Search Grants Awarded - Montana Healthcare Foundation

Carbon County Area Ride & Transit: Addressing Rural Isolation & Mobility Needs

The Red Lodge Area Community Foundation (RLACF), serving Carbon County, is dedicated to building a thriving community through stewardship, collaboration, and innovation. This project will help Carbon County Area Ride and Transit (CART) create a new transit service that reduces transportation barriers and ensures residents have transportation to medical appointments, health facilities, grocery stores, and social events. The Transportation Advisory Committee – a county-wide committee of stakeholders – will implement the project using the feasibility study and operation plans completed during the planning phase. Funding will support staff and consultants, software, and staff training and meeting attendance. Other partners include the County Commissioners, the Montana Department of Transportation, Beartooth Billings Clinic, Community Cares, Riverstone Health, SCL Health, and Red Lodge Drug.

Grant Amount

$99,905

Term

36 month

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

Staff Training and Support

The Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority (SKHA) provides high-quality, affordable housing to the people of the Flathead Reservation. In early 2021, SKHA established Morning Star Apartments, the Flathead Reservation's first permanent supportive housing project. With this grant, SKHA will contract with Beau Simone Consulting to provide training and technical assistance for the staff who are managing the 14-unit Morning Star Apartments. Beau Simone Consulting will provide a weeklong onsite training for Morning Star staff on the Housing First model, trauma-informed care, conflict resolution, and developing and maintaining a sustainable, supportive housing site. Funding will support consulting fees and travel costs. This project is a collaboration among the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority, and the Tribal Defenders Office.

Grant Amount

$9,950

Term

12 month

2021

Flathead Indian Reservation Housing Needs Assessment and Homelessness Study

The Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority (SKHA) works to provide the highest quality affordable housing to the people of the Flathead Reservation. This project will facilitate a survey of the housing needs in the community and will help SKHA plan, finance, and develop housing resources to meet the community's needs. The assessment will gather quantitative and qualitative data using a mixed-method approach involving a household survey, focus groups, community meetings, and interviews with knowledgeable sources. Funding will be used to hire a consultant who will help develop and implement the survey. Partners include the Polson and Ronan municipalities. Other municipalities in the surrounding area will be invited to participate as well.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Ravalli County School Wellness Program

Sapphire Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides medical and behavioral health services to the underserved population in Ravalli County. This implementation project will open a school-based health center in two school districts, Hamilton and Victor. Sapphire will provide behavioral health and medical services on designated days of the week at each district. They will provide behavioral health services onsite and medical services in their mobile unit. Funding will support the behavioral health provider/school-based health services coordinator, a nurse, and startup costs and supplies. This project is a close collaboration among Sapphire Community Health, Victor School District, and Hamilton School District.

Grant Amount

$263,273

Term

24 month

2021

Kennedy Elementary School-Based Clinic

Southwest Montana Community Health Center (SMCHC) is a federally qualified health center with clinics and pharmacies in Madison, Silver-Bow, Anaconda-Deer Lodge, and Beaverhead counties. This project will develop a school-based health center in Kennedy Elementary School, a school in which nearly 100% of students qualify for free and reduced-price meals and in which many students have low attendance rates. The health center will help improve the students' health, which will support their attendance and education. The health center will provide on-site medical and behavioral health services to students and their families. It will also offer other services like dental screenings, care management, pharmacy, and insurance assistance. Funding will support health center staff and IT services. Kennedy Elementary School (School District No. 1) is the project's primary partner along with other community groups like the local health department and Action Inc.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2021

Emergency Medical Response in Jefferson County: Feasibility Study and Planning

St. James Healthcare will partner with the City of Boulder, Jefferson Valley Ambulance District, and other stakeholders in Jefferson County to address the need for improved access to sustainable, effective emergency medical services in the county. The county is sparsely populated, with fewer than seven people per square mile; residents are older and chronic diseases are prevalent. The project will assess the feasibility of creating a county-wide ambulance district to ensure the delivery of high-quality emergency medical services throughout the county, with a particular emphasis on rural and underserved communities. A steering committee of local stakeholders will work with a consultant to gather, review, and analyze local data. The study will take place over 12 months, resulting in a final report with recommendations for stakeholders on whether to pursue the special district and considerations for improving emergency medical response in Jefferson County.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Helena Regional Housing is Health Care Initiative Implementation

The Helena Regional Housing is Health Care development project will provide access to permanent supportive housing for people in the Helena area who are homeless and have complex medical issues requiring frequent hospital care. To do this, the project will 1) provide high-quality training on permanent supportive housing to improve existing programs and improve housing and service system integration overall; 2) explore onsite health care and other support services at key housing sites; 3) develop community-level data sharing agreements to identify the most vulnerable persons who are homeless or unstably housed; 4) improve referral systems to better serve vulnerable populations (persons with disabilities, elderly, and families and children in child welfare systems; 5) develop additional services where needed to address unmet needs that drive high costs; 6) review housing policies to better serve high need persons in coordination with health care and other services; and 7) explore the development of additional permanent supportive housing resources, vouchers, and new facilities in conjunction with Helena Housing Authority’s redevelopment efforts. Key partners include Helena Housing Authority, Pureview Health Center, Saint Peter's Health, United Way, Center for Mental Health, and AWARE. Grant funds will support a new dedicated Community-Based Services Manager to lead program implementation.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

MSCA Website Establishment

The Montana Spiritual Care Association (MSCA), an affiliated society of the Montana Hospital Association, supports spiritual care providers in health care and behavioral health settings. This project will support the development of a new website for MSCA to provide information, membership maintenance, resource sharing, and continuing education for its membership. Funding will support the website design and initial maintenance. By making its information more readily available, MCSA plans to increase its membership and better support the spiritual care providers who look to it for support.

Grant Amount

$3,950

Term

12 month

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

Billings Permanent Supportive Housing Implementation

United Way of Yellowstone County will build on their previous Housing is Health Care initiative planning grant to develop permanent supportive housing units for people in Billings who are homeless and have complex medical and behavioral health conditions. A strong partnership among local health, housing, and city/county agencies was built through the MHCF planning grant. The project will create a coordinated system for service delivery and financing and a process for identifying, connecting with, and serving the people in Yellowstone County who have the highest medical need and are experiencing homelessness. This grant will support the creation of systems for service delivery and data matching using the Corporation for Supportive Housing's frequent user system engagement (FUSE) model. Funding will be used for project coordination, technical assistance from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and developing data systems to track progress and allow for shared data and outcome measures across partner agencies.

Grant Amount

$98,400

Term

24 month

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

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

Becoming an ARC-Informed Agency

As one of Montana's largest children's mental and behavioral health agencies, Youth Dynamics provides family-focused behavioral health treatment in 30 locations throughout the state. Nearly 90% of the youth it works with have experienced severe trauma and have problematic behaviors associated with that trauma. This project will help Youth Dynamics become an Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC) Informed Agency to provide more effective interventions for youth that have been traumatized and reduce the number of young people sent to out-of-state facilities. Becoming a trauma-informed agency requires three years of staff training in the ARC model. In addition to helping staff understand how to treat youth experiencing trauma, the ARC model will also help parents and direct-care staff understand and learn interventions for treating secondary trauma. As part of this project, Youth Dynamics will explore partnerships with other organizations going through the ARC training process to collaborate on training and strengthen referral relationships. Grant funding will hire an ARC consultant who will provide assessments, conduct training, and offer team consultations.

Grant Amount

$34,050

Term

24 month

2021

Great Falls Housing is Healthcare Data Project

YWCA Great Falls provides services to meet critical needs, promote self-sufficiency, reduce violence, and achieve equal opportunities for all people. To better identify the housing and service gaps in the community, YWCA will enhance Great Fall’s Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) database to track housing vouchers and service utilization for those identified as homeless or at high risk of homelessness. This new database will allow YWCA to work across agencies and systems to gather data that tracks the housing and health services used by Coordinated Entry and Frequently User Systems Engagement (FUSE) clients. The capacity to collect quality data will help YWCA coordinate care and resources for the homeless population and help ensure they stay housed. Funding will support staffing for project coordination and data access and input. Opportunities, Inc. is the HMIS lead for Great Falls and is the primary partner for this project.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2021

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

Alluvion Health Vaugh Schools

Alluvion Health will implement school-based health services, including medical, dental, and behavioral health, in Vaughn Public School. Vaughn Public School is a K-8 school located 15 miles from Great Falls. Alluvion will use a newly acquired mobile unit to provide dental services and provide medical and behavioral health services within the school. Grant funds will cover startup costs including salaries for the staff providing services. The project’s goal is to offer health services to the students and staff members of Vaughn Public School and the surrounding communities of Sun River, Fort Shaw, and Simms and in turn, to improve students’ ability to learn and succeed in school.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2020

Higher Logic Community Sharing Platform

The Association of Montana Public Health Officials will use the Higher Logic web platform to create a cloud-based application that enables Local and Tribal Health Departments to share resources and discuss and provide each other with technical assistance on specific public health questions. The Higher Logic platform has been used by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), NNPHI, and other public health organizations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for this resource has become more pressing. With limited staff and funding, county and tribal health departments face an overwhelming range of new tasks, such as issuing isolation and quarantine orders, creating spreadsheets for contact tracing and monitoring quarantine, developing fact sheets for a wide range of audiences (such as daycares, first responders, shelters, and law enforcement), drafting letters to businesses not following public health directives, and issuing press releases and public statements that are informative but comply with all privacy laws. This investment will create a critically needed platform for counties and tribes to share templates and offer and receive advice and assistance as questions related to COVID-19 arise, and beyond the pandemic as well.

Grant Amount

$42,500

Term

24 month

2020

AWARE PACT Service Expansion-Region 4

AWARE Inc. will expand its existing Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team in central Montana. The counties it will serve include Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, Broadwater, and Meagher. PACT is the core service of a tiered delivery system that targets people with severe disabling mental illness who require long-term, intensive 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 for part of the startup costs of expanding PACT services. AWARE has already established partnerships with many of the health and social service organizations that work in the region including, St. Peter’s Hospital, PureView, and the Helena Housing Authority, among others. Through this project, AWARE will deepen its current partnerships and develop new ones with the local health departments, clinics, housing authorities, shelters, and other entities as they expand into other counties. The project aims to stabilize 196 clients with severe disabling mental illness and reduce inpatient admissions.

Grant Amount

$165,000

Term

12 month

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

Bitterroot CASA Advocacy Training & Sustaining

Bitterroot Court Appointed Special Advocates (BCASA) will provide well trained and supported advocate volunteers to connect with and speak for the best interests of children under the jurisdiction of 21st District Court. BCASA currently represents 81 children removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect, and the number of children they serve has more than doubled over the past 18 months. BCASA will strengthen its program and partnerships to meet the advocacy and permanency needs of every abused and neglected child in Ravalli County. The funding will provide an increase in the program director hours, increasing the director’s capacity to recruit, train, and manage advocate volunteers. Through the active partnerships with the 21st District Court, Family Social Services, and the National CASA program, they will provide in-service training and support volunteer advocates as they care for children and navigate the complex issues and multiple causes of child maltreatment. Bitterroot CASA will facilitate 12 presentations in 7 communities to recruit at least 20 new advocates. The overall goal of the project is to increase awareness of abuse and neglect to decrease the number of incidences in Ravalli County.

Grant Amount

$55,826

Term

24 month

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

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

MACT Services in Eastern Montana

Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center (EMCMHC) will implement two new rural Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) teams. The teams will cover the eastern Montana counties of Rosebud, Treasure, Custer, Fallon, Carter, Powder River, Valley, Daniels, Sheridan, Garfield, McCone, Roosevelt, Richland, Dawson, Prairie, and Wibaux. 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 start-up costs of developing and implementing the new program. Partners include Rimrock Foundation, Frontier Psychiatry, and hospitals throughout eastern Montana. The project aims to stabilize 100 clients with severe disabling mental illness and reduce admission to inpatient psychiatric hospitals.

Grant Amount

$202,515

Term

12 month

2020

Planning Grant to Develop an Online Certificate Program & CME Opportunities in “Climate and Health”

The University of Montana Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana will develop a “Climate and Health” course for undergraduate students in the Climate Change Studies Program. The project will also offer an online certificate program for students in health profession training programs and develop online training certificates or continuing education opportunities for health care providers already practicing around the state. The project will be implemented in collaboration with existing climate study resources at the University of Montana. Grant funds will be used for project staff salaries, consultants, travel, and supplies. Partnerships include other colleges within the University of Montana, Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, Western Montana AHEC, the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, and the MSU Extension Program. Prospective partners that will be engaged as part of the planning process are also identified. The project’s overarching goal is to create a “Climate and Health” program that is affordable, high-quality, accessible, inclusive, relevant, and useful to the health of Montanans.

Grant Amount

$24,984

Term

12 month

2020

Developing a Plan to Transform the Behavioral Health System through Mapping

The Flathead City-County Health Department will map the behavioral health system in Flathead County to identify specific treatment needs. As part of this project, a modified sequential intercept mapping (SIM) process will be used with a multidisciplinary team including experts in mental health, substance use disorders, law enforcement, housing, health, social services, and individuals directly impacted by mental health disorders. Grant funds will be used for project staff salaries and consultant fees for the mapping process. Partnerships for this project include Kalispell Regional Healthcare and the Flathead Community Health Center. Additional partners will also be invited to participate in the mapping process, including Sunburst Mental Health, Western Montana Mental Health, and law enforcement. The project’s overall goal is to map the behavioral health system in Flathead County to identify resources within the community, gaps in services, and the development of a community plan for improvement.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2020

School Based Health Centers – Primary Care

Flathead Community Health Center (FCHC) will implement school-based medical services at Linderman Alternative High School and Evergreen Schools in Kalispell. Through a previous grant, FCHC is already providing behavioral health services at both schools and has built strong relationships with each school's administration. This project will expand the services the health center offers to include medical care for students, school staff, and the surrounding community. Both schools have begun remodeling to create space for the health center to provide medical services on the school campuses. Grant funds will support staff salaries, including a school-based health center coordinator and primary care provider.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

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

Kaiser Health News Montana Health News Partnership

This project will supportthe launch of a Kaiser Health News (KHN)bureau in Montana. The bureau will increase Montana-centered health journalism and provide high-quality, relevant coverage of important health care, public health, and health policy issues free-of-charge to print, radio, and television news outlets throughout the state. This grant will enable KHN to hire an experienced,full-time, Montana-based health journalist; provide access to the full range of editorial, production, and research infrastructure of the national KHN newsroom; and allow for contracts with freelance journaliststo extend the reach of the project in rural Montana. KHN's editors will work with these journalists to produce stories for and about Montana residents which will be widely distributed through media partners across the state, region, and nation, as well as through social media. The goal of the project is to increase both the quantity andquality of health journalism for and about Montana residents, helping them understand the policy,industry, and social factors that impact their health and well-being.

Grant Amount

$600,258

Term

24 month

2020

Partnerships for Permanently Supportive Housing Phase II

With this grant, the Human Resources Development Council of District IX (HRDC) and its partners will join the Housing Is Health Care Initiative. As part of the initiative, they will work to develop permanent supportive housing units for homeless people in Bozeman who have complex medical and behavioral health conditions. The project will create a coordinated system for service delivery and financing. It will develop a process for identifying and connecting with the people who have the highest medical need and are experiencing homelessness. This grant will support the creation of systems for service delivery and annual data matching using the Corporation for Supportive Housing’s FUSE (frequent users system engagement) model. Funding will be used for project coordination, technical assistance from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and matching funds to pilot the permanent supportive housing models. Project partners include HRDC’s housing programs, the Gallatin County Detention Center, Bozeman Health, Community Health Partners, the City of Bozeman, and mental health providers. The project’s overall goal is to create permanent supportive housing in Bozeman that improves health outcomes for individuals, reduces the cost across community systems, and strengthens partnerships beyond supportive housing.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

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

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

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

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

Interdepartmental Housing Integration Project

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Service (DPHHS) will establish an Interdepartmental Housing Integration Project. The project will align strategies and action plans across disparate state departments, agencies, and local stakeholders to use existing resources more effectively to address homelessness, housing insecurity, and health service integration priorities. The project will create a platform that integrate three separate housing and health care data systems to share information on homeless high-utilizers, which will enable the coordination of services to improve outcomes for those individuals. The state will also evaluate and, if feasible, finalize appropriate Medicaid changes to support health-related tenancy support services. Initial partners include DPHHS; the Department of Commerce, Montana Housing Division and the Community Development Division; the Montana Continuum of Care Coalition; and the Montana Healthcare Foundation's Frequent Users System Engagement grantee communities. Grant funds will cover a full-time staff person dedicated to grant management activities, costs associated with stakeholder planning and meetings, data analytics coordination, and contracted assistance.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2020

Montana Environmental Health Association Foundation

The Montana Environmental Health Association (MEHA) will produce a study looking at the environmental health specialist (or “sanitarian”) workforce’s current status and future needs, including ways to improve recruitment and retention. MEHA is a nonprofit group of professionals who work to protect public health through monitoring and limiting exposure to health hazards in our everyday environment, including air, water, soil, and food. Grant funds will support a contractor who will work with MEHA to complete this study.

Grant Amount

$10,000

Term

12 month

2020

Hardin Rural Health Food Box Program

The Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) will partner with Big Horn Valley Health Center (based in Hardin, MT) to screen patients for food insecurity and provide food boxes and referrals to other community resources to those in need. Grant funds will be used to purchase food for the food boxes, train the clinic staff, print materials, and support the program coordinator.

Grant Amount

$10,000

Term

12 month

2020

Statewide Coverage of COVID-19 on Individuals, Communities, the Health Care System, and Legislation

The Montana Free Press will cover the impact of COVID-19 on the physical and mental health of Montanans as well as the state’s response in the upcoming legislative session. For this reporting, the Montana Free Press will use their staff reporter as well as their freelance reporting team. Grant funds will be used to enable reporters to focus on the health and health policy impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The Montana Free Press has established partnerships with news organizations across the state. They will provide their stories free of charge to local and statewide news organizations, further strengthening these partnerships. The project’s overall goal is to provide high-quality, sustained, statewide coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on individuals, communities, health care infrastructure, and legislation in Montana.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2020

Improving Interoperability & Capabilities of Behavioral & Indian Health Electronic Health Systems

In 2020, Montana will connect health providers, care coordinators, community service organizations, and other caregivers to a Statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE), which houses and shares (in a secure manner) patient data using a shared infrastructure. This grant will generate $900,000 in additional federal funding for the HIE. This project will also achieve two primary goals. First, it will support whole-person health by enabling the integration of a patient’s physical health information with behavioral health data. Second, it will develop the data interface and processes needed to incorporate Indian Health Service (IHS), tribal, and urban Indian health center (I/T/U) data from the Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS) platform, an electronic health record platform used by many I/T/U providers. For this project, the Montana Medical Association Foundation (MMAF) will partner with the Big Sky Care Connect (BSCC), the Montana organization that is building the HIE. They will work collaboratively with key partners to determine successful outreach strategies and HIE technologies that meet privacy and security needs. Outreach will be conducted by project partners (including Rimrock Foundation, Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana, and BSCC) with potential clinical IHS and behavioral health providers and their clinical partners. Outreach will focus on the value of HIE participation, opportunities, return on investment, clinical use cases, and available assistance to address privacy and interoperability challenges. This project will improve interoperability among all providers, including behavioral health and I/T/U providers, through the exchange of health information, and further empower patients, providers, and payers.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

12 month

2020

School Wellness

The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) will partner with the Montana Healthcare Foundation (MHCF) to support the implementation of a new initiative focused on school wellness. This initiative will support new partnerships between schools and high-performing health care providers (including federally qualified health centers, rural health centers, tribal health departments, and behavioral health providers) to create school-based health centers. The initiative will target roughly 70 schools with the highest concentration of students most in need of services, as judged by academic and health data (including alternative schools and those with the lowest academic performance). OPI will use grant funding to hire a new staff person dedicated to supporting the initiative. As part of this project, OPI will help enlist school participation and provide trauma-informed care training, coaching, and academic data reporting support. They will also help schools plan and implement participation in their Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) for students with behavioral issues, and identify and implement restorative discipline practices. Beyond MHCF and OPI, other partnerships that will be developed include local school districts, clinical service partners, public health, and the School-Based Health Alliance. The project’s overall goal is to improve student health and academic outcomes by providing in-school access to health care services and fostering a supportive school climate.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2020

Montana Public Health Institute Start Up

This grant will fund the creation of the Montana Public Health Institute (MPHI). Over the last six years, we have worked with stakeholders around the state to find ways to strengthen Montana’s public health system. Based on this work, we published a 2019 report, “Creating a Vision for a Healthier Montana: Strengthening the Montana Public Health System.” The report identified public health institute functions that are not currently provided by any other public health entity, such as providing “surge capacity” to respond to public health emergencies; supporting small, rural health departments by procuring grants, and assisting with technical assistance and management of funds; and carrying out rigorous, non-partisan analysis of Montana’s public health system and opportunities to strengthen it. The report concluded with a recommendation to design and start a public health institute in Montana. With consultants from Montana (Jane Smilie) and the National Network for Public Health Institutes (NNPHI), we are now supporting the work of the MPHI Design Team comprising stakeholders from Montana’s county, tribal, state, academic, and non-profit public health organizations. The Design Team recently approved a strategic plan for the MPHI and has started work on establishing the organization. The COVID-19 pandemic creates an urgent need for services that a public health institute can provide. An MPHI will aid our state’s response, guide and support the recovery, and analyze lessons from this crisis to assist in building a more effective public health system. DPHHS has requested that MPHI—once formed—assist with administering certain federal grants expected in the next two months that DPHHS does not have the capacity to administer. To achieve an accelerated startup, the Design Team nominated members to serve as a founding board of directors; the board will incorporate the MPHI as a Montana non-profit in late April 2020. The new MPHI will implement the long-term strategic plan developed by the Design Team, and it will play an immediate and critically needed role in COVID-19 response and recovery. Key partners include DPHHS, county and tribal public health departments, Montana’s public health associations, and the Montana University System.

Grant Amount

$1,850,000

Term

60 months

2020

Montana RIDE – Regional Initiatives in Dental Education

The Office of Rural Health and Dental Health Sciences department at Montana State University will implement clinical rotations in rural, underserved, and tribal locations for dental students. The Office of Rural Health will establish a public health-oriented dental education program, create a formal network of training locations, and implement a coordinated plan for training, recruiting, and supporting oral health workers. Grant funds will be used for project staff salaries, travel expenses, and contracting with the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leadership Council’s Epidemiology Center (RMTEC) to serve as a tribal liaison. Partnerships include RMTEC, the University of Washington School of Dentistry, and clinical rotation sites.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2020

Medication Assisted Treatment Clinic Feasibility Planning

The Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center (BUIHWC), operated by the Native American Development Corporation (NADC), will undertake a planning process to expand its substance use disorder treatment services to include medication-assisted treatment (MAT). BUIHWC currently offers outpatient mental health therapy and substance use disorder outpatient counseling. This planning project will help BUIHWC establish policies and procedures for adding MAT to their service line. Partners include Rimrock Foundation, Riverstone Health, St. Vincent, Billings Clinic, Indian Health Services Area Office, and the surrounding reservation communities. Grant funding will serve as a catalyst revenue source to initiate the project while NADC continues to leverage third-party pay sources and other sustainable funding opportunities. Ultimately, BUIHWC aims to provide American Indian people with comprehensive, collaborative, and coordinated care to address the opioid use crisis in the Billings community.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

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

Integrated and Sustainable School-Based Health Care in Bighorn County

Bighorn Valley Health Center (BVHC) will begin providing school-based health services in the Hardin High School, Crow Agency Public School, and the Wyola School District. School-based health services – delivered through a combination of in-person and virtual visits – will be available for students, school staff, and the surrounding community. Grant funds will support salaries for project management and partnership liaison staff. The project’s goal is to bring needed health services to rural and frontier communities in the southcentral region of the state.

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

24 month

2020

Implementing a Medical Legal Partnership at Partnership Health Center

This planning grant funded the development of a new medical-legal partnership (MLP) at Partnership Health Center (PHC). The MLP model integrates the expertise of legal professionals into clinical settings to help health care providers address structural problems at the root of many health inequities. Grant funds were used to hire a part-time MLP program coordinator who helped create the internal workflows, training programs, and processes needed for screening patients for health-harming legal needs, referring patients to MLP services, notetaking regarding patient interactions, data tracking of patient information, and referring patients to the network of pro bono attorneys. The program coordinator established a community advisory board that included the Office of the Public Defender, Montana Legal Service Association, HomeWord, University of Montana's law school, and other community partners. The coordinator also hosted several virtual town halls that covered topics such as eviction law and renting requirements. A total of 91 patients have been referred to the MLP through behavioral health, social work, and other service providers. Of those referrals, 76 have completed the screening process, and 72 have screened as having a health-harming legal need. PHC plans to sustain the position of the MLP coordinator and is working to secure funding to expand legal access to allow for increased patient access.

Grant Amount

$24,000

Term

12 month

2020

Improving Health Through Cross-Sector Collaborations

This project will continue MHCF’s collaboration with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to strengthen local and tribal public health throughout the state. Since 2014, MHCF and DPHHS have worked together by providing small grants and technical support to train boards of health and support community health assessments, health improvement plans, strategic plans, and implementation projects in counties and tribes throughout Montana. This new project will build on that work with four new aims. First, it will reach, engage, and build the capacity of the health departments that the Public Health System Improvement Office has not engaged to date. Second, it will continue providing mini grants and technical support for public health planning and implementation projects, but with a new emphasis on sustainability and business planning. Third, it will support cross-jurisdictional planning processes and the sharing of public health services across counties at the request of local jurisdictions. And, finally, it will improve the engagement of local boards of health and public health governance. The project will also include a new emphasis on developing cross-sector collaborations with hospitals and other partners, which will contribute to more sustainable public health services. The grant funding will be used to provide direct grant money to local and tribal health departments, provide funding for travel for direct technical assistance, and provide funding for travel for the local board of health members and the lead local to the National Association of Local Boards of Health. Also, a portion of the funds, will be used to support Communities that Care, again with a focus on supporting local and tribal health department participation. If needed, part of the budget will be used to hire consultants to work directly on issues such as business planning and cross-jurisdictional services.

Grant Amount

$475,500

Term

24 month

2020

Carbon County Area Ride & Transit: A Planning Proposal to Address Rural Isolation & Mobility Needs

The Red Lodge Area Community Foundation (RLACF) designed and completed the initial implementation of the Carbon County Area Ride and Transit (CART). The project's goal was to help aging and at-risk residents access transportation to their medical appointments, health facilities, grocery stores, and social events, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes. Working closely with the local Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), RLACF collected data and gathered feedback to determine geographic routes and operation times to ensure the project met the community's needs. CART developed marketing, outreach, and sustainability plans; completed MOUs between TAC and local stakeholders, including three health care providers; developed a relationship with the Montana Department of Transportation; and hired qualified staff and engaged with a consultant. While the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges, the project was able to hold meetings virtually and even began providing much-needed transportation for residents who wanted COVID-19 vaccinations. CART secured $60,000 from the Montana Department of Transportation and $5,000 annually from Hub Insurance. RLACF's sustainability plan for the next three years includes city and county government financial support, events, business partnerships, grants, and reimbursements.

Grant Amount

$24,853

Term

12 month

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

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

Priorities

Years

Regions

Tribes

388 results

Carbon County Area Ride & Transit: Addressing Rural Isolation & Mobility Needs

Grant Amount

$99,905

Term

36 month

2021

Substance Abuse CONNECT Crisis Diversion Project

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

Staff Training and Support

Grant Amount

$9,950

Term

12 month

2021

Flathead Indian Reservation Housing Needs Assessment and Homelessness Study

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Ravalli County School Wellness Program

Grant Amount

$263,273

Term

24 month

2021

Kennedy Elementary School-Based Clinic

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2021

Emergency Medical Response in Jefferson County: Feasibility Study and Planning

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Helena Regional Housing is Health Care Initiative Implementation

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

MSCA Website Establishment

Grant Amount

$3,950

Term

12 month

2021

Clinical Supervision for Integrated Behavioral Health Quality and Sustainability

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

Billings Permanent Supportive Housing Implementation

Grant Amount

$98,400

Term

24 month

2021

Development and Implementation of the Montana Prevention Certification Board

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Beaverhead County Crisis Response Task Force

Grant Amount

$49,428