Human Resource Development Council of District IX, Inc. 2021

HRDC Rural Housing Planning Grant: Home Rehabilitation

The Human Resource Development Council of District IX (HRDC), which serves southwest Montana with community assistance programs, used this grant to build pathways for low-income homeowners to remain stably housed in a healthy, safe environment. This project focused on developing home rehabilitation programming, planning for new housing needs, and partnership building in HRDC’s rural service area, including Park County, Meagher County, and the town of West Yellowstone. In Meagher County, HRDC presented the results of its 2021 Meagher County Housing Needs Assessment to the county commission and community partners. This new resource will guide potential partners as they explore the development of quality, affordable housing. In West Yellowstone, HRDC staff and the school board are transferring property and development plans previously owned by HRDC to the local school district to provide quality rental housing for teachers in the community. In Park County, HRDC worked to expand community engagement around the Park County Housing Action Plan and to grow the Park County Housing Coalition (PCHC), including developing a community investment fund, working with local employers to house the local workforce, and providing continued community education. HRDC staff prepared and will submit a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Rural Rehabilitation application in partnership with Park County to get state funding to complete safety upgrades for households unable to afford such improvements.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Human Resource Development Council of District IX, Inc. 2021

Tracking and Evaluation of Outcomes for Residents Housed Through Coordinated Entry

The Human Resource Development Council of District IX, Inc. (HRDC) leads the Bozeman community’s coordinated entry, homeless shelter, and Housing First Village, in addition to providing many essential services to families with low incomes. To better understand how the system is currently used and identify housing and service gaps in the community for the housing insecure population, HRDC will develop a database to track housing vouchers and service utilization. Creating a database and information system will allow HRDC to gather data from housing and service providers. It will also help providers coordinate care and resources for recently housed individuals to ensure they remain stably housed. Funding will support technical assistance to develop the data platform, staff project coordination, and database maintenance. Partners for this project include agencies in Bozeman that currently serve the homeless population, including Community Health Partners, Bozeman Health, faith-based organizations, and other community service providers.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2021

Jefferson Valley EMS & Rescue 2021

Jefferson Valley Community Integrated Health Launch

Jefferson Valley EMS & Rescue (JVEMSR) will begin offering community integrated health (CIH) services – often also referred to as "community paramedicine" – for residents of the Jefferson Valley. CIH can fill the health care gaps in care between hospital and emergency visits, home health, and hospice care. Jefferson Valley CIH will provide scheduled health care in people's homes, community gathering areas, walk-in hours in Whitehall, and at events such as mobile vaccine clinics. It will also be available to provide transportation to and from medical appointments and hospital stays. JVEMSR will create a steering committee for the project and will partner with multiple care providers in their area, including Saint James Healthcare, Whitehall Medical Clinic, and Mercury Street Medical Clinic for referrals. Funding will support the project director and CIH care technicians.

Grant Amount

$99,956

Term

24 month

2021

Lincoln County Library Foundation 2021

Troy Library and Opportunity Center Planning Grant

The Lincoln County Library is partnering with the community of Troy to transform the Library into a new Troy Library and Opportunity Center (TLOC). This grant was used to support the initial visioning and development of the center, which will provide improved access to services and resources for people in rural communities who are struggling with substance abuse, lack of human connectivity, poverty, and mental health issues. The planning team, which grew to 19 community agencies over the course of the grant, utilized a variety of methods to gather community feedback, including surveys, meetings, canvassing, and visioning sessions. Lincoln County Library has begun developing an operations plan, and a standard operating procedures document will be formalized as soon as the building design phase is underway. The partners are also working on a sustainability plan that addresses both capital and program needs, which will be revisited as the building and facilities are further developed. Five of the partner agencies have committed to providing support for the project. Some organizations have already begun offering services in the existing building, which has led to an expansion of community programs and services in Troy that are improving the quality of life for families and expanding healthy opportunities.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana 2021

Strategic Planning for Little Shell Tribal Departments

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

Grant Amount

$196,542

Term

24 month

2021

Madison Valley Hospital Association 2021

Integrated Behavioral Health

Madison Valley Medical Center in Ennis used this grant to integrate behavioral health into its primary care services. Building upon a successful integrated behavioral health (IBH) planning grant that was driven by the local advisory council on mental health, this project aimed to provide early identification and more effective treatment of depression and substance use disorders, increase revenue from integrated care, and reduce emergency room visits related to behavioral health conditions. The Madison Valley team received technical assistance from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the Montana Healthcare Foundation. The team was able to recruit a therapist, educate staff about IBH, establish consistent screening protocols, and track behavioral screenings and referrals. Having to input, track, and report data manually posed a challenge, but the team is working to build a new electronic medical record system with more data capabilities. The Madison Valley team will continue its IBH journey through a consolidation grant and will work with the Montana Healthcare Foundation’s IBH technical assistance team.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2021

Messengers for Health 2021

Indigenous Evaluation and Dissemination of the Báa Nnilah Project

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

Grant Amount

$99,695

Term

24 month

2021

Mission West Community Development Partners 2021

Local Food for Local Families: Montana SNAP Food Box Pilot Project

The Local Food for Local Families: Montana SNAP Food Box Pilot Project will provide fresh, high-quality food items from Montana producers and processors to families with low incomes in Western Montana. The Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center (MMFEC) will partner with the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition and its Double SNAP Dollars Network to launch a pilot project that explores the sustainability of a long-term food box program using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and Double SNAP Dollars. This incentive allows Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to double their benefit dollars for fresh fruits and vegetables. The program will provide boxes of local, fresh foods sourced from the Western Montana Growers Cooperative to food access sites in the Mission Valley, Flathead Indian Reservation, and Missoula's American Indian urban population through the All Nations Health Center. Individuals and families will use their SNAP benefits to purchase weekly food boxes, and the Double SNAP Dollars incentive will subsidize the cost. MMFEC will also develop and coordinate a new statewide partnership: Local Food for Local Families. This partnership will provide support and collaboration opportunities for increasing local and healthy food access for all Montanans and Tribal communities. Grant funding will support project coordination, free food boxes for two distribution sites to generate future interest, marketing, outreach, and project evaluation.

Grant Amount

$99,745

Term

24 month

2021

Montana Free Press 2021

Health From More Angles: Intersectional Health Care Reporting and Analysis for Montana Communities

This grant supported Montana Free Press to report on health care issues impacting Montanans. Reporting covered a range of issues, including youth homelessness, rural emergency care shortages, the impact of climate change on mental health, COVID-19 testing availability at the height of the pandemic, and a range of other topics. In all, the grant supported 54 health-specific stories, which were republished in 109 print news outlets and 51 digital news outlets. Stories were provided to news outlets free of charge. The depth and variety of news organizations republishing the reporting demonstrated the demand for health journalism that informs and educates Montanans on public health issues. The quality of journalism produced was notable: did not go unnoticed and received awards from the Montana Newspaper Association. The health journalism produced through this project helped the Montana Free Press build relationships with and receive funding from other organizations that fund health journalism.

Grant Amount

$39,870

Term

12 month

2021

Montana Health Network Health Inc. 2021

Eastern Montana Integrated Behavioral Health Project

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

Grant Amount

$279,722

Term

36 month

2021

Montana Public Health Institute 2021

Unlocking the Public Health System’s Potential to Improve Behavioral Health in Montana – An Environmental Scan

This project will help unlock the potential of Montana's public health system to promote mental wellness, resilience, and protective factors that are critical to improving the health and quality of life of Montanans and preventing adverse outcomes such a mental health crisis, incarceration, abuse or neglect, and self-harm. The project will produce three related reports to guide public health efforts in this area. The Montana Public Health Institute (MTPHI) will carry out an environmental scan to understand how health departments around the country address behavioral health and identify effective programs that Montana health departments could implement. MTHPI will also produce a guide to these interventions for training local health department staff and a brief for state stakeholders summarizing key findings and recommendations. Together these reports will help guide efforts by local and tribal health departments and partners like the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and institutions of higher education to implement evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions to improve mental wellness at the community level and within existing public health programs, like home visitation and chronic disease prevention services. MTPHI will work with partners, including JG Research & Evaluation in Bozeman, MT, and local and state stakeholders. Grant funds will be used to commission an in-depth research effort and present the results of that work in compelling and relevant ways to public health leaders, stakeholders, and policymakers.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Montana State University Foundation 2021

Climate Change and Human Health in Montana – The Film

The Montana State University Foundation used this grant to create four short films that address the health issues associated with climate change in Montana. The goal was to bring attention to a recently published report titled: "Climate Change and Human Health in Montana: A special report of the Montana Climate Assessment" (C2H2), which was written by a team of medical providers and climate scientists. The filmmaker worked closely with the project team to define the content, storylines, and messaging of the films. The four films include: “Playing With Fire,” which explores the impacts of wildfire smoke on children; “Seven Generations,” about efforts to protect white bark pine and food security in indigenous communities; “Health Impacts of Climate Change,” which outlines the need for health practitioners to understand the impacts of smoke, heat, and flooding on people’s health; and “A Tough Breed,” about how one rancher and a radio station address depression in uncertain economic and climate-induced times. The project developed an outreach plan and a one-page film discussion guide for each short to help ensure the subject matter and critical findings of the report and the films are broadly distributed among key audiences. The project was able to secure additional funding from other sources, including $10,000 from the Greater Montana Foundation and $15,000 from Montana INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) at Montana State University.

Grant Amount

$10,000

Term

12 month

2021

Northern Cheyenne Tribal Board of Health 2021

Northern Cheyenne School Wellness Project

Through this project, the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Board of Health will provide essential mental health and primary care services through a mobile unit and three school-based settings on the Northern Cheyenne Nation. The schools include Northern Cheyenne Head Start, Lame Deer Public Schools, and the Northern Cheyenne Tribal School. The first year of the grant will focus on planning: creating policies and procedures, preparation for on-site care, increasing trauma-informed engagement, measuring school climate, and implementing alternatives to out-of-school discipline policies. The remaining years of the grant will allow for piloting and implementing new health services. Funding will support a project coordinator, community liaison, a mobile clinic, and medical supplies at all three on-site clinic locations. Partners include the three school sites, the Montana State University College of Nursing, and the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

Grant Amount

$274,998

Term

36 months

2021

Northwest Community Health Center 2021

Libby Rural Housing Planning Grant

The Northwest Community Health Center (NWCHC) is a federally qualified health center serving Lincoln County, with sites in Libby and Troy. With this project, NWCHC will assess Lincoln County’s homeless and housing vulnerable populations and develop an action plan for how the community can better address their needs. NWCHC will contract with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to identify individuals who are housing insecure and frequently using community systems. They will also build partnerships with community service providers that can provide tenancy support and care coordination. Funds will support the technical assistance contractor, project management, and convening. Partners include the City of Libby, Lincoln County Health Department, Cabinet Peaks Medical Center, and Community Action Partners.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education 2021

Montana American Indian Post-Baccalaureate Program

The Montana American Indian Post-Baccalaureate Program will provide enrichment, support, and resources for American Indian students planning to enroll in medical school. This planning project will lay the foundation for the program's launch, including establishing curriculum, developing faculty and mentor commitments and relationships with Tribal colleges and communities, and identifying Native student advisors. Funding will support staff to oversee the development of Tribal and academic institutional relationships, faculty recruitment, and curriculum development. This new program is a partnership between the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education and the Montana WWAMI Medical Education Program. Montana WWAMI will administer the statewide program, which will include American Indian students aspiring to medical school anywhere in Montana.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

One Health 2021

Sacred Families Rosebud County

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

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

One Health 2021

Sacred Families Fergus County

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

Grant Amount

$135,200

Term

24 month

2021

One Health 2021

Sacred Families Blaine County

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

Grant Amount

$135,200

Term

24 month

2021

Open Aid Alliance 2021

Uncovery Treatment Center Expansion Project

The Open Aid Alliance (OAA), a state-approved substance use disorder treatment organization serving the greater Missoula community, used this grant to expand and revamp its service delivery model. OAA hired a clinical director, who helped make significant progress over the first year of the project, but that position is currently vacant. Due to a significant increase in the number of unhoused people accessing services, OAA decided to offer open-access chemical dependency evaluations four days a week without requiring appointments. This model better serves participants and has eliminated most no-show appointments. Because ongoing clinical engagement was challenging, OAA adopted a continuous welcome-back cycle so that people can come in and out of care more fluidly. It has also focused on outreach-based services that can be delivered in congregate settings. This grant helped OAA launch the beginning phases of a nurse-led MOUD (medications for opioid use disorder) program, and it is in the process of applying for mental health center status with the state, which will help it expand beyond offering substance use treatment only. OAA increased revenues through its new services, has secured a grant from Missoula County, and is confident that services and activities will be sustained in the future.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2021

Opportunities Inc 2021

Cut Bank Rural Housing Planning Grant

Opportunities, Inc. is located in Great Falls and serves six counties in North Central Montana by building innovative community-based programs. This project will engage local service and housing partners to plan for permanent supportive housing development in Cut Bank. Permanent supportive housing provides affordable housing and supportive services to homeless individuals and who frequently interact with health and other social services. Opportunities, Inc., with support from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, will facilitate meetings with a diverse group of community stakeholders to develop a strategic plan to increase Cut Bank's low-income housing stock. Funding will support a facilitator who will engage partners and formalize the ideas that will contribute to the strategic plan. One of the primary goals of this project is to bring together key stakeholders to participate in the strategic planning process. Glacier County is a committed partner, and the Cut Bank community is committed to addressing its housing issue and reached out to Opportunities, Inc. to lead the project.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Park County 2021

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

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

Grant Amount

$74,790

Term

24 month

2021

Partnership Health Center 2021

Advancing Peer Support

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

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2021

Partnership Health Center 2021

Building a Comprehensive School-Based Behavioral Health System at Lowell Elementary School

Partnership Health Center is a federally qualified health center located in Missoula with two satellite clinics in Seeley Lake and Superior. Through this grant, Partnership Health Center will provide behavioral health services in Lowell Elementary School, bringing a comprehensive support system for students during classroom time and out-of-school programming. Behavioral health services will focus on prevention and wellness, fostering academic success and healthy social-emotional development. A behavioral health professional at the school will provide individual and group psychotherapy, crisis intervention, and training for school staff, support staff, and student caregivers. Funding will support the behavioral health professional's salary. Primary partners include Lowell Elementary, Missoula County Public Schools, and Missoula Parks and Recreation (the on-site, out-of-school program provider).

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2021

Peoples Partners For Community Development 2021

Northern Cheyenne Food Initiatives

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

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Providence Montana Health Foundation 2021

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center’s Journey of Hope

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

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

Providence Montana Health Foundation 2021

Providence Montana IBH Continuation and Specialty Clinic Expansion

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

Grant Amount

$175,000

Term

36 month

2021

Providence Montana Health Foundation 2021

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center IBH Consolidation Grant

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

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

36 month

2021

Red Lodge Area Community Foundation 2021

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

Rimrock Foundation 2021

Substance Abuse CONNECT Crisis Diversion Project

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

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority 2021

Staff Training and Ongoing Technical Assistance and Support

Morning Star Apartments is the Flathead Reservation’s first permanent supportive housing project. A collaboration between the Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority (SKHA), the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and the Tribal Defenders Office, the 14-unit Morning Star Apartments provides stable housing and support services to people who were discharged from jail and would have otherwise been homeless. This grant allowed SKHA to contract with BeauxSimone Consulting to provide training and technical assistance to staff members who are managing the apartments. The consultants traveled from Denver to Missoula to conduct the weeklong onsite training on trauma-informed care, conflict resolution, and developing and maintaining a sustainable and supportive housing site. The consultants assessed the apartment building, identified security issues, and helped develop a plan to address them. They also worked with Morning Star staff on problem-solving, addressing tenant behaviors, and purchasing materials and supplies for residents. Through the training, the manager developed an operations manual. The project was a success in helping Morning Star Apartments improve services for its residents.

Grant Amount

$9,950

Term

12 month

2021

Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority 2021

Flathead Indian Reservation Housing Needs Assessment and Homelessness Study

The Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority (SKHA), which works to provide high-quality affordable housing to the people of the Flathead Reservation, used this grant to facilitate a survey to assess the housing needs in the community, which will then be used to help SKHA plan, finance, and develop housing resources to meet those needs. The project was guided by a newly formed Flathead Housing Coalition (FHC) made up of all the municipalities of the Flathead Reservation. The assessment gathered quantitative and qualitative data using a mixed-method approach involving a household survey, focus groups, community meetings, and interviews with knowledgeable sources. FHC hired a household survey manager; developed branding materials to bring awareness to the project; and contracted with Big Water Consulting to conduct on-site training for the manager and survey field staff. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) also conducted a reservation-specific homeless survey in parallel with the larger needs assessment, which found significant overcrowding, lack of access to affordable housing, and housing rehabilitation needs. This data will be used as a baseline for planning and improvement efforts. The report has been completed and shared with key stakeholders, and it will now be used to guide the actions of the FHC and help it determine action steps. It will also be used to coordinate state and local efforts to secure funds for increasing affordable and safe housing.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Sapphire Community Health, Inc 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

Southwest Montana Community Health Center 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

St. James Healthcare Foundation 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

St. Peter's Health Foundation 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

St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation 2021

Clinical Supervision for Integrated Behavioral Health Quality and Sustainability

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

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

United Way of Yellowstone County 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

University of Montana Foundation 2021

Development and Implementation of the Montana Prevention Certification Board

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

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) 2021

Beaverhead County Crisis Response Task Force

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

Grant Amount

$49,428

Term

12 month

2021

Youth Dynamics 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

YWCA Great Falls 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

Addictive and Mental Disorders Division 2020

Communities that Care Training Expansion

The Addictive and Mental Disorder Division (AMDD) of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) used this grant to increase the number of Montana communities that have a Communities That Care (CTC) program. CTC is a sustainable, evidence-based program designed to promote healthy youth development, improve health and social outcomes, and reduce problem behaviors. A previous MHCF grant helped AMDD hire a CTC program coordinator and contract with the University of Washington to provide intensive training and technical support to help 12 communities implement the program. This grant supported hiring two additional coaches to provide training for CTC facilitators and help expand the program into seven additional communities, including two tribes. Training included one three-day facilitator training, up to three one-day coaching workshops, and a one-day social development strategy training. 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 and tribe in Montana, and it has committed to continuing to scale the program by using internal resources to sustain these positions after the grant is done and to support additional coordinators.

Grant Amount

$178,824

Term

24 month

2020

Alluvion Health 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

Association of Montana Public Health Officials 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 Inc. 2020

AWARE PACT Service Expansion-Region 4

AWARE used this grant to expand its existing Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team in Lewis and Clark County in order to serve people with severe disabling mental illness who require long-term, intensive support that exceeds traditional outpatient services. With technical assistance from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, AWARE was able to help 95% of its clients become involved and engaged with the community and maintain stable housing. AWARE established long-term and formal relationships with several landlords in the Helena community and an MOU with the housing authority, which will help ensure ongoing access to stable housing. Other accomplishments include completing a costing tool, updating the PACT business plan, and adding additional staff to the PACT team. AWARE faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and workforce shortages, which impacted the number of clients served and the implementation of the program. AWARE averaged 55-60 clients throughout the grant period rather than the desired 80. Additionally, AWARE was unable to serve the rural counties around Lewis and Clark. AWARE is confident that the situation will improve and that the current team will be able to expand its caseload and begin supporting the rural areas

Grant Amount

$165,000

Term

12 month

2020

Awe Kualawaache Care Center 2020

Infection Control Training

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

Grant Amount

$3,000

Term

12 month

2020

Bitterroot CASA, Inc. 2020

Bitterroot CASA Advocacy Training & Sustaining

Bitterroot Court Appointed Special Advocates (BCASA) is an organization that provides volunteer advocates to support and speak on behalf of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect, both in the community and in the courts. Through this grant, BCASA sought to increase the number of CASA volunteers, improve the advocacy skills of volunteers, implement best practice strategies, and raise community awareness of child abuse and neglect. The BCASA director participated in activities sponsored by the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce, sharing information about the CASA program and actively recruiting applicants through chamber events. BCASA is also working with the Lady Elks to develop an Advocate Sponsorship Program to support the needs of children, including providing clothing, school supplies, extracurricular activities, and summer camp programs. The project provided professional development training to all current advocates, and BCASA continues to provide monthly team meetings, trainings, and roundtable discussions. While the project experienced challenges due to the pandemic, it successfully swore in 19 new advocates, and all current volunteers remain in service. The director is actively forming key partnerships, increasing their involvement in local organizations, and attending national CASA conferences.

Grant Amount

$55,826

Term

24 month

2020

Blackfeet Tribal Health 2020

Blackfeet Tribal Health 638 of the Community Health Education Program

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

Grant Amount

$19,877

Term

12 month

2020

Center for Mental Health 2020

PACT Team Expansion & MACT Implementation

The Center for Mental Health (CMH) used this grant to expand its existing Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team in Lewis and Clark County and Cascade County, as well as implement a new Montana Assertive Community Treatment (MACT) team in Region 10 counties, including Glacier, Phillips, Pondera, Conrad, and Chinook. The goal was to help people with severe disabling mental illness who require long-term support and rehabilitate them to their highest level of functioning. Funding from this grant helped CMH develop training, hire staff, access technical assistance to expand its teams and serve a greater number of chronically ill people over a larger area, implement evidence-based programs, and complete a cost tracking tool to help sustain the program’s costs. PACT and MACT teams serve people with a chronic, disabling illness on a 24/7 basis so they can live an independent life within their community. By collecting data on these patients and the costs of the services provided, CMH is able to show the value of these services and demonstrate the cost savings of not using costly hospitalization and incarceration. CMH faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and workforce shortages, which impacted the number of clients served and its ability to expand its services into some rural counties. The project received technical assistance from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, which helped it create well-trained, sustainable teams that will continue beyond the grant period.

Grant Amount

$207,000

Term

12 month

2020

Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center 2020

MACT Services in Eastern Montana

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

Grant Amount

$202,515

Term

12 month

2020