Emma's House - Bitterroot Valley Childrens Advocacy Center, Inc. 2024

Acute Intervention Medical Clinic

Emma’s House is a nationally accredited Children’s Advocacy Center in Ravalli County, serving as a resource for children and adolescents who have experienced abuse. Through this grant, Emma’s House will plan and begin to implement acute medical exams for child and adolescent victims of sexual and physical assault and drug endangerment. The grant will allow Emma’s House to obtain additional equipment, training, and certification to conduct acute exams within 72 hours of incidents of abuse. Grant funds will support a portion of project staff time, contracts for on-call providers, training, and a limited pharmacy license. The project relies on and benefits from partnerships with Bitterroot Health, FirstSTEP Resource Center, Sapphire Community Health, Ravalli County Attorney and Sheriff’s Office, DPHHS Child and Family Services Division, and Bitterroot Drug.

Grant Amount

$35,840

Term

12 month

2024

Florence Crittenton Home & Services 2024

Establishing Youth Maternity Home as a Licensed Medicaid Residential Setting

Florence Crittenton provides trauma-responsive care, family-centered support, and services to parents and children throughout Montana. Through this grant, it will work to improve Medicaid reimbursement for their youth maternity home, which serves young mothers aged 12-21 and their children. Establishing a reliable funding source will allow Florence Crittenton to fund these services and expand the number of clients the program can serve. The grant will support staff time to carry out the analysis required to establish a new Medicaid rate and engage DPHHS and critical partners in serving this population. Primary partners include the DPHHS Child and Family Service Division, the Early Childhood Services Bureau, the Montana Board of Crime Control, and Youth Courts and Juvenile Probation.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

Helena Indian Alliance 2024

The Resilience Lab

Helena Indian Alliance will partner with Helena High School to plan and pilot the “Resiliency Lab,” an innovative solution to the growing mental health crisis among Montana youth. The project will create a trauma-informed eight-week curriculum for staff, weekly educational offerings, and evidence-based therapeutic modalities for students. The project is coordinated with a new school-based health center run by Helena Indian Alliance. The Resiliency Lab program will help the school implement supports that benefit all students, allowing the clinic to focus on students needing a higher level of care. The project aims to improve academic and health outcomes across the student body. Grant funds will be used for staff salaries, supplies, travel, contracts, and communications. The partner for this project is Helena School District, specifically Helena High School.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2024

Missoula County Public Schools 2024

Willard Alternative High School Recovery Program

Willard School in Missoula County Public School District is an alternative school that serves over 240 at-risk students. The goal of the project is to establish a school-based recovery program for students struggling with substance use disorders. They will do this by embedding addiction counseling within the academic day, allowing students to receive therapeutic support while pursuing their education. Grant funds will be used for staff time on the project, travel for meetings and a conference, and supplies. Partnership Health Center will provide behavioral health services for the recovery program, and the Missoula Youth Court has also agreed to coordinate with the district.

Grant Amount

$49,325

Term

12 month

2024

Veterans Navigation Network 2024

Warrior Bridge Native Partnership Initiative

Veterans Navigation Network (VNN) is a statewide nonprofit facilitating smooth transitions from military service to civilian life. Through this planning grant, VNN aims to foster health improvement and strong partnerships across eight tribes and five urban Indian organizations in Montana. Specifically, the project will allow VNN to explore with these communities how to help Native veterans navigate and access military benefits in a culturally responsive manner. Partners include the Office of American Indian Health at the Department of Public Health and Human Services and Riverstone Health. Grant funds will support staff time and travel expenses.

Grant Amount

$46,437

Term

12 month

2024

Butte SPIRIT Center 2023

Scaling up Staffing for Womens’ SUD Recovery Home

The Butte SPIRIT Center provides recovery housing and services to those recovering from substance use disorders. This grant will allow the organization to expand on the success of the Butte SPIRIT Home for Men by opening its second recovery home, the Butte SPIRIT Women’s Home. This will be the first licensed recovery home for women with substance use disorders in the Butte area. Grant funds will offset the new home's initial staffing costs (for a residence manager and Licensed Addictions Counselor) until it obtains state certification and can start billing for services. This project builds on a successful planning grant for the women's home, through which Cascadia Management Group facilitated strategic planning and developed an operating plan and budget for the new home. Local partners include the Montana Chemical Dependency Center, Southwest Montana Community Health Center, Action Inc., Montana’s Peer Network, and representatives from existing women’s facilities.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2023

Gallatin County 2023

Gallatin Regional Day Treatment School

Gallatin County will develop a business plan for a regional day treatment school for youth that require access to behavioral health services throughout the school day. The county will work closely with the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition youth committee to develop a detailed plan for the implementation and sustainability of a day treatment school. The school will provide educational and health services to students with intensive behavioral health needs. Grant funds will be used to contract with a planning consultant, who will provide research, analysis, facilitation, and planning services. Partners include the Bozeman School District, Madison/Gallatin Special Education Co-op, Belgrade School District, Youth Dynamics, Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, AWARE, Community Health Partners, Gallatin County Behavioral Health Coalition, and Intermountain.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Montana Innocence Project 2023

Exploratory Behavioral Health Collaboration for Reentering Community Members

The Montana Innocence Project (MTIP) works with clients who are released from prison to support a successful return to society. This planning grant will help MTIP develop a sustainable behavioral health support model for people reentering the community following incarceration. The grantee will use an innovative partnership with the University of Montana, through which social work students will engage with 12 clients held in Montana State Prison, Montana Women’s Prison, and CoreCivic correctional facilities and develop personal case plans for reentry. MTIP aims to develop a model that could be replicated by small-budget nonprofit organizations that serve this population, enabling them to provide social and behavioral health resources through shared clinical staff and partnerships with behavioral health training programs. MHCF funds will be used for student stipends, travel costs for client visits, volunteer training, and a portion of MTIP staff time for student supervision and project management. Partners include the University of Montana School of Social Work and College of Business, Welcome Back, and All Nations Health Center.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

University of Montana Foundation 2023

Establishment of the University of Montana Eating Disorder Training Clinic

The Department of Psychology at the University of Montana in Missoula is establishing a multidisciplinary eating disorder training center to increase the number of behavioral health providers in Montana trained to treat eating disorders. This project will improve access to eating disorder care in Montana, including rural regions of the state. The training center will emphasize early intervention with services targeted at pediatric and young adult patients. It will train licensed behavioral health clinicians and student trainees by offering an online training curriculum, weekly session-by-session guidance, multidisciplinary treatment team meetings, group supervision, and ongoing consultation. MHCF funding will support salaries and fringe benefits for faculty who will teach the coursework and Graduate Research Assistants who will assist in recruiting trainee participants, preparing training materials, and delivering training. Primary partners include the UM Clinical Psychology Center, Curry Health Center and Curry Counseling Services, and Providence Women’s Care and Family Wellness.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Valley Felon-Aid 2023

Peer Support Program

Valley Felon-Aid is a nonprofit in Ravalli County that provides services to ensure a successful reentry to community following incarceration. This project will implement a peer support program, offering returning citizens a new resource to help overcome barriers and stigma post-incarceration. Reintegration services and support systems are lacking for many reentering individuals, leading to high recidivism rates and high community expenses for re-incarceration. Through this grant, peer support specialists will connect clients to Ravalli County community partners for housing, health care, jobs, education, and basic needs. Grant funding will support two peer support specialists, supervision by a Licensed Addiction Counselor as required by the state, and travel expenses for the peer support certification training and visiting pre-releases, prisons, and jails around the state. Project partners include the Western Montana Mental Health Center, Sapphire Community Health Center, Summit Career Center, Accelerate Montana, homelessness service providers, local churches, Ravalli County Courts, Probation and Parole, the Department of Corrections, and the MT Reentry Task Force.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Veterans Navigation Network 2023

Building a Sustainable Future for Montana Veterans

The Veterans Navigation Network (VNN) serves Montana’s Veterans by facilitating the smooth transition from military service to civilian life through one-on-one resource counseling, case management, peer mentorship, and advocacy. This planning grant will help VNN develop a business and sustainability plan to ensure that its services are sustainable as it expands from its office in Billings to support Veterans and their families statewide. VNN will collaborate with veterans, the 80 different service partners it works with, and the communities it currently serves to find viable ways for VNN to maintain and expand its services sustainably. Grant funds will be used to survey partners, organize a focus group, and map a sustainability plan.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2023

YWCA Missoula 2023

Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse & Targeted Case Management Capacity Building and Revenue Expansion Initiative

YWCA Missoula operates a new facility -- "The Meadowlark" -- that provides housing and supportive services to families and survivors of domestic violence. This grant will support planning to expand services to include mental health, substance use, and case management. By creating a pathway for the shelter services to receive Medicaid reimbursement, the project will create financial sustainability while contributing to a knowledge base that other shelter providers across the state can draw on to expand services for their clients. The project will examine service delivery models of immediate interventions for families in crisis, with long-term programming provided through the establishment of permanent housing. Grant funds will be used to hire a consultant to lead the process of determining the feasibility of offering additional services and a Medicaid reimbursement structure. They will also support an outcomes evaluation by the University of Montana School of Social Work.

Grant Amount

$47,663

Term

12 month

2023

Bitterroot CASA, Inc. 2022

Peer Advocate Model – Train, Pilot, and Transition

The Bitterroot Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) will train and utilize seasoned volunteers to support, coach, and supervise new CASA volunteers. Bitterroot CASA, located in the Bitterroot Valley, recruits and trains volunteer advocates to reduce trauma for children and advocate for the child's best interests in court. This project will allow the program to serve more children, support volunteers, and increase the retention of volunteers. The program has strong partnerships in the community and the court system, including the 21st District Court and community volunteers.

Grant Amount

$17,266

Term

12 month

2022

Butte SPIRIT Center 2022

Women’s Substance Use Disorder Recovery Home Planning

With this planning grant, the Butte SPIRIT Center (BSC) will develop a business and operations plan for a residential treatment home for women recovering from substance use in Silver Bow County. BSC provides supportive housing and services to those recovering from substance use disorders. The organization creates an accessible drug and alcohol-free environment, supports fellowship, and builds partnerships among the recovery community. This proposal builds on successful planning and implementation grants for the men's home, which is now fully operational and sustainable. BSC will use grant funds to hire a consultant and work with other women’s residential facilities in the state (including Carol Graham House, Michel’s House/Willow Way, YWCA-WINGS, Florence Crittenton, Rimrock, and Mountain Home) to gather information, produce financial models, and develop an operating plan for the Butte women’s home. Partners include MCDC, Southwest Montana Community Health Center, Action Inc., Montana’s Peer Network, and representatives from existing women’s facilities.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

LiveWell49 2022

Planning for the Financial Sustainability of LiveWell49

LiveWell49 (LW49) is a community coalition that is focused on prevention. It includes key stakeholders in Park County, including Livingston Healthcare, Community Health Partners, Livingston School District, Park County Community Foundation, Park County Health Department, and City and County Commissions. The project will expand LW49's community resilience, mental health promotion, and prevention efforts and develop a long-term sustainability plan. LW49 will utilize the grant funds for a consultant to develop a sustainability plan and administrative support to oversee the project and coordinate partnerships with community agencies.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Montana Center for Inclusive Education, MSUB 2022

Establishing Connections in Eastern and Central Montana: A Planning Grant for the Institute for Neurodiversity and Applied Behavior Analysis

The Montana Center for Inclusive Education (MCIE) at Montana State University Billings will work with partners in Eastern Montana to develop a plan to help rural providers effectively serve children with mental, social, and behavioral differences associated with autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities, and mental health disorders. Through this grant, MCIE will develop remote training opportunities for providers and establish a pipeline for referrals of young children who would benefit from telehealth applied behavioral analysis therapy. Applied behavioral analysis therapy helps kids with autism learn skills and lessen problematic behaviors like self-harm. Funding will be used for staffing, supplies, and travel.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Montana Human Rights Network 2022

Transgender Community Support and Wellness Project

This planning grant will support the development of a statewide network focused on reducing isolation and increasing resilience through engaging transgender and non-binary people across Montana. The Montana Gender Alliance (MGA) – a fiscally-sponsored organization of the Montana Human Rights Network – provides community support and resources to transgender and nonbinary Montanans, as well as public education and training. MGA will complete a community assessment focused on eliminating barriers to participation for rural community members, such as lack of reliable access to high-speed internet. Funds will support hiring a project coordinator, travel expenses to carry out meetings as part of the community assessment component of the project, and marketing and advertising to promote support groups through social media. Partners include Shodair Children's Hospital, the Montana Primary Care Association, Bridgercare, Montana Legal Services Association, the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Montana Medical Association.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Montana Legal Services Association 2022

Strategic Planning of Additional Hospital-Based Medical-Legal Partnerships

This grant will support the Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) in developing hospital-based medical-legal partnerships that address health-harming legal needs and achieve better health outcomes for low-income patients. MLSA is a nonprofit law firm that empowers low-income people by providing free legal information, advice, and other services. Over the past six years, MLSA has developed innovative, successful medical-legal partnerships that serve a network of federally qualified health centers and Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. Through this grant, MLSA will extend this model to other communities by building a sustainable hospital-based medical-legal partnership structure, identifying interested hospitals, nurturing relationships with those hospitals, building needed data sets, and finalizing memoranda of agreement. Grant funds will primarily be used for staff salaries, consultant fees, and travel. MLSA will identify and develop three primary partnerships with Montana hospitals as part of the project's outreach phase.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Montana Office of Public Instruction 2022

Indigenous Foundations in Systems of Education: Shifting the Academic, Holistic Health, And Behavioral School Supports Provided to Montana’s American Indian Students

The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) will work to improve American Indian student academic and wellness outcomes by adjusting its support for academics, holistic health, and behavioral health. OPI serves as the state education authority in Montana and acts as the state-level governmental organization for education. OPI has incorporated Native American knowledge within its Tribal Relations and Resiliency Unit. Through this project, OPI will contract with the Elder and Cultural Wisdom Council to provide training to additional units within the organization. The units include American Indian Student Achievement, Coordinated School Health, and Indian Education for All. Each team will update its strategic plans and implement policies and practices to create necessary changes in the services offered to districts. Grant funds will support the consultant, cover the strategic planning efforts, and travel for meetings.

Grant Amount

$48,430

Term

12 month

2022

Montana State University 2022

Partnering to Provide Equitable Care to Unhoused Individuals Impacted by Opioid Use Disorder

The Montana State University College of Nursing (MSU CON) will use this grant to plan an innovative program to deliver medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders to people living on the streets. Unhoused individuals encounter many barriers to accessing this life-saving treatment. MSU CON will take a three-pronged approach to develop a street-based treatment model. 1) Seek insight and guidance from unhoused individuals with opioid use disorders. 2) Design a coordinated response by partnering with organizations already serving this population. 3) Engage interdisciplinary health profession students in this street-based model of care to build a pipeline of nursing, medical, and behavioral health clinicians capable of implementing the model. Grant funds will be used for staffing, supplies, and participant costs. Project partners include Partnership Health Center, Open Aid Alliance, and All Nations Health Center.

Grant Amount

$23,057

Term

12 month

2022

Mountain Home Montana 2022

Improving Mountain Home’s Continuum of Care for Indigenous Women and Children

With this planning grant, Mountain Home Montana will work with All Nations Health Center and Kauffman & Associates to improve their care continuum and access to services for indigenous women and children. Mountain Home Montana’s mission is to provide a safe home and nurturing community where young mothers discover their strengths and their children thrive. Mountain Home offers shelter for young mothers who need a place to live and a network of support as they create their own safe, stable, and nurturing homes. They aim to increase the percentage of Native women in their residential services from 16% to 30%. Through their justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion initiative, Mountain Home will work with project partners to review programs and spaces through an Indigenous lens and address identified health inequities. Funds will support completing a quality improvement assessment, creating a new referral coordinator position, and recruiting more Native staff across the organization. In addition to All Nations Health Center, primary partners include Montana Pediatrics and the Missoula City-County Health Department.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2022

Roots Family Collaborative 2022

Postpartum Doula Project

The Postpartum Doula Project, a program of Roots Family Collaborative, will provide free or sliding-scale postpartum doula services in Gallatin and surrounding counties for families in the critical developmental stage following birth. Roots Family Collaborative's mission is to connect all families to the support they need from pregnancy to parenthood. This planning grant will support a year-long process during which the organization will examine and build program staff capacity, identify new and existing strategic partnerships, develop an advisory council, identify and overcome barriers to creating long-term sustainability for the program, and develop a handbook for program implementation.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2022

St. John's Lutheran Ministries, LLC 2022

St. John’s United Workplace Integrative Behavioral Health Initiative

This project will develop on-site primary care with integrated behavioral health services for residents and employees of St. John’s United (SJU) senior living facilities. SJU is a significant provider of senior living opportunities, with campuses in Billings, Laurel, Red Lodge, and Hamilton. Its services include transitional inpatient rehabilitative care, skilled nursing, memory care, assisted and independent living, permanent supportive housing for older adults, home health, hospice, outpatient rehabilitation, and home and community-based services. The project goals include lower turnover, lower insurance premiums, higher work satisfaction for staff, and fewer hospital admissions and falls. They hope to achieve reduced rates of anxiety and depression and improved quality of life for both employees and residents. SJU’s work plan includes gathering initial health assessment data to develop implementation and service delivery targets. Funds will support the salaries of the team developing the project as well as consultation fees from mental health professionals. SJU will establish a new partnership with South Central Regional Mental Health Center for consulting services and future contracts with mental health providers.

Grant Amount

$24,500

Term

12 month

2022

Trust Montana, Inc. 2022

Engaging Private Sector Building Industry Professionals in Partnerships to Develop Permanently Affordable Homes for Montanans

Trust Montana will implement a replicable model for partnership between community land trusts and private sector building industry professionals as an innovative way to create more affordable housing. Trust Montana is located in Missoula and works to increase the number of permanently affordable homes in the state. This project will accelerate affordable home development by leveraging private developer construction financing, nonprofit grant acquisition expertise, land donations, related charitable tax benefits, and community land trusts' growing public and government support. Funds will support current staff in developing a tool kit and outreach plan and assisting rural communities across the state. Partners include WGM and Blueline Development, Inc.

Grant Amount

$95,604

Term

24 month

2022

Butte SPIRIT Center 2021

Butte SPIRIT Home, Scaling up Staffing to Support SUD Recovery Home Sustainability

The Butte Spirit Center, which operates the Butte SPIRIT Home, a transitional housing and addiction recovery home for adult males, used this grant to attain approval as a substance use disorder (SUD) treatment program from the state of Montana. The goal was to enable the home to access Medicaid and other private insurance revenue to sustain its current operational model. The home was successful at getting approval as a Montana Medicaid biller and is licensed to provide care as a clinically managed low-intensity residential service provider (ASAM Level 3.1). In addition to the executive director, the home hired a clinical director, residence manager, and assistant residence manager. Staff retention has been excellent, with staff finding the Butte SPIRIT Home to be a good workplace offering a competitive benefits package. The home has served 26 men overall and has graduated five residents, all of whom remain in contact with the home to ensure their success in recovery. Based on an internal evaluation and feedback from partner organizations, the Butte SPIRIT Home provides a quality sober living environment that is helping people in early recovery to succeed. Working with a third-party biller, the home has attained reimbursement for services through Medicaid. Current reimbursement levels indicate that the Butte SPIRIT Home could be 100% sustained by the billable services that the home is already providing.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 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

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 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

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

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

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