Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health 2025

Strengthening Urban Indian Health

The Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health (MCUIH) supports Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) by providing advocacy, education, and technical assistance to strengthen health care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives in Montana urban areas. The goals for this project include expanding the workforce pipeline for UIOs, enhancing data systems, providing policy education, and fostering collaboration within the UIO network. This will be accomplished through site visits and training for members, creating a data governance board to facilitate UIO control and use of health data, and participating in the National Consortium for Urban Indian Health’s (NCUIH) Annual Conference, which allows UIO executive directors to meet with national UIO partners and congressional delegates in Washington, D.C. Grant funds will be used to support participation in NCUIH’s Annual Conference, support a strategic planning visit to the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH), and to support MCUIH staff to coordinate efforts. Confirmed partners include Montana’s UIOs – All Nations Health Center in Missoula, Billings Urban Indian Health & Wellness Center, Butte Native Wellness Center, Helena Indian Alliance, and Indian Family Health Center in Great Falls; NCUIH, CCUIH, Montana HOSA, and JG Research and Evaluation.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2025

Native American Development Corporation 2025

Enhancing Urban Access to Healthcare for American Indians

Native American Development Corporation (NADC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing economic, social, and health stability for Native American communities. NADC houses the Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center (BUIHWC), an urban Indian organization that serves the region's urban Indian community. The project will focus on enrolling patients in health insurance coverage. By doing so, BUIHWC will help ensure continuous coverage for Native Americans, expand access to health care services for its service population, and contribute to its health services' financial sustainability. This will be done by identifying patients without adequate coverage, both through individual data in BUIWC’s electronic health record and through broader outreach to the community. Health care benefit coordinators will assist patients to identify and apply for appropriate coverage. BUIHWC will also design a culturally-tailored outreach campaign to raise awareness about health insurance options among their service population.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2025

Red Shield 8 Nations, Inc. 2025

RS8N Start-Up Operations

Red Shield 8 Nations (RS8N) is a newly formed nonprofit created by seven tribes and the Montana Consortium of Urban Indian Health Centers (MCUIH) for the purpose of building a tribally-led regional healing center. This grant will support RS8N’s initial steps of organizational development, which include hiring an interim executive director; developing and implementing policies and procedures; building basic operations infrastructure including branding, website, and accounting and office systems; planning and initiating a capital campaign; securing funding committed by the Little Shell Tribe; and establishing and maintaining effective communications with member tribes.

Grant Amount

$190,000

Term

24 month

2025

Red Shield 8 Nations, Inc. 2025

RS8N Facility Project Management and Pre-development

Red Shield 8 Nations (RS8N) is a newly formed nonprofit created by seven Montana tribes and the Montana Consortium of Urban Indian Health Centers (MCUIH) to build a new, tribally led regional healing center. This two-year grant will support RS8N to conduct pre-development, capital financing, and site improvement activities at the Great Falls site. Tasks to be completed include the property survey, completion of the property transfer from the Little Shell Tribe to RS8N, hiring a construction project manager to oversee the planning, pre-development, and eventual construction of the site improvements and facility, and hiring a consultant to manage the capital financing. Grant funds will be used for the property survey, owner’s representative contract costs, architecture and engineering, regulatory fees, and a capital financing consultant. These professionals will work on behalf of RS8N to ensure that the facility development and fundraising efforts are seamlessly coordinated, resulting in the timely completion of the facility.

Grant Amount

$110,000

Term

24 month

2025

Butte Native Wellness Center 2024

Strategic Planning

The Butte Native Wellness Center (BNWC) is an urban Indian health center based in Butte. This project will help the organization develop a strategic plan and will support training for its staff. Strategic planning is a top priority for BNWC, which has a new executive director, nine new staff members, and three new board members. A comprehensive strategic plan will allow the organization to plan, implement, and evaluate its programs in a more effectively to achieve better outcomes for the community it serves. The grant will support a site visit to Southcentral Foundation, emphasizing learning about integrated care teams, workforce development, data and information management, and integrated behavioral health. A consultant will work with organizational leadership to develop the strategic plan.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

Helena Indian Alliance 2024

Facility Improvements

The Helena Indian Alliance (HIA) is an Urban Indian Organization and a federally qualified health center look-alike that serves the Native American population in Lewis and Clark County. This project will support renovating and expanding HIA's behavioral health clinic space and implementing a new electronic health records system. Together, these improvements will help HIA expand access to behavioral health services and improve their ability to deliver integrated behavioral health in the primary care setting. Grant funds will support consultants for the facility design, and electronic health record data migration and implementation. Partners include SMA Architects for the behavioral health unit expansion and eCW for the electronic health records systems.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

12 month

2024

Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana 2024

Self-Governance Annual Tribal Conference & Training

The Little Shell Tribe (LST) is planning to assume governance of the Little Shell Tribal Health Clinic and Service Unit from the Indian Health Service (IHS) and is working to develop member housing. LST used this grant to send its tribal council and key leadership staff to the annual Tribal Health Self-Governance Conference, a week-long event where participants can learn about self-governance and innovative approaches to service delivery, network with other tribal members, and meet with federal agencies to identify top priorities and challenges in self-governance. The group also had the opportunity to visit the River People Health Center and housing development operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, where they could see the design and operation of a patient-centered health clinic that integrates traditional healing practices with modern health care. They learned about eco-friendly building practices, safety and security, and funding and financing models at the housing development site.

Grant Amount

$38,750

Term

12 month

2024

Native American Development Corporation 2024

Eagle Seeker Construction Phasing

The Native American Development Corporation’s Eagle Seeker Community Center (ECC) serves Yellowstone County in South Central Montana. ECC's vision is to provide a culturally relevant space for health and wellness in the community, leaving a legacy of healing and community inclusion. This grant will support efforts to finalize a master plan for infrastructure and site improvements at ECC. Grant funds will cover the costs of consultant Enginuity, Inc. which will assess how the site development and improvements will impact each construction phase, and help alight the project phases together towards creating a permanent and welcoming space for providing urban Indian health care.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

Rocky Boy Health Center 2024

Hi-Line Urgent Care Feasibility

The Rocky Boy Health Center (RBHC) serves the Chippewa Cree community on the Rocky Boy Reservation in north central Montana. RBHC provides healthcare and wellness services for over 4,000 people on one modern campus. This grant will support a feasibility study for an urgent care center in neighboring Havre, Montana. This project will help RBHC plan and implement new services for tribal members with urgent healthcare needs who currently use the emergency department at Northern Montana Hospital or travel to Great Falls for care. This study will estimate operating costs and revenue potential of an urgent care, and identify funding options for construction and start-up. Grant funding will be used to hire a consultant – American Indian Consulting Services – to conduct the feasibility study.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2024

All Nations Health Center 2023

All Nations Roadmap to Success

All Nations serves as the Urban Indian Health Center for Missoula and Ravalli counties. This grant will support the development of their three-year strategic plan and planning efforts for a new facility that will include a clinic and housing on property recently acquired by the organization. Funds from MHCF will cover the costs of the consultants leading the strategic planning process, a site visit to Southcentral Foundation to view the Nuka care system, a site visit to Spokane to visit family-centered permanent supportive housing and pre-development costs and planning for the new facility. Project goals include identifying gaps in community services, opportunities for enhancing care and revenue, and adoption of a strategy for the organization to implement as it steps into the next three years and develops its new facility. All Nations has partnered with the Missoula-based developer Homeword to coordinate facility development efforts and with Project Mosaic to lead the strategic planning process.

Grant Amount

$163,000

Term

24 month

2023

Crow Tribe Health & Human Services 2023

Crow Nation Strategy for a Sacred Way of Life

The Crow Tribe used this grant to develop a strategic plan for the tribe's health care system. To kick off the project, the Crow Tribe sent a 19-person delegation, including members of the tribe's legislative and executive branches and tribal health staff, to the Southcentral Foundation (SCF) in Anchorage, Alaska, for a site visit. The site visit provided attendees with training in tribally-led clinical services and self-governance and served as a starting point for collaboration on the strategic plan. The project resulted in a working document called the Crow Nation Strategy for a Sacred Way of Life, which outlines the operational, financial, and program development steps needed to advance the tribe's vision for a health system based on an Indigenous model that incorporates Crow healing philosophy and cultural practices. The tribe hired a health planner to implement and monitor the plan, and a finance specialist and accountant to strengthen revenue and accounting. The project also helped the tribe secure a $2 million grant and access more than $1.8 million in Indian Health Service 638 contract funding to advance the tribe's vision for its health system.

Grant Amount

$116,000

Term

12 month

2023

Indian Family Health Clinic 2023

Strengthening Urban Indian Health Care

The Indian Family Health Clinic (IFHC) is an urban Indian health center based in Great Falls that provides culturally informed medical, behavioral health, and wellness programs to nearly 7,000 American Indian people in Cascade County. IFHC used this grant to develop a strategic plan. The plan addresses IFHC's health care service model, resources its patient population needs, and funding required to make its programs sustainable. Grant funds were used toward consultation services, staff training, and a site visit to the Southcentral Foundation (SCF) in Anchorage, Alaska, to learn about delivering health care in a culturally responsive way. IFHC board members and staff gathered for a two-day retreat to share ideas, establish specific goals and objectives, and identify good partners and stakeholders in the community. Each department within IFHC is looking at ways to scale down what was learned at SCF and work together in an integrated behavioral health pod model. These efforts are supported by continued staff education and weekly huddles to identify problem areas.

Grant Amount

$109,400

Term

12 month

2023

Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana 2023

Strategic Planning Site Visit

Members of the Little Shell Tribal Council and Little Shell Directors used this grant to travel to Southcentral Foundation (SCF) in Anchorage, Alaska, for a week-long site visit. The goal was to understand better the Nuka System of Care. This nationally recognized, award-winning health care system provides comprehensive, integrated services to support physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. The Little Shell team got the opportunity to tour the SCF campus, meet with the SCF team, and participate in the SCF Cord Concepts Training in person, which allowed team members to gain professional knowledge and develop skills to better care for tribal members. The team also used this grant to attend the Tribal Self-Governance Conference in Chandler, Arizona, and to visit the Salt River Tribe's health clinic and some of its housing developments. The team gained valuable insights about the critical importance of self-determination in tribal communities and saw the successful implementation of culturally tailored health care and sustainable housing initiatives. The team will incorporate these learnings into the tribe's self-governance planning and development processes to ensure best practices in self-governance, health care, and housing projects.

Grant Amount

$42,000

Term

12 month

2023

Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health 2023

MCUIH Workforce Pipeline Program

The Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health (MCUIH) used this grant to assess and design a workforce pipeline to meet the staffing needs of urban Indian organizations (UIOs) in Montana. The goal was to build a comprehensive approach to recruiting, training, and retaining talent, focusing on developing skills and competencies that align with UIO business objectives. MCUIH began by building relationships with stakeholders, including Accelerate Montana (AMT) and five UIOs. A workforce program manager was hired to engage with tribal health departments, tribal colleges, and tribal schools to educate them about the presence and role of UIOs, as well as to deepen relationships with UIO communities, foster connections to local partners, and support workforce initiatives. MCUIH and AMT conducted five in-person interviews with UIOs to assess workforce needs and challenges, including workforce stability and retention, professional development gaps, and organizational culture issues. The 2025 Workforce Pipeline Program Plan was developed and includes a variety of recommendations for addressing workforce gaps, including engaging high schools and colleges to create pathways for health care careers with UIOs. MCUIH discussed with Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) about partnering to build HOSA chapters in tribal schools, with a long-term vision of extending these programs into UIOs.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health 2023

Workforce Pipeline Program

This project will support the Montana Consortium of Urban Indian Health (MCUIH) in assessing and beginning to design a workforce pipeline to meet the staffing needs of the urban Indian health centers of Montana. The overall goal of MCUIH's Urban Indian Organization (UIO) Workforce Pipeline Program is to build a comprehensive approach to recruiting, training, and retaining talent, focusing on developing skills and competencies that align with the UIO's business objectives. The program will assess the current and future workforce needs of each UIO, effective ways to recruit and attract talent, provide training and development opportunities, and focus on retaining and engaging talent. The ultimate goal is to build a robust healthcare workforce for each UIO that meets their individual and group needs and helps ensure that each UIO remains competitive and successful in the years ahead. Funds will support MCUIH staff time and a small portion for contractors to support workforce assessment for each urban program.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Blackfeet Tribal Health 2022

RAVE Emergency Notification System Coordinator

Blackfeet Tribal Health used this grant to implement an emergency notification system to provide a critical communication and collaboration tool to facilitate and improve the response to incidents in the community. Funds were used to hire a full-time coordinator to manage the RAVE alert system, which sends mass notifications to inform residents, organizations, agencies, businesses, and schools during emergencies and other events. The coordinator was responsible for running the system, data entry, outreach, and educating other administrators about the system. Project partners included the Blackfeet Tribe, Blackfeet Homeland Security, Blackfeet 911, Blackfeet Tribal Health, Blackfeet IT Department, Blackfeet Community College, and Blackfeet Emergency Preparedness. After demonstrating the system's usefulness during emergencies, including a cold storm, the Blackfeet Tribe recognized its importance and agreed to continue funding the program.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2022

Blackfeet Tribe 2022

Blackfeet Responsible Parenting Project

Blackfeet Manpower’s Child Support Program will partner with the Aspen Institute Center for Native American Youth to create a standardized curriculum to educate teens and young adults on parenthood, and to support informed family planning, with an emphasis on prioritizing education, stable employment, and healthy relationships. This project will support the creation of a culturally appropriate standardized curriculum to share with young people on the Blackfeet Reservation and the facilitation of youth groups that will teach cultural traditions and crafts. The project will provide educational opportunities for youth ages 13-25 with an emphasis on building self-esteem, communication skills, problem-solving skills, and setting personal and community goals. Funds will be used to support the development of the curriculum, youth group gatherings, and incentives for attendance. Partners include schools located on the Blackfeet Reservation, Blackfeet tribal and family courts, Blackfeet Crystal Creek Treatment Center, and Blackfeet Community Hospital.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

24 months

2022

Crow Tribe Health & Human Services 2022

Crow Tribal Finance Specialist – Medical Billing and Coding

Crow Tribe Health & Human Services is a tribal health department that supports the physical, behavioral, and cultural health of the Crow Tribe. This project will enable the health department to establish an effective tribal health finance department capable of billing and coding, records management, and procedure analysis. Revenue from health department services will provide a foundation for the Crow Nation to build effective, sustainable health care and public health programs. The grant will also support the development of the Crow Tribe’s Medicaid Tribal Health Improvement Program (THIP), a critical opportunity to create effective, tribally-led disease prevention programs. Grant funding will support a new finance specialist position salary and necessary training. Primary partners include the Crow Nation leadership and members of the finance team.

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

36 month

2022

Fort Peck Tribes - Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center 2021

Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center Behavioral Health Capacity Building Project

Spotted Bull Resource Recovery Center (SBRRC), the primary addiction treatment service provider in Fort Peck offering chemical dependency services to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and surrounding community, used this grant to add mental health services to its offerings. SBRRC was able to secure contracts with two experienced behavioral health providers, integrate behavioral health services into its medication- assisted treatment and intensive outpatient program, train staff to develop their clinical competencies, expand its outreach services to reach a broader population, and explore innovative treatment approaches such as equine-assisted therapy. It has agreements with the Indian Health Service, Volunteers of America, and others, and also developed new partnerships with Northeast Montana Health Services and the Fort Peck Community College. SBRRC developed a third-party billing system to sustain the program to increase its revenue from the new services.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Heart Butte Schools 2021

Feather Woman Healing Lodge Business Plan

Heart Butte Public Schools, located on the Blackfeet Reservation, hired RJS & Associates to develop a business plan for creating the Feather Woman Healing Lodge, a new facility that would serve students who are homeless or experiencing a mental health crisis. The school district has already purchased two modular homes that will be able to shelter up to 12 students—six girls and six boys—at a time. Through this project, RJS completed a business plan that outlines staffing needs, operation and maintenance costs, insurance costs, risk management, potential funding sources, and other operational infrastructure needed for the facility, as well as the next steps required to advance the project. The project was delayed due to difficulties in securing a partnership with Blackfeet Tribal Health programs (which have been impacted by COVID and leadership changes), but Heart Butte Public Schools is actively developing that partnership.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Helena Indian Alliance 2021

New Clinic Addition/Design

Helena Indian Alliance (HIA), an urban Indian health center based in Helena and serving the surrounding counties, used this grant to support the redesign of its clinic so it could expand and improve its integrated physical, behavioral, and dental health care services. HIA contracted with SMA Architecture to complete the design phase of the project, which included the creation of a schematic design; structural, civil, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and architectural scopes; project specifications; and construction and bid documents. This project builds on two prior grants that involved developing a master plan and a structural assessment of the current building. With the plans and design in place, HIA was able to secure funds for the construction costs, estimated at roughly $1.1 million; receive approval from the Billings Area Indian Health Services to move forward; and select a contractor.

Grant Amount

$85,750

Term

24 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