 month

2020

Sidney Health Center 2020

Bakken Behavioral Health Integration

Sidney Health Center will join the Meadowlark Initiative to expand its current integrated behavioral health program from the primary care clinic into the OB/GYN clinic. The project will support the implementation of standardized screenings for all patients entering the OB clinic. It will also develop a home-visiting program in collaboration with community entities, create protocols for analysis of data analysis, develop a behavioral health team for same-day consults, and create a stepped-care process for patients. Sidney Health Center will develop stronger partnerships with public health, substance use facilities, mental health facilities, and the organizations in Wolf Point, where a cohort of their patients live. Expanding behavioral health and care coordination services into the OB/GYN clinic will allow for a more streamlined and coordinated effort of care across the Sidney Health Center continuum and throughout the community serving those who suffer from substance use disorders and mental health issues. Grant funds will be used to initially support the integrated health therapist position and the start-up costs for implementing this program, such as a telepsychiatry contract.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2020

St. Luke Community Healthcare Foundation 2020

Wrapped In Hope

This project will create a seamless continuum of care for all pregnant women and their families. Specifically, it will implement team-based, coordinated care for all perinatal patients through each of St. Luke’s four clinics and the hospital. Clinical care pathways for each prenatal patient will be determined based on initial screenings, diagnosis, and recommended treatments. Grant funds will initially support a care navigator position, which will primarily serve as the conduit between primary care providers, behavioral health clinicians, the patient, and psychiatric services. The care navigator will also be the patient’s lifeline to community resources. Through this project, the grantee will actively engage and inform patients about the program, create partnerships with other organizations (tribal and non-tribal), and solicit feedback from consumers. Ultimately the project will improve access to behavioral health services and improve outcomes for women who screen positive for substance use disorder or mental health issues and reduce the instances of out of home placements for their infants.

Grant Amount

$130,000

Term

24 month

2020

Alluvion Health 2019

Crisis Intervention System

The Great Falls Community will redesign the behavioral health crisis system to reduce emergency department admissions and criminal justice encounters and recidivism. Alluvion Health will serve as the “backbone” organization, providing project oversight and partnership coordination. This project will bring together new and existing partners through a formal charter that establishes project goals and expectations and outlines commitments. The primary objectives are to collect data and analyze the existing behavioral health crisis system and resource allocation, research best practices, develop a plan for prevention and intervention strategies, and implement new strategies. The project will use funds to employ a care coordinator to assist with navigating individuals throughout the system, a clinician to assist with clinical oversight and intervention, and a project lead to coordinate partners and activities. Primary partners include leadership from Alluvion Health System, Benefis Health System, Gateway, the Center for Mental Health, Cascade County Sheriff, Great Falls Chief of Police, Cascade County Commissioner, and emergency services. Ultimately, the project will redesign the crisis system by utilizing existing resources differently and by developing a sustainable and robust framework for the future.

Grant Amount

$100,485

Term

24 month

2019

Alluvion Health 2019

Partnering for the Health of Our Community

Great Falls Clinic will integrate behavioral health into their two primary care clinics and one specialty clinic, with Alluvion Health providing technical assistance and training. This project establishes a new partnership between Great Falls Clinic and Alluvion Health and leverages each organization’s strengths and resources. Alluvion’s experience with implementing the integrated behavioral health model positions them as a robust technical assistance partner. Funding will be used for Alluvion to hire a care coordinator and a behavioral health clinician and will assist with project oversight by organizational leadership. The project will also support consultation by the National Council for Behavioral Health. Ultimately, the project hopes to establish a sustainable integrated behavioral health model in the Great Falls Clinic and create a new successful partnership that will help improve patient health and reduce costs to the health system.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2019

Barrett Hospital Foundation 2019

Barrett Hospital & HealthCare Integrated Behavioral Health Collaborative

Barrett Hospital & HealthCare in Dillon will integrate behavioral health services throughout their health care system. They will bring together a multi-disciplinary team to increase access to behavioral health services, decrease emergency and inpatient utilization, improve patient and population outcomes, and support community activities promoting behavioral health. Barrett currently has a single therapist co-located with primary care. This project will support integration of primary care and behavioral health services and implement integrated care in other parts of the system such as the inpatient and emergency room settings. Grant funding will be used to hire a second behavioral health clinician and support the clinical and administrative staff time required to implement team-based care. Partners include the local advisory council for mental health and the local community health center. The project also seeks to contribute to a more robust behavioral health continuum of care in the region.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2019

Billings Clinic 2019

Montana Integrated SBIRT Training for Healthcare Professionals

This project created a screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) training curriculum for residents at the Billings Clinic to enable them to identify and provide effective initial treatment for people with undiagnosed substance use disorders. Residents in the internal medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, nursing, and pharmacy programs, as well as providers who are currently treating patients, receive SBIRT training. Trainers from the Montana Primary Care Association use role-playing exercises in virtual workshops and Grand Rounds, which are weekly professional development and networking events that attract a large local audience and are broadcast on the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network. Billings Clinic also integrated the SBIRT curriculum into its existing clinical pathways. Billings Clinic will continue to support SBIRT in its various residency programs and integrate it into service lines throughout its system.

Grant Amount

$15,000

Term

12 month

2019

Blackfeet Tribal Health 2019

Addressing Perinatal Behavioral Health on the Blackfeet Reservation

Blackfeet Tribal Health will partner with the Indian Health Service (IHS) Blackfeet Community Hospital to create a community-wide system of care to address substance use and mental illness for pregnant women and their families. Addressing perinatal substance use is a top community health priority for Blackfeet with a high fraction of babies born screening positive for substances. Grant funds will be used to hire a care coordinator and behavioral health specialist to work with the Blackfeet IHS OB Department and the Blackfeet Medication-Assistant Treatment Program to serve all perinatal patients. This project will bring together many of the tribal social service agencies together to collaborate and ensure services are provided to address social issues the families are facing.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2019

Bozeman Health Foundation 2019

Community Crisis Response

Bozeman Health used this grant to develop a coalition to redesign the behavioral health crisis system in Gallatin County. The goals were to reduce emergency department admissions, reduce and deescalate behavioral health-related criminal justice encounters and recidivism, and optimize the mobile response team. With the help of consultants, the coalition mapped the current crisis system, developed a strategic plan, implemented a behavioral health urgent care system, hired a crisis interventionist at the emergency department, redesigned the mobile response team, and implemented crisis telehealth services. Bozeman Health experienced significant turnover in leadership throughout the project, and the mental health center stopped providing several crisis and community-based services. Despite these challenges, the coalition was able to develop a formal charter and strategic plan, complete a comprehensive data analysis, set priorities for implementation, begin implementation of a new mobile crisis team, and coordinate a behavioral health triaging system at the emergency department. Having established a formal charter with key public and private stakeholders, the coalition is well-positioned to continue its work into the future. The coalition is also coordinating local, state, and federal grant efforts. Both Gallatin County and Bozeman Health are contributing $25,000 to support the continuation of the coalition and the coordinator role to ensure sustainability, further implementation of the strategic plan, and the monitoring of impact.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2019

Bozeman Health Foundation 2019

Perinatal Substance Abuse in Southwest Montana: An Integrated Model

This project will allow Bozeman Health to develop and implement an effective model of care for OB/GYN patients who have behavioral health needs. Through this project, Bozeman Health will integrate behavioral health provides into their current care teams and expand the model of team-based care to partners in the community. Grant funds will be used to add additional behavioral health providers, who will be available for warm hand-offs and same day visits, into existing care teams who care for pregnant women. Partners include Gallatin County Health Department and Roots Family Cooperative who will assist in addressing social needs of women and families. The project’s overall goal is to improve timely access to effective evidenced based care to help serve women and families that are affected by drug and alcohol use or mental health issues during the most crucial time of development.

Grant Amount

$110,000

Term

24 month

2019

Community Hospital of Anaconda 2019

Integrating Behavioral Health for ADLC

This project will work to implement integrated behavioral health throughout Anaconda Community Hospital’s (ACH) primary care system in Anaconda and Butte. As a part of this project, ACH will build a strong network of community partners who will work together to reduce the stigma associated with behavioral health and remove barriers for those in need of care. Ultimately, the project’s goal is to improve the health of the community by providing comprehensive primary and behavioral health care by a coordinated team. Grant funding will be used to hire a behavioral health clinician, and training and technical assistance will be provided by the National Council for Behavioral Health. Partners include the Western Montana Community Mental Health Center and the Anaconda-Deer Lodge Public Health Department.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2019

Community Hospital of Anaconda 2019

Reducing Adverse Outcomes of Perinatal Substance Use Disorders

This project will allow the Community Hospital of Anaconda (CHA) implement a comprehensive, team-based, family inclusive continuum of care for perinatal patients with substance use disorders and mental health issues. As part of the project, CHA will build on its existing infrastructure to integrate behavioral health services into prenatal care. It will also work with community partners to addresses the accompanying social needs, including transportation, food insecurity, housing, employment, and social support. Grant funds will be used primarily for staff support and to hire a licensed clinical social worker to help implement the program. Partnerships include associate primary care clinics and local behavioral health agencies. The project’s overall goal is to reduce barriers to treatment for pregnant women and their families struggling with substance use disorders and mental illness and increase access to social support.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2019

Community Medical Center 2019

Community Medical Center Integrated Behavioral Health Implementation

This project will integrate behavioral health services into Community Medical Center’s (CMC) primary care clinics and home-based primary care program. The grantee will accomplish this by hiring and embedding licensure-track social workers in to CMC’s Missoula, Frenchtown, and Lolo clinics. With consultation from the National Council for Behavioral Health, the primary care teams will provide universal screening, evidence-based treatment, and data tracking to improve outcomes and allow for care coordination across the hospital platform. Grant funding will be used to hire a behavioral health manager to oversee the project, a new behavioral health clinician, and additional clinical supervision for clinicians. Partners include the University of Montana who will help with the placement of behavioral health student interns and recent graduates.

Grant Amount

$200,000

Term

24 month

2019

Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana 2019

Training Family Medicine Residents and Health Care Trainees to Address Substance Misuse in Montana

With this grant, the Family Medical Residency of Western Montana (FMRWM) created a curriculum and trained family medicine residents in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to identify and provide effective initial treatment for people with undiagnosed SUDs. The training was provided to a total of 90 staff, residents, faculty, and health care trainees in medicine at the Partnership Health Center. Overall, participants showed a statistically significant and positive change in competence, confidence, readiness, and knowledge on conducting SBIRT with patients. The grant also helped train individuals on how to be SBIRT trainers, including Partnership Health Center's director of behavioral health, FMRWM's behavioral science and addiction medicine faculty members, and the University of Montana's director of integrated behavioral health. This will help strengthen the capacity of FMRWM, Partnership Health Center, and the University of Montana to provide SBIRT training in the future and integrate SBIRT more fully into the residency curriculum. SBIRT is now included as a module for interns, SBIRT training is required for residents, and buprenorphine waiver training is required for interns. While implementation of SBIRT in the clinic was delayed due to COVID, integration with the residency program and Partnership Health Center is underway. 

Grant Amount

$14,961

Term

12 month

2019

Flathead City-County Health Department 2019

Enhancing a Community-Wide System for SBIRT in the Educational Setting in Flathead County

This project will help the Flathead City-County Health Department (FCCHD) to develop and implement a youth–focused Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model in Kalispell. As part of this project, FCCHD will implement a system for SBIRT with a focus on youth in educational settings and will coordinate with existing community–wide efforts. The project will use funds to support FCCHD staff training in SBIRT, a project coordinator, and a public health associate through the Centers for Disease and Control. Project partners include Kalispell Regional Health, Flathead Community Health Center, Intermountain, and the alternative school in the Flathead School District. The project is expected to more robustly identify, reduce, and prevent problematic substance use with youth in educational settings and more strategically coordinate existing community–wide SBIRT efforts.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2019

Holy Rosary Healthcare Foundation 2019

Increasing Access to Integrated Behavioral Health in Eastern Montana

Holy Rosary Hospital will implement an integrated behavioral health model into their clinics in Eastern Montana. The hospital will integrate mental health and substance use disorder services into their family and internal medicine clinics, and will implement screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) as a routine part of their primary care practice. Funding will be used to hire a behavioral health specialist and strengthen the hospital’s tele-psychiatry, data analytics, and care coordination. Partners include One Health (the local community health center) and the Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2019

Indian Family Health Clinic 2019

Hope, Healing & Health in an Urban Indian Community

The Indian Family Health Center (IFHC) in Great Falls used this grant to develop and implement integrated behavioral health (IBH) services in its clinical and chemical dependency practices to serve the North Central Montana and Great Falls urban Indian communities. IFHC began by assessing its organizational readiness and identifying potential barriers to implementation. It then developed and initiated a plan, which included introducing and implementing care pathways for depression, suicide, and anxiety, as well as screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) protocols. IFHC implemented plans for making referrals to specialty care, tracking patients as they move from one level of care to another, and training staff on key elements of IBH. COVID-19 and other logistical problems posed challenges, but IFHC was able to continue providing care—through both in-person and telehealth services—and moved its IBH program forward. The IBH model is now a self-sustaining part of IFHC’s care delivery system.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2019