Center for Mental Health

Integrating Medical Care Into A Mental Health Facility

This planning grant supported early work to integrate physical and behavioral health services in Lewis and Clark County’s mental health center, crisis center, and community health center. The applicant and partners participated in technical assistance, webinars, and learning communities led by the National Council for Behavioral Health. The project strengthened partnerships and provided clarity and direction for how each partner could work toward more effectively integrated services in the future. The project did not fully realize its aim of integrating services, however, program partners were successful in utilizing a shared referral software system.

Grant Amount

$10,150

Term

24 month

2015

Center for Mental Health

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

Center for Restorative Youth Justice

Reducing School-Based Arrests for Youth with Behavioral Health Needs

In partnership with Kalispell Public Schools, the Center for Restorative Youth Justice (CRYJ) worked to develop and implement an alternative model for out of school suspensions based on a trauma-informed and restorative approach. The approach focuses on constructive, supportive ways to addressing discipline, with the goal of limiting the transfer and over-representation of youth with school-based non-violent offenses and behavioral health needs in the juvenile justice system. The data reported that 32 youth were referred to the program resulting in 160 less days of off-campus suspension, increased school engagement and less recidivism suggests that this approach to addressing school discipline improves student outcomes and creates opportunities for increased connection for students who are at-risk of entering the juvenile justice system. The project successfully launched an alternative to off-campus suspension and justice system referrals and engaged in long-term planning and technical support for the school board and committees. This project was pivotal in creating a foundation for future development and revisions to disciplinary guidelines across the Kalispell Public School District. The school district has committed their own funds to training teachers and administrators in the use of restorative justice and restorative practices as alternatives to sanctions-based discipline before the upcoming school year and have committed to a full revision of disciplinary guidelines.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

24 month

2017

Center Pole

Oosha Itchik/Healthy Food Systems

Through this grant, Center Pole successfully created a model for community-based food sovereignty and a traditional and healthy foods hub. They trained youth through community internships in food sovereignty, exposed hundreds of community members to growing and eating natural foods, completed a community food assessment survey, and used the survey findings to further development of the healthy foods hub. Center Pole was chosen as one of eight “changemaker” organizations in the Pacific Northwest by Philanthropy Northwest, and Center Pole’s Executive Director Peggy Wellknown Buffalo received an award for long-term excellence working in Indian Country from the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2016

Center Pole

Using All Parts of the Buffalo: Better Reservation Health through Food Rescue and Recovery

Center Pole will collect fresh foods from Billings that are near expiration and distribute them to the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations. This collection and distribution will be done through a system created and implemented by the Center Pole’s community food interns. Funding will be used to pay the food interns and for transportation costs and storage as well as for Center Pole’s traditional food production. Partners for this project include Crow Abundance is Here, a local community collaboration whose member organizations include the National Center for Appropriate Technology, Plenty Doors, Messengers for Health, Crow Tribal Health, Little Big Horn College, the USDA, AmeriCorps, and Food Corps Montana. Other partners include the Crow and Northern Cheyenne elders and Billings Family Service. The goal of this project is to assist the Crow and Northern Cheyenne in healing themselves through food and creating a healthy sustainable food economy that is culturally relevant, reflects traditional values of reciprocity, self-sufficiency, team work, sharing, and zero waste and leads to better health and longer lives.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2019

Child Bridge, Inc.

Finding a Way Home: Improving Behavioral Health in Foster Children by Achieving Permanency

Through this project, Child Bridge worked to improve placement outcomes for children who have experienced trauma and require well-equipped families for permanency placements. Through education and mentoring, Child Bridge educated families on types of common behaviors and helped them build support networks. Mentoring and support was provided to families throughout placement and adoption. Child Bridge was able to establish permanency arrangements for 16 children, many of whom had spent months or years in state custody and experienced multiple foster care and group home placements. While measuring the exact cost savings the project achieved for the state is difficult, a conservative estimate suggested that this project saved the state more than $500,000 for each child placed. Child Bridge will continue to work with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Department of Child and Family Services and have become a resource for social workers who are trying to identify families for child placement. While Child Bridge has not secured permanent funding for the services they provide, through this project they were able to establish cost saving estimates that provide a basis for negotiations with the state.

Grant Amount

$75,000

2017

Clark Fork Valley Hospital

Sanders County Behavioral and Medical Health Delivery Integration

This enhancement grant worked to develop a sustainable integrated behavioral health model at Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH). CFVH had been providing co-located behavioral health services for several years, however, prior to this project, they did not have a clinically or financially viable model. Over the course of the grant, CFVH developed universal screening for patients and made a commitment to start substance use disorder and anxiety screening in the summer of 2019, with two providers obtaining their waivers for medication assisted treatment. Through this project, CFHV revamped their workflows, care pathways, and billing and coding for integrated care. CFHV successfully doubled the number of behavioral health visits as part of the redesign and were able to develop a financially sustainable model. CFVH has also taken the first steps to formalize care coordination as part of its integrated behavioral health model. CFHV will pursue additional steps to solidify care coordination, population health, and substance use disorder services in the coming year.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2017

Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana

Kalispell Collaborative Housing Initiative

This planning project will assess the Kalispell community’s costs for individuals who are identified as high risk or high need to eventually reduce costs and increase access to services by streamlining community intervention efforts. The project will use a “frequent user system engagement” (FUSE) framework that identifies individuals who are homeless and have complex medical needs and aligns housing, health care, and social service resources to provide permanent supportive housing. The project will incorporate local coalition work and partnerships to create a solid foundation of collaboration and infrastructure. Funding will be used to support local coordination and project management and a technical assistance contract with the Corporation with Supportive Housing. Partnerships include Kalispell Regional Medical Center, social service providers, and county and city officials. The overarching goal of this project is to streamline supportive services and use the collected data as a tool to support the creation of supportive housing for those in need. 

Grant Amount

$40,000

Term

12 month

2019

Community Health Partners

Park County Connect Program: A Community-Based Model to Reduce ER High-Utilization.

High utilizers of the emergency department drive up costs unnecessarily and are not entering the healthcare system at an access point that is prepared to address their underlying needs. To improve care and health outcomes while lowering unnecessary costs to the health care system, Community Health Partners, the Park County Health Department, Livingston Mental Health Center, and Livingston HealthCare partnered to create the Park County Connect Program. Grant funding supported a social worker, housed in the health department, who designed and implemented a community-based outreach program for people while frequent the emergency department on a regular basis. This pilot project successfully established relationships between the partnering agencies and facilitated the connection of emergency department high utilizers with primary care providers. The program continues to expand care coordination to other community agencies and hopes to eventually build a more comprehensive care coordination and data sharing platform into the community.

Grant Amount

$93,000

Term

24 month

2015

Community Health Partners

Promotoras de Salud: Bridging Latino Health Disparities

This project’s goal was to develop a program to reach the growing and isolated members of the Latino communities in Belgrade and West Yellowstone with education on basic health care and disease prevention. The program trained six individuals to be “promotoras,” or “promoters of health.” Promotoras received basic training in nutrition, diabetes management and prevention, and STI prevention which they then shared with their friends and community members in informal settings. The project’s success in reaching and engaging the Latino community led the Gallatin City-County Health Department to move the program’s operations in-house thereby ensuring its sustainability. 

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

24 month

2015

Community Health Partners

Bozeman School-Based Health Center

This project will allow Community Health Partners (CHP) to establish the first school-based health center in Bozeman. As part of this project, CHP will establish a school-based health center at Bozeman High School. The project establishes a new partnership between CHP, Intermountain (behavioral health provider), and the Bozeman School District. The project will use funds to employ a behavioral health provider at the high school and allow key health and school personnel to participate in the project and integrate the project into existing systems. Additional school-based health services will be added as the specific needs are determined throughout the project. The project has targeted up to 200 youth in need of support and includes students in the alternative high school program as part of the service population. Bozeman School District already utilizes a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to address social and emotional needs for youth, which is critical to the project’s success. The school anticipates this program improving health outcomes, attendance, decreasing disciplinary events, and increasing overall school success.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2019

Community Health Partners

School Wellness with Community Health Partners and Belgrade School District

Community Health Partners (CHP) will establish the first school-based health center in Belgrade at the Belgrade Middle School and a new partnership with the Belgrade School District. The project will bring a nurse practitioner and a medical assistant from CHP into the school to provide regular, weekly clinic hours in a remodeled classroom space. This opportunity will give students and families access to health care services like vaccinations, sports physicals, concussion management, and other athletic injury follow-ups. Health services, like behavioral health and dental, will be included as specific needs are determined throughout the project. As part of this grant, the school will assess and consider updates to school policies and practices to reduce out-of-school suspensions and truancy and increase student engagement. Funding will be used to employ the new school-based health center staff. The project aims to improve student health outcomes and attendance, decrease disciplinary events, and increase overall school success.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2019

Community Hospital of Anaconda

Integrating Behavioral Health at Community Hospital of Anaconda

This planning grant with Community Hospital of Anaconda (CHA) solidified organization support, understanding, and commitment to integrated behavioral health implementation. CHA also successfully standardized screening for depression for all their patients and developed care pathways for depression treatment. Depression screening went from 0% at the start of the project to 40% by the end, with a commitment to fully systematize screening for depression. They began developing an understanding of substance use disorder screening and treatment which they plan to begin when they implement their integrated system. CHA has organizational commitment to fully implement integrated behavioral health in the primary care and perinatal programs and will be invited to apply for implementation grants through these MHCF initiatives.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2017

Community Hospital of Anaconda

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

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

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

Community Medical Center

A Collaborative Approach to Improving Screening and Treatment for Perinatal Drug Use in Missoula

For this project, Community Medical Center (CMC) will work to improve the quality of care for pregnant women and infants affected by substance use disorders in Missoula County. In collaboration with Partnership Health Center, Saint Patrick’s Hospital, and community groups serving pregnant women, this project’s goal is to reduce the stigma that prevents many women with substance use disorders from seeking help. As a part of the project, obstetric offices will standardize screening and care for women with substance use disorders and partner with community organizations to provide referrals to addiction support services. As a part of the project, CMC’s mother-baby unit will institute a program to engage parents as partners in the treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome after birth. This approach will train parents to use evidence-based, non-pharmacologic methods to soothe withdrawal symptoms in babies. The goal of this approach is to improve mother-infant bonding, strengthen families, decrease pharmacologic treatment and long hospital stays, and decrease foster care placements in Missoula County. Grant funds will be used for personnel expenses, staff training, and communications and marketing materials.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2018

CSKT Tribal Health Department

Understanding and Utilization of Health Care Resources on the Flathead Indian Reservation

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal (CSKT) Health Department accomplished all objectives for this project. Through public law 638 they assumed the Indian Health Service budget for purchased and referred care and now manage the entirety of this program for the tribe. The grant funding allowed the CSKT Health Department to provide Medicaid and insurance outreach and enrollment services to clients of the Flathead reservations. Seven outreach events were held throughout the course of the project and enrollment in Medicaid and private insurance, employee plans, and marketplace plans continuously increased. Finally, CSKT trained providers and patients on the new coverage approach and on how to effectively use health care coverage.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2015

CSKT Tribal Health Department

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Integrated Behavioral Health Program

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

Grant Amount

$35,000

Term

12 month

2016

Daniels County Health Department

Improving Behavorial Health Awareness in Daniels County

This project’s goal was to help the community gain a better understanding of available behavioral health resources and for the Daniels Memorial Health Center to develop a plan to begin integrating behavioral health services into their primary care. The project engaged a diverse coalition of community stakeholders and held several training sessions on the behavioral health resources available in the community and on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of crisis situations. The coalition also developed a resource guide of local behavioral health services which was made available in print and online. The Daniels Memorial Health Center also succeeded in developing a business plan for integrating behavioral health into their primary care services and began routinely screening patients for depression. Health center leadership expressed their commitment to continue working towards integrating behavioral health throughout their health system.

Grant Amount

$35,000

2016

Daniels Memorial Healthcare Center

Developing Regional Behavorial Healthcare Services Using Primary Care Resources

This project was intended to plan for integrating behavioral health services throughout Daniel’s Memorial Healthcare Center’s hospital system. Grant funds were used to assist in planning and developing the scope of service for a self-sustainable clinic model in the rural region they serve (which includes the frontier Scoby community in Eastern Montana). The health center was able to successfully establish standard screening protocols for depression. However, as a result of the planning that took place, the focus of the project shifted, and Daniels Memorial decided to participate in an affiliate grant with Billings Clinic that will assist them in connecting to broader network of hospitals and integrated behavioral health work throughout the region. The Daniels Memorial Healthcare Center’s leadership is committed to implementing integrated behavioral health as part of Billings Clinic network.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2017

Eagle Shield Center

The Blackfeet Community Hospice Project

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

Grant Amount

$26,262

Term

12 month

2017

Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center

Peer Support: Addressing Behavioral Health Crisis and Jail Diversion Needs

The Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center worked to develop peer support services – with a focus on crisis prevention – in three eastern Montana communities: Plentywood, Glasgow, and Glendive. The Plentywood and Glasgow projects experienced some staff turnover, which kept them from being fully implemented by the end of the grant. However, the Glendive project was able to hire their peer support staff and successfully implement the program. This project served 67 people and provided over 500 peer support services. The peer supporters were able to divert 99% of the people they worked with from higher levels of behavioral health care. The communities where this work took place now have strong peer support teams and a commitment to using this model in the future with plans to expand to other eastern Montana communities.

Grant Amount

$74,916

Term

24 month

2017

Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center

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

Emmas House - Bitterroot Valley Children's Advocacy Center, Inc.

Emma’s House Trauma Treatment Center -Expansion of Billable Services

This project will assist Emma's House, a Children's Advocacy Center located in Hamilton, explore opportunities to expand billable services. Funding will be used to work withthe consultant for this project (Aune Associates) and to contract with a project coordinator to help carry out the on-the-ground job duties necessary for this project to be successful. Emma's House has developed strong partnerships in Ravalli County with law enforcement, comprehensive school and community therapy (CSCT) counselors in the public schools, the local hospital, and mental health center.Through this project,Emma's House hopes to strengthen those relationships and explore additional partnerships and agreements that will result in stable revenue generation for the organization. The goal of this project is to create a reliable source of revenue so Emma's House canrely less on grants and donations andto create a business plan to expand services to the children and families they serve.  

Grant Amount

$15,000

Term

12 month

2019

EmpowerMT

Strategic Planning to Expand Youth Development to Rural & Tribal Communities in Montana

EmpowerMT will build youth leadership and promote trauma-informed, culturally relevant after school programs for middle and high school youth. They will do this by evaluating the outcomes of their current programs and completing a strategic planning process for expanding services to better meet the needs of rural and tribal schools in northwestern Montana. EmpowerMT’s current program promotes positive social-emotional learning (SEL) outcomes to support behavioral health in the youth they serve. Funding will be used to contract for program evaluation services and staff time to carry out the evaluation and strategic planning processes. Staff will also identify and evaluate SEL curriculums that have been shown to improve behavioral health outcomes in middle school and high school youth. EmpowerMT currently partners with schools in Missoula, Ronan, and Whitefish and will expand partnerships with schools in Thompson Falls and Hot Springs, as well as other schools in northwestern Montana. They will also work with the University of Montana, the Salish Kootenai Tribal College, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Education Department, and local Indian education for all parent advisory boards. The overall goal of this project is to evaluate and improve EmpowerMT’s SEL programs and services to better serve rural and tribal schools and improve the behavioral health outcomes of youth.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2019

Families First Learning Lab

Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe Family Education Services

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

Grant Amount

$26,118

Term

12 month

2019

Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana

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

The Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana will create a curriculum to train family medicine residents in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to identify and provide effective initial treatment for people with undiagnosed substance use disorders. The University of Montana runs the residency program and residents do rotations at the Partnership Family Health Center. The curriculum will be used by addiction medicine faculty to train future cohorts of family practice residents. Funding will be used to train three family medicine residency faculty members and Partnership Health Center’s newly hired Director of Behavioral Health in the SBIRT model. In turn, these faculty will oversee SBIRT training for residents. Overall, the project is intended to provide residents with skills that will enable them to better address substance use disorders with confidence and competence.

Grant Amount

$14,961

Term

12 month

2019

Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana

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

Fast Blackfeet

Sustaining Food Security with MNT Service Delivery

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

Grant Amount

$19,250

Term

12 month

2021

Flathead City-County Health Department

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

Flathead City-County Health Department

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

Flathead City-County Health Department

Developing a Comprehensive Plan to Transform Behavioral Health and the Criminal Justice System

Many individuals with behavioral health disorders find themselves involved in criminal justice due to barriers to adequate treatment and support. This project will identify resources in the Flathead community to support individuals who are unnecessarily involved in the criminal justice system due to a behavioral health disorder. Through the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) mapping process, the Flathead County Health Department will identify current gaps in service and develop a community plan to improve outcomes. SIM will be utilized to organize behavioral health services to better meet the needs of individuals with behavioral health disorders who are involved in the criminal justice system. Through this project, the community will identify where crisis diversion activities can be developed or enhanced to meet treatment needs and assist with reentry from the justice system or inpatient setting back into the community. The grantee will include a team of stakeholders in this process that includes community experts in mental health, substance use, law enforcement, criminal justice, housing, health, tribal, social services, and individuals directly impacted by behavioral health disorders in Flathead County.

Grant Amount

$47,565

Term

24 month

2018

Flathead Community Health Center

School Based Health Centers

The Flathead Community Health Center (FCHC) will establish school-based health centers in multiple schools throughout Flathead County. Licensed behavioral health clinicians will be placed in Rankin Elementary, Elrod Elementary, Linderman Alternative Center, East Evergreen Elementary, Evergreen Junior High, Bigfork Middle School, and Bigfork High School. Additionally, FCHC will place primary medical services in Linderman Alternative Center and East Evergreen Elementary. Additional clinical services will be added as the specific needs are determined for schools throughout the project. Funding will contribute to salary support for three new behavioral health providers and a primary care provider, as well as software and project oversight. The project establishes new partnerships among FCHC, Intermountain (a behavioral health provider), and the Flathead, Bigfork, and Evergreen school districts. Also, as a part of this grant, the school will assess and consider updates to school policies and practices to reduce out-of-school suspensions and truancy and increase student engagement. The project’s goal is to improve student health outcomes and attendance, decrease disciplinary events, and increase overall school success.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2019

Flathead Community Health Center

FCHC/Intermountain Integrated Behavioral Health Collaboration

For this project, Flathead Community Health Center received technical assistance and training from the National Council for Behavioral Health so that they could enhance their integrated behavioral health model and explore a partnership with Intermountain. The health center succeeded in refining their structure and protocol for defining when to treat, when to consult, and when to refer individuals for specialty behavioral health services. They also standardized their depression screening tool, developed protocols for a scope of care and referral, and purchased an EHR module for screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT). The successful collaboration between the health center and Intermountain can be used as a model for further integration efforts across the community.

Grant Amount

$35,000

Term

12 month

2016

Flathead Community Health Center

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

Florence Crittenton Home & Services

Substance Use Treatment for Pregnant and Parenting Women

This project allowed the grantee to plan and implement outpatient substance abuse services for Florence Crittenton’s clientele, and to explore residential treatment options for pregnant and parenting women and their children. Florence Crittenton received licensing as a Level 3.3 Recovery Home for Women and Children ages 18 to 35 and became a state approved provider for outpatient substance use disorder services for families of all ages. They also applied for and received a mental health center license, allowing them to provide services for co-occurring disorders. Finally, they developed a process for documenting and billing for services provided which will ensure the long-term financial viability of these new programs.

Grant Amount

$75,000

2017

Fort Belknap Tribal Health

Centralized Billing Capacity Building Project

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

Grant Amount

$65,000

Term

24 month

2017

Fort Belknap Tribal Health

Diabetes Care Clinic

This project will expand Fort Belknap’s current diabetes program by establishing a Diabetes Care Clinic to provide consistent, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate primary care to patients diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes. The project will also create an independent, tribally-run health board to administer the clinic and provide a stable governing body to oversee its functions. Grant funding will be used to contract with a health system administrator to assist in developing the tribal health board and oversee the Diabetes Care Clinic and its supportive components. Partners include the Indian Health Service, and the Fort Belknap Tribal Health and Centralized Billing Departments.

Grant Amount

$90,000

Term

24 month

2017

Fort Belknap Tribes

Fort Belknap Indian Community Dialysis Center Feasibility Study and Business Plan

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

Grant Amount

$29,425

Term

12 month

2019

Fort Belknap Tribes

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

Fort Peck Tribal Health Department

Third Party Billing Project

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

Grant Amount

$149,572

Term

24 month

2018

Fort Peck Tribal Health Department

Fort Peck Needle Exchange Program

This project revived the Needle Exchange Program that operated on the Fort Peck Reservation from the summer of 2009 to January 2012 and expanded it to provide injection drug users with clean needles, education, sharps containers for safe disposal of needles, and referrals to addictions counseling if needed. As one of the first and only needle exchange programs operated in a rural reservation in the US, Fort Peck’s employed a unique and successful protocol. The project’s main goal is to reduce the transmission of blood-borne illnesses such as hepatitis C and HIV. This program successfully now serves more than 200 clients on the Fort Peck Reservation and will be sustained indefinitely through a HRSA grant.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2015

Fort Peck Tribal Health Department

Rapid HIV and HCV Testing Services

This project expanded Fort Peck’s current needle exchange program to provide testing services for HIV and hepatitis C (HCV). With 446 cases of HCV between 2011 and 2015, the HCV rates on Fort Peck are among the highest in the state and six times the national rate. HIV screenings were successfully provided at an annual community-wide screening (which was also available to non-Native community members), and the adult and juvenile correction facilities. In addition to providing screenings for injection drug users in the community, the project also successfully facilitated new collaborations with county and state health agencies including the tribal corrections facilities, the Roosevelt County Health Department, and Indian Health Services.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2016

Fort Peck Tribes - Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center

Fort Peck Substance Abuse Inpatient Treatment Center Development Project

For this project, the Fort Peck Tribes developed business and strategic plans along with a detailed cost analysis to guide the establishment of a new inpatient chemical dependency treatment center to compliment Spotted Bull Recovery Center’s current outpatient facility on the Fort Peck Reservation. When built, the center will be able to provide inpatient treatment services to Native American patients from the Fort Peck region as well as non-Native patients and will eventually expand to include other tribes throughout the state. This planning project was successfully completed through a partnership that included the tribal action plan committee, the tribal executive board, the tribal health department, tribal courts, and the law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction on the reservation. The completed plans provided the Fort Peck Executive Committee with enough information to approve the next phase of the project.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2016

Fort Peck Tribes - Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center

Tatanka Gdes’ka Capacity Building Project

This project will establish and begin operation of a methamphetamine in-patient treatment center on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The project has three main components. It will: build the capacity of Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center to conduct third-party billing and generate continuous revenue to fund operations; support the upgrade of current substance use disorder infrastructure to meet in-patient treatment standards; and prioritize and implement integrated behavioral health principles and programming to ensure a strong inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. This will provide a continuity of care for patients and ensure that those with medical and mental illnesses complicating a methamphetamine addiction are able to receive comprehensive, effective treatment. Once up and running the facility will have the capacity to treat patients from northeastern Montana and potentially from other tribes.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2017

Fort Peck Tribes Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program

Staff Recruitment and Telemedicine Systems Project

This project’s goal was to develop long-term, innovative solutions to the critical shortage of health providers on the Fort Peck Reservation. The project successfully developed formal agreements with Yale Children’s Psychiatric Center and Harvard to provided behavioral health services using telemedicine, and the MSU-Bozeman School of Nursing to send students as part of their curriculum to assist in school-based health centers. Recruiting relationships for health care professionals were also strengthened with Yale, Harvard, UM and Wala Wala. With the help of more effective recruitment and retention methods, Fort Peck HPDP is better equipped to bring quality health care to their community.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

24 month

2015

Fort Peck Tribes Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program

The 23rd IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion

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

Grant Amount

$15,500

Term

12 month

2019

Friendship House of Christian Service

Capacity Building Assessment for Sustainable Youth Counseling

This project’s goal was to help Friendship House develop the operational capacity for providing trauma-informed counseling to youth struggling with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), in hopes of preventing youth from adopting high-risk behaviors. Aune Associates Consulting provided an operational and market assessment, revenues and project projection, policy and procedures manual, necessary legal forms and paperwork, connection with third-party billing services, and training to implement the plan. Despite initial hiring delays, Friendship House is now successfully operating a fully functional and sustainable counseling program for children and families in South Billings.

Grant Amount

$10,000

Term

12 month

2017

Friendship House of Christian Service

Transforming South Billings Youth and Families by Addressing Community Counseling Needs

Friendship House expanded its services and began providing behavioral health counseling to young people in low-income neighborhoods in Billings. With technical assistance from Aune Associates, they recruited a student counselor, hired her once she became licensed, and began billing for her services. With the licensed counselor in place, Friendship House was able to invoice insurance providers and began generating income. Because of the success of the project, Friendship House plans to replicate this process and bring on additional counselors to meet the behavioral health needs of their community.

Grant Amount

$40,000

Term

12 month

2018