L'esprit 2024

Program for Assertive Community Treatment

L’espirit is a licensed mental health center based in Park County and serving Park, Sweet Grass, and Gallatin Counties. L’esprit will implement an assertive community treatment (ACT) team in Gallatin County. L’esprit has an existing ACT team that serves Park and Sweet Grass Counties, and they also have outpatient and school-based services in Park County. L’esprit will utilize its existing ACT team and expand its services into Gallatin County. MTHF funds will offset start-up costs for new staff to expand the team. L’esprit will work closely with the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition and, specifically the Human Resource Development Council and One Health.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 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

Logan Health 2024

Expansion of School Based Health Services at Conrad Public Schools

Logan Health-Conrad (LHC) is a critical access hospital and rural health clinic serving Pondera County and the surrounding areas. Through this grant, LHC will partner with Conrad Public Schools to provide a school-based health center that serves 500 students and 80 faculty in the district. This project will improve access to primary care services and behavioral health services with minimum disruption to the students, staff, and their families. Grant funds will be used towards the salaries of the nurse, medical provider, and behavioral health provider. The primary partner for the project is Conrad Public Schools.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2024

Logan Health Foundation 2024

School-Based Health Center, St. Ignatius and Charlo School Districts

Logan Health Medical Center is non-profit health system that includes five critical access hospitals and 68 health clinics that serve Northwest and Northcentral Montana. The goal of the project is to extend Logan Health's mobile school-based model to Lake County and serve schools in St. Ignatius and Charlo. They will do this in partnership with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), which will provide behavioral health services in these schools. There are six schools designated as high priority in the two communities. Charlo includes 2 Title I schools and one Targeted School and St. Ignatius includes three Title I schools. To accomplish the goal of the project, Logan Health will hire a team to provide services in their newly acquired mobile unit and they will bring that unit to each of the communities once a week to provide medical services in partnership with CSKT's behavioral health services. CSKT is a confirmed partner in this project. Grant funds will be used towards the salaries of the staff on the mobile medical unit and some supplies.

Grant Amount

$200,000

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

Montana Legal Services Association 2024

Montana Health Justice Partnership MLP+ Project

The Montana Health Justice Partnership is a collaboration between the Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA), the Montana Primary Care Association (MPCS), seven federally qualified health centers (FQHC), Providence St. Patrick Hospital, and 10 referral social service organizations. This project will support these long-standing medical-legal partnerships to provide comprehensive legal services and wraparound social services for low-income, vulnerable, and exploited patients and their families, and add two urban Indian Health Organizations as new sites for these services. Grant funds will provide a match to help MLSA secure a $214,000 federal grant to participate in the Medical Legal Partnerships Plus (MLP+) demonstration program. MLSA will use the funding and the $25,000 matching grant from MHCF to hire a new 1.0 FTE Intake Navigator focused on strengthening partnerships and cross-referrals with social service provider partners, allocating 0.35 FTE attorney time for increased capacity to provide legal services, adding the Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health and two urban Indian health organizations as partners, and tracking improved health, legal, and social data for clients, their children, and their families, especially those experiencing challenges with housing stability, income support, family stability, civil rights, immigration, and environmental health. Grant funds will support a portion of the project manager's salary, travel and meeting expenses, project supplies, communications, and marketing. The primary partner for this expanded planning project is the Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health and their five member urban Indian health organizations.

Grant Amount

$25,000

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

Opportunities Inc 2024

Foundations for Change: Supportive Housing Initiative

Opportunities, Inc. is the Community Action Program serving Cascade County through programs that address housing, energy, Head Start, and behavioral health services for residents with low incomes. This grant will help the organization implement the service plan developed over the previous year for the community's first purpose-built permanent supportive housing, the Baatz Apartments. Using the Coordinated Entry System, Opportunities, Inc., and project partners will develop criteria for identifying frequent users, provide pre-tenancy support to individuals to be housed, and prepare the case management team for occupancy. Project partners include NeighborWorks, Great Falls Housing Authority, Alluvion Health, Many Rivers Whole Health, Indian Family Health Clinic, Veterans, Inc., and Volunteers of America. The grantee will also build partnerships with the Little Shell Tribe's housing and health departments. MTHF funds will support the staff salaries and TA for programming, service package development, and revenue opportunities. Staff will work with the TA providers to address identified system barriers, including data fragmentation, partner development, and limited community capacity.

Grant Amount

$40,000

Term

12 month

2024

Partnership Health Center 2024

Blue Heron Place Permanent Supportive Housing Project

Partnership Health Center (PHC) is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving Missoula County. This grant will support Partnership Health Center to build and implement a sustainable package of supportive services to residents of the Blue Heron Apartments. Blue Heron provides housing for people with complex health issues who were experiencing chronic homelessness. PHC is already providing some health-related services and generating revenue to sustain staffing. MTHF funds will support the PSH program manager position, which is responsible for developing and implementing the services plan and overseeing case management staff working directly with tenants. Partners include the Missoula County Detention Center, City of Missoula, Poverello Center, All Nations Health Center, two local hospitals, the Missoula Housing Authority, and Homeword. In the grant year, PHC will work to develop its reimbursement model further and implement billing for tenancy support services under the Medicaid 1115 waiver to help address the revenue gap experienced in the first year of operations.

Grant Amount

$45,000

Term

12 month

2024

Pondera County Health Department 2024

North Central Montana Crisis Coalition

This grant will support Pondera County Health Department to lead a regional collaborative in North Central Montana for Crisis Now planning. Pondera will work with surrounding counties and tribes to support local efforts in place and identify regional collaborations to support individuals in crisis and implementation of the Crisis Now model. Grant funds will hire a coordinator/project manager to lead the effort and a consultant to conduct sequential intercept mapping and help develop a strategic plan for regional crisis services. Partners include Blaine, Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Liberty, Pondera, Teton, and Toole counties, the Blackfeet Nation, and the Chippewa Cree Tribe. JG Research & Evaluation will support the data infrastructure, collection, and analysis.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

36 month

2024

Poplar Public Schools 2024

Enhancing Health Coordination in School

Poplar Public Schools is one of the largest schools on the Fort Peck reservation, with approximately 850 students in the K-12 district. Situated in the remote town of Poplar, the school plays a pivotal role within the Fort Peck Tribes, with an enrollment consisting of approximately 99% Native American students. The project will improve health and educational outcomes by improving coordination with the longstanding school-based health center. Fort Peck's Health Promotion and Disease Prevention program has been operating school-based health services in Fort Peck since 2007, augmented by consulting from Montana Pediatrics. Through this grant, the schools will establish health coordinator positions responsible for developing tailored health initiatives, assisting with student health needs, coordinating health appointments for students and their families, and foster partnerships with local health organizations. The health coordinators will work closely with the school nurse to identify students that need additional health resources and connect them to the school-based health center and other service providers as needed. Grant funds wills be used for the health coordinator positions and supplies. The confirmed partners for this project are Fort Peck Tribes Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Programs and Montana Pediatrics.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2024

Rimrock Foundation 2024

Rimrock Consulting Proposal

This grant will support Rimrock to carry out an operational and programmatic assessment to ensure it follows best practices, provides evidence-based treatment, and that its programs become and remain financially sustainable. Rimrock is a behavioral health organization based in Billings, and its programs have a statewide reach. Rimrock will hire a consultant to lead the assessment, and Rimrock's staff and board leadership will support and participate in the effort. There are no external partners identified.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2024

RiverStone Health 2024

School-Based Health Clinic Expansion

RiverStone Health is a federally qualified health center that is located in Billings. RiverStone has a longstanding partnership with Billings Public Schools through which it operates school-based health centers in two schools. This project will allow Riverstone to expand school-based services to two additional schools in Billings Public Schools, Senior High School and the Career Center. RiverStone will implement primary care and behavioral health at Senior High School and behavioral health at the Career Center. The grant funds will be used for initial support for salaries of the therapist and the advanced practice provider. Billings Public Schools is the main partner in this project.

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

24 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

Rocky Boy Health Center 2024

Improving Access to Behavioral Health on the Rocky Boy Reservation

Rocky Boy Health Center (RBHC) has been serving the Rocky Boy reservation since 1976. RBHC provides a full suite of professional health care and services for over 4,000 people with a staff of over 180 employees. RBHC will develop a coalition and map out the behavioral health crisis services needed for their tribe. They will utilize current programs and resources and identify gaps and opportunities to address them. RBHC's project coordinator will oversee the project and coordinate with partners. Loveland consulting will map current services and help develop a strategic plan. The grant funds will be used for meeting expenses and mapping the current services. RBHC will work with multiple organizations important to crisis response in the region, including Chippewa Cree Tribal Courts, Chippewa Cree Justice Center, the Rocky Boy Police Department, and both the Rocky Boy and Box Elder school systems, as well as external hospitals and health departments in the region. The work will be under the oversight of Dr. Debbie Essert, the Integrated Health Division Director.

Grant Amount

$31,500

Term

18 month

2024

South Central Montana Regional Mental Health Center 2024

PACT expansion into the rural counties of South Central Montana.

This is a proposal from S. Central MT Regional Mental Health Center (SCM) to expand their PACT team into Fergus and surrounding rural counties (Judith Basin, Petroleum, Musselshell.) This will allow SCM to provide PACT services (which are more nimble, comprehensive, and sustainable than the limited outpatient services they have been providing) in Fergus. It will also allow them to serve the surrounding rural communities, which currently lack these services. Additionally, SCM will use this project as a pilot that will, if successful, allow them to expand PACT access to other rural communities. Grant funds will offset start-up costs for salaries, vehicle, clinical and administrative support. SCM has some existing staff they will utilize for the rollout but are also recruiting. They will have a blend of onsite and offsite staff to support the model. Partnerships are strong with the leadership from FQHC (One Health), Critical Access Hospital (Central Montana Medical Center), County Commissioners, and the mental health local advisory council actively involved.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2024

Tamarack Management, Inc. 2024

Implementation of Integrated Behavioral Health in Pediatrics at Western Montana Clinic

Western Montana Clinic (WMC) is a multispecialty health care organization located in Missoula, providing primary and subspecialty care. WMC’s two pediatric primary care clinics serve 10,000 children from birth through 21 years of age. WMC will recruit and on-board a mental health professional to help implement additional primary care behavioral health screening, provide crisis intervention, community referrals, parenting support, brief intervention, counseling, and follow-up. Grant funds will primarily support the behavioral health staff position, with a portion used for developing and sustaining integrated care in WMC’s clinics. Project partners include Partnership Health Center, The Children’s Clinic of Billings, Community Medical Center, Providence St. Patrick Hospital, and the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. WMC is also building creative partnerships with Missoula County Public Schools as professionals unfold new plans to support students struggling with behavioral health challenges in schools.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

36 month

2024

United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area 2024

Helena Inn Supportive Housing Project

This grant will support United Way of Lewis and Clark County plan to acquire and rehabilitate the former Helena Inn into 48 permanent supportive housing (PSH) units. PSH serves people with complex medical conditions who are chronically homeless. The model links housing with on-site services such as tenancy support, employment assistance, and medical and behavioral health care to improve health outcomes, reduce the need for high-cost emergency services, and help people remain housed. While Helena has a long history of providing scattered-site PSH, this project would represent Helena's first single-site PSH development. MTHF funds will be used to support staff time to lead the development effort and for consulting services from the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) to create a plan for sustainable staffing and operations. Partners include United Way, St. Peter's Hospital, Helena Housing Authority, Pureview (Federally Qualified Health Center), Many Rivers, AWARE, and the City of Helena. United Way currently leads the Helena’s Coordinated Entry System data collection and case conferencing and is well positioned to lead the PSH project development team.

Grant Amount

$40,000

Term

12 month

2024

United Way of Yellowstone County 2024

Permanent Supportive Housing Community Engagement and Development Project

This grant will support United Way of Yellowstone County to plan and develop the community's first single-site permanent supportive housing (PSH). PSH serves people with complex medical conditions who are chronically homeless. The model links housing with on-site services such as tenancy support, employment assistance, and medical and behavioral health care to improve health outcomes, reduce the need for high-cost emergency services, and help people remain housed. Planning activities will include a data match and cost analysis by Montana State University-Billings to help identify the individuals most likely to benefit from PSH; creation of prioritization criteria for placement in PSH; and developing a staffing model and package of services that will be delivered on site. United Way has dedicated staff to overseeing this work. Partners include Homefront (housing authority), the City of Billings, Riverstone (Federally Qualified Health Center), and Intermountain Health (hospital system). Funds from MTHF will be used to conduct a community education campaign to address any questions or concerns about the proposed project, and for predevelopment services with Homeword, an experienced PSH developer.

Grant Amount

$40,000

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

Action Inc. 2023

Butte Permanent Supportive Housing Project

Action, Inc. is the Community Action Program serving Butte-Silver Bow County, providing a wide range of anti-poverty programs, including housing, energy, and case management. This project will support network development, enhance the supportive services package, and develop units devoted to permanent supportive housing. The network will focus on serving people identified in the region's frequent user system engagement (FUSE) list, which generally includes people who are homeless with complex medical needs and who require frequent hospital and emergency services. Funds will support staff time in the network and provide a sustainable services package. Partners include the Public Housing Authority of Butte, St. James/Intermountain Hospital, Butte-Silver Bow County, Southwest Montana Community Health Center, Southwest Montana Continuum of Care Coalition, and the Strategic Alliance for Behavioral Health.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2023

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

Alliance for Youth 2023

Recovery Mentor Program: Expanding Recovery Support Services and Building the Peer Support Workforce Pipeline

Alliance for Youth is a nonprofit organization that advances healthy youth development through a collaborative approach to substance use disorder education, prevention, intervention, and treatment. Sober Life is a program within the Alliance for Youth that provides peer and recovery support services. The goal of the project is to build a Recovery Mentor Program to improve outcomes and access to services and to increase the Certified Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist (CBHPSS) workforce. They will accomplish this by providing training and real-world experience to those interested in a career as a CBHPSS and developing a pipeline of trained and experienced CBHPSS that area providers can hire. Grant funds will be used towards staffing, training, and travel. Partners for this project include Many Rivers Whole Health, Alluvion Health, Indian Family Health Clinic, the Little Shell Tribe, Child and Family Services, and Veterans and Adult Drug Courts.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2023

Benefis Health System Foundation 2023

Meadowlark Initiative – Benefis Hospitals

Benefis Hospital will continue participating in The Meadowlark Initiative, expanding the mental health services and care coordination it provides to pregnant women in Great Falls and the surrounding areas. Benefis will use this grant mainly to hire an additional licensed behavioral health provider. The new provider will allow the site to treat more patients and shorten wait times for counseling services. Benefis will sustain the position through billing insurance. Partners include Great Falls OB/GYN Associates, Cascade City-County Health Department, and DPHHS Child and Family Services.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2023

Big Fork School District 2023

Bigfork School-Strengthing Partnerships to Improve Student Health Outcomes

The Big Fork School District operates three schools serving 956 students in grades K-12. This project will support the school district in hiring a family health liaison who will work closely with students, families, and staff to connect with needed resources, including the school-based health center. It will also provide staff training and education on the multi-tiered support structure systems. Grant funds will be used for the school district staff time to support the project, and for staff training. The primary partner is Logan Health, which operates the school-based health center.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2023

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority 2023

Engaging Tribal and Rural Communities in the Development of Passenger Rail Services in Southern Montana

The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) and Montana State University Extension used this grant to organize and facilitate six outreach meetings across the southern region of Montana—three in Indigenous communities and three in rural towns—to understand better how restoring passenger rail service on the North Coast Hiawatha/Limited (NCH/L) route might benefit them. The discussions focused on the social determinants of health, such as access to health care services; more efficient and affordable transportation to other services, meetings, employment, and events. A final report summarizing the public input was provided to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in August of 2023. This report led to the FRA and the U.S. Department of Transportation accepting BSPRA into the Corridor Identification and Development Program, which puts the restoration of the NCH/L on track for significant federal funding for planning, design, and engineering. BSPRA has received a $150,000 grant through the Build America Bureau and a $500,000 grant to fund initial planning as part of the FRA's Corridor Identification and Development Program.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2023

Blackfeet Tribal Health 2023

Blackfeet Meadowlark Initiative

The Blackfeet Tribal Health Department will continue participating in The Meadowlark Initiative and expand integrated, team-based care to pregnant women on the Blackfeet Reservation. Through a partnership with the Women's Clinic at the Indian Health Service (IHS) Blackfeet Community Hospital, Blackfeet Tribal Health will provide behavioral health services to women with mental health issues or substance use disorders. Grant funds will support a care coordinator who will help women access community-based resources to address their social needs. Care will be coordinated with Logan Health in Kalispell and Benefis Health System in Great Falls when appropriate. Partners include IHS, Blackfeet Child Protective Services, and many programs under Blackfeet Tribal Health.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2023

Broadwater County Public Health Department 2023

Broadwater County Public Health Crisis Resource Coordination

This grant will support Broadwater County to build on the work of the Local Mental Health Advisory Council and develop a strategic plan for an effective behavioral health crisis system. The Broadwater County Health Department will serve as the lead agency. The County is coordinating this effort with Crisis planning work in Jefferson and Lewis and Clark Counties, focusing on aligning resources across the region to implement the Crisis Now model. Other key partners include the Sheriff, County commissioners, Billings Clinic Townsend, Fire and Rescue, and Many Rivers Mental Health Center. Grand funds will support a coordinator and consultants for mapping, strategic planning, and data collection.

Grant Amount

$37,000

Term

18 months

2023

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

Clark Fork Valley Hospital 2023

CFVH Medicine Network Behavioral Health Expansion for Long-Term Sustainability

Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) will improve and expand its integrated behavioral health program (now in its ninth year) by hiring and training new staff to replace a retiring therapist and by increasing addiction counseling and case management services. Over the next two years, CFVH will hire, train, and establish supervision and networking for new team members. Contracting with licensed professionals to supervise pre-licensure clinicians will create a workforce pipeline for its three family medicine clinics. Grant funding will support two full-time staff, including a licensed behavioral health provider or candidate with addiction counseling credentials and a social work care coordinator. Project partners include the Sanders County Commissioners, a local therapist to provide clinical supervision if needed, Western Montana Mental Health Center, AWARE, the Sanders County Council on Aging, and the Sanders County Local Advisory Council.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

36 month

2023

Columbia Falls School District #6 2023

HOME – Health Outcomes Made Easy

The Columbia Falls School District is a K-12 district that serves 2,400 students. The district includes two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The goal of the project is to strengthen the partnership with the school-based health center, integrate the school-based health center into the tiered system of support for the students, and develop a student advisory council. They will use the funds towards the salary of the school district staff member supporting the project, staff training, and outreach. The primary partner is Logan Health, which operates the school-based health center.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2023

Community Food & Agriculture Coalition 2023

The Montana Produce Prescription Collaborative (MTPRx): Mainstreaming Grassroots Projects to Understand Program Impacts on Diabetes and Cholesterol

The Community Food and Agriculture Coalition (CFAC) connects local farmers and families to nurture a strong regional food system. Its food access programming increases access to nutritious, culturally appropriate foods and ensures that local food markets are accessible and equitable. This grant supports CFAC’s expansion and evaluation of their Montana Produce Prescription Collaborative. The collaborative is a Produce Prescription (PPR) program that helps health care providers prescribe locally sourced fruits and vegetables to patients and covers the cost of those items. The PPR program is primarily funded through the USDA's Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), which incentivizes people to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. Funds from MHCF will allow CFAC to expand the PPR cohort to three to five new sites. Funds will help with technical assistance and food prescriptions for culturally relevant protein sources not covered by GusNIP (such as bison, lake trout, and beans). Partners committing to participate in expansion sites are All Nations Health Center, Partnership Health Center, and FAST Blackfeet. The project will also allow CFAC to evaluate the program's impact on nutrition and related health outcomes among food-insecure people with diet-related chronic medical issues such as diabetes and high cholesterol.

Grant Amount

$47,000

Term

12 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

Dodson School District 2023

Dodson School Mental and Physical Health Plan

The Dodson School District will partner with Fort Belknap Tribal Health to improve the health and education outcomes of the students it serves. The Dodson School District is a K-12 public school district in Northcentral Montana serving 85 students, 94% of which are Native American. Fort Belknap Tribal Health received a grant from MHCF in 2022 to implement school-based health centers in Dodson, Harlem, and Hayes-Lodge Pole. This grant will facilitate Dodson School District’s participation in planning, implementation, and sustainability activities in collaboration with Fort Belknap Tribal Health for the school-based health center. As part of this project, the district will identify a staff member to work directly with tribal health. It will also install vape detectors to deter vaping in bathrooms and locker rooms and implement a prevention curriculum. Grant funds will be used to support the project director, supplies, development of a prevention curriculum, and motivational speakers. The vape detectors support the drug-free environment that the district is striving for and will also help the school identify students that would benefit from services. The goal of the partnership between the district and tribal health is to improve the school climate and positively impact disciplinary procedures.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2023

Fort Peck Tribal Health Department 2023

Fort Peck Tribes and Roosevelt County Crisis Coalition Planning Grant Project

This grant will support the Fort Peck Tribes in developing a crisis coalition that will serve the reservation and Roosevelt County. The coalition will bring together diverse partners on the Fort Peck Reservation and in Roosevelt County to collaborate on improving their community's behavioral health crisis response system. The coalition will engage health and justice system partners, develop a charter, analyze data related to the behavioral health crisis in the community, create a sequential intercept map of the current crisis system, and develop a strategic plan for improving the local crisis response system according to evidence-based guidelines. Grant funds will be used to hire a crisis coalition coordinator. Primary project partners are the Fort Peck Tribe and Roosevelt County. Coalition partners will include the local justice system, health system, first responders, schools, public health, and other community organizations.

Grant Amount

$35,000

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

Helena Indian Alliance 2023

Lewis and Clark County School Based Mental Health 

Helena Indian Alliance is an Urban Indian Health Center and a federally qualified health center look-alike. Through this grant Helena Indian Alliance will implementing school-based health care services in two schools in the Helena School District, Helena High School and CR Anderson Middle School. Initially, they will provide behavioral health services, and they will explore implementing medical services in the future. Grant funds will be used towards the salaries of the behavioral health providers. The primary partner for the project is Helena School District. 

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2023

Helena School District 2023

Helena Public Schools SBHC Implementation Grant

The Helena School District is a public school with 16 schools serving over 7,000 prekindergarten through 12th-grade students in the Helena area. This project will help the district implement school-based health services in its schools in partnership with the Helena Indian Alliance and PureView Health Center. Grant funds will be used to support the salary of the director of student health services. This position oversees district programming and services which support student mental and physical health, including school-based health and school-based health centers.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2023

Homeword, Inc. 2023

Creekside Apartments

Homeword, Inc. is working to secure financing to preserve the affordability of Creekside Apartments in the long-term, and carry out a rehabilitation that will improve the safety and quality of these 161 rental units in Missoula. Homeword is a nonprofit housing developer that has created or preserved 1,319 affordable units across the state. The property's rehabilitation will provide new siding, roofing, windows, mechanical systems, and plumbing systems, among other improvements. The resulting modifications will improve housing quality and reduce safety risks to tenants. Creekside Apartments was purchased by Homeward in 2017 and is a mix of studios, one, two, and three bedrooms, targeted to households earning between 50 and 60% of the area median income. The homes were developed in 1996 using the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program. Language included in the state's qualified allocation plan when the project was developed would allow the project to exit the LIHTC program and its corresponding affordability restrictions without penalty in 2026 or possibly even earlier. In areas with strong rental markets, characterized by escalating rents and low vacancies, projects like Creekside (located near the University of Montana) are at high risk of conversion to market rate rentals, resulting in displacement of low- and moderate-income renters. In recognition of this risk, Homeword partnered with the City of Missoula, First Security Bank, and NeighborWorks Montana to purchase the property and prevent the displacement of low- and moderate-income households. The financing structure – which includes a mix of LIHTC, a city-issued bond, financing from CDFI NeighborWorks Montana, and state and local grant sources – allowed Homeword to make an offer competitive with speculative market offers while making interest-only payments supported by affordable rents. With this financing package, Homeword will preserve and extend the affordability of the property while carrying out an extensive renovation that will substantially improve quality and safety. MHCF’s relatively small contribution of long-term, low-cost debt will help Homeword to complete the project without accumulating an operating deficit that could threaten its viability in the long term.

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

Other

2023

Hopa Mountain 2023

Local Food for Local Families

Hopa Mountain will lead the Local Food for Local Families initiative, a collaborative effort with Mission West Community Development Partners, Local Food Marketplace, Livingston Food Resource Center, Community Food and Agriculture Coalition (CFAC), Western Montana Growers Cooperative, Great Northern Development Corporation (GNDC), and the Montana Food Bank Network. This network supports the development, coordination, and expansion of rural and tribal food pantries and food hubs to increase access to healthy, locally produced food in food deserts across the state. Project partners provide peer-to-peer capacity building and technical assistance to help new and prospective food pantries develop plans to source local foods and create revenue-generating strategies. Annual Local Food Summits present an opportunity for project partners to share information and build relationships. MHCF funds will be used for the Local Food Outreach Coordinator staff position and contracts with partner organizations providing technical assistance. The grant leverages an award from USDA’s Local Food Promotion Program and proposes an evaluation of key data, including information about purchases of local and regional agricultural products, as compared to baseline information gathered in 2017.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Human Resource Development Council of District IX, Inc. 2023

Quality Improvements in Supportive Housing

HRDC IX is a nonprofit Community Action Agency serving Gallatin, Park, and Meagher counties. It provides an array of programming to support people and families in need, including housing, energy, food, community transportation, early childhood education, and services for older adults. This project will support partnership development to improve the identification of people who will benefit most from permanent supportive housing. Identification requires matching data from hospital emergency departments, corrections, and homelessness information systems. Data matching will improve resident selection processes for existing supportive housing units and provide better data regarding cost savings and resident outcomes to support funding and policy decisions. Funds will support staff time to collect data, evaluate systems for improvement, build partnerships, and explore the implementation of Medicaid billable services. Partners include the Gallatin Detention Center, Bozeman Health, and Community Health Partners.

Grant Amount

$50,000

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

Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana 2023

Little Shell Tribe Food Security & Food Sovereignty

The Little Shell Tribe will begin building a sustainable food system by implementing a program to provide healthy foods to members who experience food insecurity and have limited access to healthy foods. Funding will be used to hire a project coordinator to develop processes, procedures, and policies for the program while defining a sustainable strategy. The tribe currently has a storage facility and distribution center, and the coordinator will arrange food acquisition, delivery, and distribution. Partners include the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Great Falls Community Food Bank, USDA, Clause Law PLLC, the Little Shell Elder's Committee, Silver Wolf Enterprises, and other Little Shell Tribal Health programs. 

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2023

Logan Health Cut Bank 2023

Logan Health- Cut Bank School Based Clinic

Logan Health-Cut Bank is a critical access hospital and rural health clinic serving Glacier County and surrounding communities. With this project, Logan Health-Cut Bank will create a new school-based health center that will improve access to high-quality, affordable health care for students and staff in the Cut Bank School District. The school-based health center will serve over 700 students and 150 school district staff. The school-based health center will be located at the middle school and will serve all eight schools in the district. The services will include primary care and behavioral health services. Grant funds will be used towards the salaries of the medical providers and project supplies. The primary partner is Cut Bank School District.

Grant Amount

$200,000

Term

24 month

2023

Marias Healthcare Services, Inc. 2023

School-Based Healthcare Services in Schools – Montana’s Golden Triangle Region

Marias Healthcare Services is a Community Health Center serving four counties in Montana’s Golden Triangle Region, along with patients from Great Falls and Havre. Through this grant, Marias Healthcare will develop school-based health centers in Valier, Sunburst, and Shelby School Districts, improving access to high-quality, affordable health services and, in turn, supporting better academic outcomes for approximately 680 students. The services will include primary care, mental health screening and referral, diabetes screening, preventive care, and vision screening. Grant funds will be used towards the startup costs, including salaries of the medical providers, recruitment fees, and project supplies. The project partners are the three school districts served: Valier Public Schools, Sunburst Public Schools, and Shelby Public Schools.

Grant Amount

$286,280

Term

24 month

2023

Missoula County Public Schools 2023

Integrated School-Based Supports: A Vision for Coordinated Care

The Missoula County Public Schools District (MCPS) is a K-12 district that serves 9,763 students. The district includes nine elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools. The goal of the project is to implement the Community Schools model and the multi-tiered systems of support structure within the district. They will do this by developing an organizational and operational infrastructure to weave together school, home, and community resources, including health, children, and family resources. They will use the funds to hire a school coordinator at one of the identified high-priority schools with the goal of developing the framework to expand to the rest of the district. They will partner closely with Partnership Health, which operates the school-based health center in the district.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2023

Mitchell Court LLLP 2023

Mitchell Court Apartments

Mitchell Court is a proposed 32-unit Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) new construction project in Billings. The housing will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments targeted to be affordable to households earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). MHCF funds will leverage approximately $5.4 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and over $3.2 million in funds from Montana's coal trust and HOME Investment Partnership programs. In a demonstration of local commitment, the City of Billings has also preliminarily committed HOME funds totaling $1.2 million and $350,000 in Tax Increment Financing. This project will carry a 51-year Land Use Restriction Agreement (LURA), ensuring long-term affordability. The proposed development shares common amenities with a neighboring project, Jackson Court, creating efficiencies for property management and tenants. The project is well-served by public transportation and is near schools and parks, ideal for a family-focused development. MHCF funds will allow health-enhancing design elements, including ADA features that minimize fall and injury risk and improve accessibility for disabled residents, and low VOC materials, electric ranges and ovens, hard surface floors, and quality HVAC systems that reduce building elements known to exacerbate asthma and increase the risk of respiratory illness and falls. Additionally, funds will be used to implement the physical and site improvements the Billings Crime Prevention recommended through the Environmental Design initiative and for a walking and exercise path. Partners include HomeFront (the Billings-area housing authority), Big Sky Senior Services, Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow, Montana Department of Commerce, and the City of Billings.

Grant Amount

$750,000

Term

Other

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