Search Grants Awarded - Montana Healthcare Foundation

This grant library includes projects funded over the past five years. Projects funded prior to 2019 are available upon request.

245 results

Clinical Supervision for Integrated Behavioral Health Quality and Sustainability

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

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

Billings Permanent Supportive Housing Implementation

United Way of Yellowstone County will build on their previous Housing is Health Care initiative planning grant to develop permanent supportive housing units for people in Billings who are homeless and have complex medical and behavioral health conditions. A strong partnership among local health, housing, and city/county agencies was built through the MHCF planning grant. The project will create a coordinated system for service delivery and financing and a process for identifying, connecting with, and serving the people in Yellowstone County who have the highest medical need and are experiencing homelessness. This grant will support the creation of systems for service delivery and data matching using the Corporation for Supportive Housing's frequent user system engagement (FUSE) model. Funding will be used for project coordination, technical assistance from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and developing data systems to track progress and allow for shared data and outcome measures across partner agencies.

Grant Amount

$98,400

Term

24 month

2021

Development and Implementation of the Montana Prevention Certification Board

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

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Beaverhead County Crisis Response Task Force

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

Grant Amount

$49,428

Term

12 month

2021

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

Great Falls Housing is Healthcare Data Project

YWCA Great Falls provides services to meet critical needs, promote self-sufficiency, reduce violence, and achieve equal opportunities for all people. To better identify the housing and service gaps in the community, YWCA will enhance Great Fall’s Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) database to track housing vouchers and service utilization for those identified as homeless or at high risk of homelessness. This new database will allow YWCA to work across agencies and systems to gather data that tracks the housing and health services used by Coordinated Entry and Frequently User Systems Engagement (FUSE) clients. The capacity to collect quality data will help YWCA coordinate care and resources for the homeless population and help ensure they stay housed. Funding will support staffing for project coordination and data access and input. Opportunities, Inc. is the HMIS lead for Great Falls and is the primary partner for this project.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2021

Communities that Care Training Expansion

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

Grant Amount

$178,824

Term

24 month

2020

Alluvion Health Vaugh Schools

Alluvion Health will implement school-based health services, including medical, dental, and behavioral health, in Vaughn Public School. Vaughn Public School is a K-8 school located 15 miles from Great Falls. Alluvion will use a newly acquired mobile unit to provide dental services and provide medical and behavioral health services within the school. Grant funds will cover startup costs including salaries for the staff providing services. The project’s goal is to offer health services to the students and staff members of Vaughn Public School and the surrounding communities of Sun River, Fort Shaw, and Simms and in turn, to improve students’ ability to learn and succeed in school.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2020

Higher Logic Community Sharing Platform

The Association of Montana Public Health Officials will use the Higher Logic web platform to create a cloud-based application that enables Local and Tribal Health Departments to share resources and discuss and provide each other with technical assistance on specific public health questions. The Higher Logic platform has been used by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), NNPHI, and other public health organizations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for this resource has become more pressing. With limited staff and funding, county and tribal health departments face an overwhelming range of new tasks, such as issuing isolation and quarantine orders, creating spreadsheets for contact tracing and monitoring quarantine, developing fact sheets for a wide range of audiences (such as daycares, first responders, shelters, and law enforcement), drafting letters to businesses not following public health directives, and issuing press releases and public statements that are informative but comply with all privacy laws. This investment will create a critically needed platform for counties and tribes to share templates and offer and receive advice and assistance as questions related to COVID-19 arise, and beyond the pandemic as well.

Grant Amount

$42,500

Term

24 month

2020

AWARE PACT Service Expansion-Region 4

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

Grant Amount

$165,000

Term

12 month

2020

Infection Control Training

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

Grant Amount

$3,000

Term

12 month

2020

Bitterroot CASA Advocacy Training & Sustaining

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

Grant Amount

$55,826

Term

24 month

2020

Blackfeet Tribal Health 638 of the Community Health Education Program

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

Grant Amount

$19,877

Term

12 month

2020

PACT Team Expansion & MACT Implementation

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

Grant Amount

$207,000

Term

12 month

2020

MACT Services in Eastern Montana

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

Grant Amount

$202,515

Term

12 month

2020

Planning Grant to Develop an Online Certificate Program & CME Opportunities in “Climate and Health”

The Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana used this grant to offer a semester-long pilot course on climate change and health to undergraduate and health profession students at the University of Montana and Montana State University. The goal was to equip these students with practical tools to address the health impacts of climate change-related issues (such as more frequent and intense wildfires and heat waves) on Montanans, especially vulnerable and underserved populations. The project team conducted a needs assessment to inform the curriculum, reached out to a wide range of content experts and stakeholders, and promoted and raised awareness of the course. More than 50 participants enrolled in the course and provided very positive feedback. The course has been approved as an elective option for those pursuing an “Interprofessional Education” micro-credential, and it was approved as an Area Health Education Consortium (AHEC) Scholars course for students at the University of Montana. The team plans to continue offering the course every one to two academic years. In order to serve the needs of practicing health professionals and trainees who might not have time to attend the course, the team designed a self-paced, asynchronous "Climate Change and Human Health in Montana" webinar series that is being offered through the Montana Public Health Training Center. It is free of charge and participants can earn continuing education credits. Future offerings of the course will be supported by academic registration fees.

Grant Amount

$24,984

Term

12 month

2020

Developing a Plan to Transform the Behavioral Health System through Mapping

The Flathead City-County Health Department (FCHD) used this grant to map the behavioral health system in Flathead County in order to identify what community resources exist, understand the current gaps in services, and develop a strategic plan for improving specific treatment needs. FCHD created a coalition of stakeholders that included experts in mental health, substance use disorders, law enforcement, housing, health, and social services, as well as individuals directly impacted by mental health disorders. Grant funds were used to hire a consultant, and a modified sequential intercept mapping (SIM) process was used. The SIM process produced a finalized Mental Health Services and Funding Maps of Flathead County, which provides an in-depth analysis of the county’s capacity for behavioral health and crisis services. This will aid in the development of additional capacity building projects for improving the county’s behavioral health services.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2020

School Based Health Centers – Primary Care

Flathead Community Health Center (FCHC) will implement school-based medical services at Linderman Alternative High School and Evergreen Schools in Kalispell. Through a previous grant, FCHC is already providing behavioral health services at both schools and has built strong relationships with each school's administration. This project will expand the services the health center offers to include medical care for students, school staff, and the surrounding community. Both schools have begun remodeling to create space for the health center to provide medical services on the school campuses. Grant funds will support staff salaries, including a school-based health center coordinator and primary care provider.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2020

Billings Area Community Health Aide Program

The Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC) used this grant to support its efforts to implement the Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) in Montana. CHAP began in Alaska to allow community health aides to provide community, behavioral, and dental care alongside licensed providers, with the goal of expanding these services to rural tribal communities. The Montana Legislature passed a law in 2019 allowing for the establishment of CHAP in Montana, but the planning for and implementation of CHAP is still in progress. FBIC partnered with all Montana Native nations, state government, Billings Area Indian Health Services, tribal colleges and universities throughout the state, and others. The project made progress in the establishment of the Billings Area Certification Board (BACB) and the Academic Review Committee (ARC), an essential step in the process. Significant progress was made in developing CHAP standards and curriculum in medical, dental, and behavioral health, as well as the procedures for certifying CHAP providers. The project also succeeded in raising awareness of CHAP and its benefits among BACB and ARC members, tribal elected officials, Indian Health Service staff, and Montana state officials.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2020

Kaiser Health News Montana Health News Partnership

This project will support the launch of a Kaiser Health News (KHN) bureau in Montana. The bureau will increase Montana-centered health journalism and provide high-quality, relevant coverage of important health care, public health, and health policy issues free-of-charge to print, radio, and television news outlets throughout the state. This grant will enable KHN to hire an experienced, full-time, Montana-based health journalist; provide access to the full range of editorial, production, and research infrastructure of the national KHN newsroom; and allow for contracts with freelance journalists to extend the reach of the project in rural Montana. KHN's editors will work with these journalists to produce stories for and about Montana residents which will be widely distributed through media partners across the state, region, and nation, as well as through social media. The goal of the project is to increase both the quantity and quality of health journalism for and about Montana residents, helping them understand the policy, industry, and social factors that impact their health and well-being.

Grant Amount

$600,258

Term

36 month

2020

Partnerships for Permanently Supportive Housing Phase II

With this grant, the Human Resources Development Council of District IX (HRDC) and its community partners joined the Housing is Health Care Initiative. The goal was to develop permanent supportive housing units for homeless people in Bozeman who have complex medical and behavioral health conditions in order to improve health outcomes for individuals and reduce costs for the community. HRDC and its partners, including the Gallatin County Detention Center, Bozeman Health, Community Health Partners, the City of Bozeman, and mental health providers, completed the first phase of the first single-site supportive housing development. The project hired several staff members to provide tenancy support services, trauma-informed property management, health resources navigation, case management, and additional services. This included a supportive housing coordinator, a recovery specialist, a case manager, and a part-time health navigator. The project has successfully housed 13 residents who were identified through the frequent user system engagement (FUSE) data match process. In the first six months, residents achieved a 100% rate of maintaining housing. Preliminary data shows a significant reduction in costs for Gallatin County Detention as well. The project has catalyzed funding totaling $1,033,000 from several sources to support and sustain the project, including SAMSHA; Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Addictive and Mental Disorders Division; Yellowstone Club Community Foundation; and Fannie Mae.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2020

Designing A More Effective Behavioral Health Service Continuum in Lewis & Clark County

Lewis and Clark County Public Health created this project to redesign the behavioral health crisis system in Lewis and Clark County. The goals were to reduce emergency department admissions, reduce and de-escalate behavioral health-related criminal justice encounters and recidivism, and optimize crisis response with a Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) in order to improve the overall behavioral health and public safety in the county. A Behavioral Health Systems Improvement Leadership Team, which included a newly hired behavioral health program specialist, worked to identify needs and gaps in the current system and recommend improvements. The team developed a strategic plan, completed a comprehensive data analysis, and set priorities for implementation. The project successfully launched the MCRT, which served 172 people and diverted 102 from the emergency department, for an estimated savings to the system of more than $212,000. The project secured an $11,000 county tribal matching grant and technical assistance to guide crisis stabilization and receiving facilities in the county. The program was recognized by the National Association of Counties (NACo) with a 2021 NACo Achievement Award. Having established a formal charter with St. Peter's Health, the county sheriff, county commissioners, Shodair Children's Hospital, and PureView Health Center, the program is well-positioned to continue its work into the future.

Grant Amount

$78,598

Term

12 month

2020

Integrated Behavioral Health for High Risk Pregnant Women Phase II

Logan Health Medical Center used this grant to bring integrated behavioral health (IBH) services into its obstetrics clinic in order to better serve at-risk mothers in Flathead County, the Flathead and Blackfeet reservations, and the surrounding area. Logan Health implemented The Meadowlark Initiative® team-based care model into its services. The clinic now universally screens all prenatal patients for depression, anxiety, and substance use, and patients who screen positive are referred to the care coordinator. Staff members forged a relationship with Child and Family Services and are developing a bi-directional referral agreement to improve the implementation of the Family Plan of Safe Care. Hiring behavioral health professionals has been a challenge, but Logan Health is working hard to recruit candidates through hiring bonuses, incentives, and networking channels. The care coordinator participates in two state-level coalitions to further the reach of The Meadowlark Initiative® and improve patient care locally and statewide. Logan Health is committed to continuing to provide excellent patient care and bolstering its care coordination across the organization.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2020

Integrated Behavioral Health Outreach

Kalispell Regional Medical Center (KRMC) will serve as a hub to support the implementation of integrated behavioral health (IBH) across its growing network of affiliate hospitals. Two affiliate hospitals that have already implemented IBH – Cabinet Peaks Medical Center and North Valley Hospital – will receive ongoing technical assistance to improve their IBH practice. Northern Rockies Medical Center and Pondera Medical Center are just beginning the IBH implementation and will use the funding to hire a full-time behavioral health provider at each location. Marias Medical Center will participate in a planning capacity, with a goal of beginning to implement IBH at the same time as they begin offering primary care services. KRMC will provide leadership and oversee all IBH implementation activities, including universal screening for depression and substance use disorders, care coordination, psychiatric consultation, and rural site training. The National Council for Behavioral Health will provide technical assistance. Expected outcomes include universal screening for behavioral health conditions in the primary care setting, improvement in depression and substance use disorder outcomes, decreased emergency room visits related to mental illness and substance use disorders, and improved coordination of care between participating facilities.

Grant Amount

$200,000

Term

24 month

2020

Implemention of Integrated Behavioral Health

Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital will integrate behavioral health services into its five primary care clinics located throughout the Bitterroot Valley in Ravalli County. The hospital will establish a new partnership with Sapphire Community Health, the local federally qualified health center. With the new partnership, Marcus Daly will expand behavioral health screening, provide immediate access to either a behavioral health provider or telehealth appointment (depending on the location), and ultimately seek to improve health outcomes and reduce emergency department use related to behavioral health crisis. Grant funds will help Sapphire Community Health hire a care coordinator and behavioral health clinician to support patients’ needs. The National Council for Behavioral Health will provide technical assistance.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2020

Interdepartmental Housing Integration Project

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Service (DPHHS) will establish an Interdepartmental Housing Integration Project. The project will align strategies and action plans across disparate state departments, agencies, and local stakeholders to use existing resources more effectively to address homelessness, housing insecurity, and health service integration priorities. The project will create a platform that integrate three separate housing and health care data systems to share information on homeless high-utilizers, which will enable the coordination of services to improve outcomes for those individuals. The state will also evaluate and, if feasible, finalize appropriate Medicaid changes to support health-related tenancy support services. Initial partners include DPHHS; the Department of Commerce, Montana Housing Division and the Community Development Division; the Montana Continuum of Care Coalition; and the Montana Healthcare Foundation's Frequent Users System Engagement grantee communities. Grant funds will cover a full-time staff person dedicated to grant management activities, costs associated with stakeholder planning and meetings, data analytics coordination, and contracted assistance.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2020

Montana Environmental Health Association Foundation

The Montana Environmental Health Association (MEHA) identified workforce shortages as a serious problem affecting the public health system in communities around the state. With this grant, MEHA completed a workforce study to guide efforts to address this problem. The results were presented at the MEHA conference in 2022 and will guide the organization’s further efforts to address workforce shortages in collaboration with partner agencies and organizations.

Grant Amount

$10,000

Term

12 month

2020

Hardin Rural Health Food Box Program

The Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) partnered with Big Horn Valley Health Center’s clinic in Hardin, One Health, to screen patients for food insecurity. Those screening positive were given prepackaged emergency food boxes, grocery store vouchers for fresh foods, and referrals to resources such as SNAP and Medicaid. One Health clinic staff distributed 250 food boxes during the project period. Patients reported on follow-up surveys that being connected to long-term food assistance programs positively impacted their ability to obtain enough food more regularly. The project found that some patients did not have the ability to store and cook food, so MFBN will consider incorporating items like crockpots and hot plates in future projects. MFBN is exploring developing a Healthcare Partnerships program that would be sustained within its annual operating budget. MFBN will take a conservative approach to expansion, strategically selecting health care facilities in areas with higher-than-average food insecurity rates.

Grant Amount

$10,000

Term

12 month

2020

Statewide Coverage of COVID-19 on Individuals, Communities, the Health Care System, and Legislation

The Montana Free Press will cover the impact of COVID-19 on the physical and mental health of Montanans as well as the state’s response in the upcoming legislative session. For this reporting, the Montana Free Press will use their staff reporter as well as their freelance reporting team. Grant funds will be used to enable reporters to focus on the health and health policy impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The Montana Free Press has established partnerships with news organizations across the state. They will provide their stories free of charge to local and statewide news organizations, further strengthening these partnerships. The project’s overall goal is to provide high-quality, sustained, statewide coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on individuals, communities, health care infrastructure, and legislation in Montana.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2020

Improving Interoperability & Capabilities of Behavioral & Indian Health Electronic Health Systems

This grant supported the continued development of a Montana health information exchange (HIE). This $100,000 MHCF investment allowed the grantee to secure a $900,000 federal match, an important contribution to this complex, multi-year effort. Health information exchanges are a critical tool for health care safety, quality, and continuity of care. This grant sought to facilitate the connection of two key groups to the HIE: behavioral health providers and tribal, Indian Health Service, and urban Indian health systems. The grantee focused on behavioral health and was able to connect several integrated behavioral health and specialty behavioral health providers. The grantee was not able to connect tribal, Indian Health Service, or urban Indian health programs, reporting that staffing and technological challenges proved to be a significant barrier. The grantee reports continued outreach to these organizations.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

12 month

2020

School Wellness

The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) will partner with the Montana Healthcare Foundation (MHCF) to support the implementation of a new initiative focused on school wellness. This initiative will support new partnerships between schools and high-performing health care providers (including federally qualified health centers, rural health centers, tribal health departments, and behavioral health providers) to create school-based health centers. The initiative will target roughly 70 schools with the highest concentration of students most in need of services, as judged by academic and health data (including alternative schools and those with the lowest academic performance). OPI will use grant funding to hire a new staff person dedicated to supporting the initiative. As part of this project, OPI will help enlist school participation and provide trauma-informed care training, coaching, and academic data reporting support. They will also help schools plan and implement participation in their Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) for students with behavioral issues, and identify and implement restorative discipline practices. Beyond MHCF and OPI, other partnerships that will be developed include local school districts, clinical service partners, public health, and the School-Based Health Alliance. The project’s overall goal is to improve student health and academic outcomes by providing in-school access to health care services and fostering a supportive school climate.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2020

Montana Public Health Institute Start Up

This grant will fund the creation of the Montana Public Health Institute (MPHI). Over the last six years, we have worked with stakeholders around the state to find ways to strengthen Montana’s public health system. Based on this work, we published a 2019 report, “Creating a Vision for a Healthier Montana: Strengthening the Montana Public Health System.” The report identified public health institute functions that are not currently provided by any other public health entity, such as providing “surge capacity” to respond to public health emergencies; supporting small, rural health departments by procuring grants, and assisting with technical assistance and management of funds; and carrying out rigorous, non-partisan analysis of Montana’s public health system and opportunities to strengthen it. The report concluded with a recommendation to design and start a public health institute in Montana. With consultants from Montana (Jane Smilie) and the National Network for Public Health Institutes (NNPHI), we are now supporting the work of the MPHI Design Team comprising stakeholders from Montana’s county, tribal, state, academic, and non-profit public health organizations. The Design Team recently approved a strategic plan for the MPHI and has started work on establishing the organization. The COVID-19 pandemic creates an urgent need for services that a public health institute can provide. An MPHI will aid our state’s response, guide and support the recovery, and analyze lessons from this crisis to assist in building a more effective public health system. DPHHS has requested that MPHI—once formed—assist with administering certain federal grants expected in the next two months that DPHHS does not have the capacity to administer. To achieve an accelerated startup, the Design Team nominated members to serve as a founding board of directors; the board will incorporate the MPHI as a Montana non-profit in late April 2020. The new MPHI will implement the long-term strategic plan developed by the Design Team, and it will play an immediate and critically needed role in COVID-19 response and recovery. Key partners include DPHHS, county and tribal public health departments, Montana’s public health associations, and the Montana University System.

Grant Amount

$1,850,000

Term

60 months

2020

Montana RIDE – Regional Initiatives in Dental Education

Montana State University (MSU) and the Montana Office of Rural Health partnered with the University of Washington (UW), its Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE), and other organizations to increase the number of trained oral health professionals in rural and underserved communities in order to increase access to oral health services in Montana. The project, known as Montana RIDE, established a dental education program to train dental students through clinical rotations in rural and underserved areas; implemented a coordinated plan for training, recruiting, and supporting the oral health workforce; created interprofessional education programs; and developed a formal network structure. Montana RIDE placed UW dental students in more than 24 clinical rotations across the state in rural and tribal communities including, for example, Hardin, Laurel, Scobey, and the Crow/Northern Cheyenne and Blackfeet IHS facilities; used teledentistry to provide education for students and preceptors; and provided training to students from multiple health profession backgrounds on a variety of dental health topics. The project contracted with the Rocky Mountain Tribal Epidemiology Center, which conducted an oral health needs survey with its members. Montana RIDE has been proposed to MSU and the Board of Regents as a permanent program, and will also be proposed at the 2023 legislative session. Even if the formal program is not approved, the project’s partners are committed to continuing to support dental clinical rotations in Montana for UW students.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2020

Medication Assisted Treatment Clinic Feasibility Planning

The Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center (BUIHWC), operated by the Native American Development Corporation (NADC), used this planning grant to expand its substance use disorder treatment services to include medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The goal was to provide more comprehensive, collaborative, and coordinated care to address the opioid use crisis in the American Indian community of Billings. BUIHWC conducted research to quantify the need for MOUD; formalized community and regional partnerships with health care providers, law enforcement, workforce development, housing, and other community support services; increased primary care provider training and the ability to prescribe medications associated with MOUD; established a framework for a comprehensive feasibility plan that includes implementation steps, a timeline, an operating budget, sources of revenue, operational and fiscal impacts, and a sustainability plan; and identified and applied for additional funding sources. The project secured an additional $500,000 through the Indian Health Service and is working to leverage third-party reimbursement for services provided through the clinic.

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2020

Integrated and Sustainable School-Based Health Care in Bighorn County

Bighorn Valley Health Center (BVHC) will begin providing school-based health services in the Hardin High School, Crow Agency Public School, and the Wyola School District. School-based health services – delivered through a combination of in-person and virtual visits – will be available for students, school staff, and the surrounding community. Grant funds will support salaries for project management and partnership liaison staff. The project’s goal is to bring needed health services to rural and frontier communities in the southcentral region of the state.

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

24 month

2020

Sacred Families of Big Horn County

With the support of The Meadowlark Initiative, One Health in Hardin strengthened its team to provide supportive care to pregnant women in Bighorn County who have substance use and mental health disorders. The goals of the project were to provide comprehensive, compassionate care to families; improve maternal and family outcomes; reduce newborn drug exposure, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and perinatal complications; and keep families together and children out of the foster care system. The One Health Meadowlark community team collaborated with the One Health clinical team to train all staff on screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT). They implemented structures and processes to ensure prenatal patients were routinely screened for substance use, depression, and anxiety throughout their pregnancy and were referred to the Meadowlark team if they were at risk. One Health expanded its outreach and target population to include offering support and resources to the patient’s family members as well. One Health created a Peer Support Team to help reach mothers and bring them to their prenatal and postnatal appointments; enroll them in the medication-assisted treatment program; and provide support programs such as parenting classes, recovery groups, and assistance with insurance. One Health collaborated with other clinics and providers in the area to ensure patients’ care was well coordinated throughout their pregnancy and the postpartum period. The project also worked closely with state, tribal, and social service organizations. The One Health team is continuing to explore ways to generate revenue to ensure the project is sustainable.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2020

Implementing a Medical Legal Partnership at Partnership Health Center

This planning grant funded the development of a new medical-legal partnership (MLP) at Partnership Health Center (PHC). The MLP model integrates the expertise of legal professionals into clinical settings to help health care providers address structural problems at the root of many health inequities. Grant funds were used to hire a part-time MLP program coordinator who helped create the internal workflows, training programs, and processes needed for screening patients for health-harming legal needs, referring patients to MLP services, notetaking regarding patient interactions, data tracking of patient information, and referring patients to the network of pro bono attorneys. The program coordinator established a community advisory board that included the Office of the Public Defender, Montana Legal Service Association, HomeWord, University of Montana's law school, and other community partners. The coordinator also hosted several virtual town halls that covered topics such as eviction law and renting requirements. A total of 91 patients have been referred to the MLP through behavioral health, social work, and other service providers. Of those referrals, 76 have completed the screening process, and 72 have screened as having a health-harming legal need. PHC plans to sustain the position of the MLP coordinator and is working to secure funding to expand legal access to allow for increased patient access.

Grant Amount

$24,000

Term

12 month

2020

Improving Health Through Cross-Sector Collaborations

This project will continue MHCF’s collaboration with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to strengthen local and tribal public health throughout the state. Since 2014, MHCF and DPHHS have worked together by providing small grants and technical support to train boards of health and support community health assessments, health improvement plans, strategic plans, and implementation projects in counties and tribes throughout Montana. This new project will build on that work with four new aims. First, it will reach, engage, and build the capacity of the health departments that the Public Health System Improvement Office has not engaged to date. Second, it will continue providing mini grants and technical support for public health planning and implementation projects, but with a new emphasis on sustainability and business planning. Third, it will support cross-jurisdictional planning processes and the sharing of public health services across counties at the request of local jurisdictions. And, finally, it will improve the engagement of local boards of health and public health governance. The project will also include a new emphasis on developing cross-sector collaborations with hospitals and other partners, which will contribute to more sustainable public health services. The grant funding will be used to provide direct grant money to local and tribal health departments, provide funding for travel for direct technical assistance, and provide funding for travel for the local board of health members and the lead local to the National Association of Local Boards of Health. Also, a portion of the funds, will be used to support Communities that Care, again with a focus on supporting local and tribal health department participation. If needed, part of the budget will be used to hire consultants to work directly on issues such as business planning and cross-jurisdictional services.

Grant Amount

$475,500

Term

24 month

2020

Carbon County Area Ride & Transit: A Planning Proposal to Address Rural Isolation & Mobility Needs

The Red Lodge Area Community Foundation (RLACF) designed and completed the initial implementation of the Carbon County Area Ride and Transit (CART). The project's goal was to help aging and at-risk residents access transportation to their medical appointments, health facilities, grocery stores, and social events, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes. Working closely with the local Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), RLACF collected data and gathered feedback to determine geographic routes and operation times to ensure the project met the community's needs. CART developed marketing, outreach, and sustainability plans; completed MOUs between TAC and local stakeholders, including three health care providers; developed a relationship with the Montana Department of Transportation; and hired qualified staff and engaged with a consultant. While the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges, the project was able to hold meetings virtually and even began providing much-needed transportation for residents who wanted COVID-19 vaccinations. CART secured $60,000 from the Montana Department of Transportation and $5,000 annually from Hub Insurance. RLACF's sustainability plan for the next three years includes city and county government financial support, events, business partnerships, grants, and reimbursements.

Grant Amount

$24,853

Term

12 month

2020

Rimrock Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)

Rimrock will implement a new Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team that serves Yellowstone, Musselshell, Big Horn, Carbon, Stillwater, Golden Valley, and Wheatland counties. PACT is the core service of a tiered delivery system that targets people with severe disabling mental illness who require long-term ongoing support that exceeds traditional outpatient services. The goal of the service is to rehabilitate each client to their highest level of functioning. PACT teams are mobile and deliver services in community locations to meet clients where they are. Grant funds will build this new PACT program's capacity through technical assistance by the National Council for Behavioral Health and bridge funding to help offset the cost of hiring and training new staff. Project partners include the Southcentral Montana Mental Health Center, Billings Clinic Behavioral Health Service, and the Montana State Hospital. This project aims to stabilize 196 clients with severe disabling mental illness and reduce admission to inpatient psychiatric hospitals.

Grant Amount

$197,148

Term

12 month

2020

Sapphire’s School Wellnes Project

The goal of the Sapphire Community Health (SCH) School Wellness Project was to bring medical and mental health services to children in schools where they are not currently available. SCH completed the planning process to implement school-based services in the Victor School District and the Hamilton School District. It did not move forward with the Stevensville School District as originally planned. In the Victor schools, SCH implemented both nursing and mental health services on a weekly basis. The mobile medical unit that was created to provide services made several visits to the schools to provide additional medical services. The nurse and mental health provider have developed a positive rapport with the students, faculty, and surrounding community, as well as a strong partnership with district administrators. SCH established a mental health provider in the Hamilton schools several days a week, and there has been high demand for her services. SCH intends to sustain these services and activities beyond the grant term by billing for the chargeable medical and mental health services provided.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2020

Bakken Behavioral Health Integration

Sidney Health Center, a nonprofit community-based medical center serving Eastern Montana, used this grant to join The Meadowlark Initiative and expand its current integrated behavioral health program from its primary care clinic into its OB/GYN clinic. The goal was to improve its support for perinatal patients who have substance use or mental health issues. Sidney Health Center implemented universal screening for substance use, depression, and anxiety in prenatal and postnatal care, and all providers refer women to behavioral health as needed. Key partners include Eastern Montana Mental Health Services and other community-based resources serving women and families. Sidney Health Center is committed to growing and expanding its behavioral health services and is considering adding care coordination to its current services.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2020

Wrapped In Hope

St Luke Healthcare successfully implemented team-based, coordinated care to better support perinatal patients at its critical access hospital in Ronan on the Flathead Indian Reservation as well as its four clinics. The goals of the project were to improve access to behavioral health services, improve outcomes for women who screen positive for substance use disorder or mental health issues, and reduce the instances of out-of-home placements for infants. St. Luke implemented universal screening for substance use, depression, and anxiety in prenatal and postnatal care. It added a care navigator to the team to serve as a conduit between primary care providers, behavioral health clinicians, patients, and psychiatric services, as well as to help connect women and their families to community resources. St. Luke established a medication-assisted treatment program for patients and implemented the Eat, Sleep, Console program to teach mothers how to manage the symptoms of infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Staff were trained on health equity, implicit bias, and cultural humility to better serve the diverse population in the community. St. Luke has strengthened its relationship with Child and Family Services as it begins to use the Family Plan of Safe Care to better address the needs of families. St Luke Healthcare is committed to sustaining the Meadowlark model and is seeking additional funding to support its programs.

Grant Amount

$130,000

Term

24 month

2020

American Indian Governance and Policy Institute

With this grant, the University of Montana Foundation helped the American Indian Governance and Policy Institute (AIGPI), a Native-led research entity, develop a comprehensive tribal public policy needs assessment that will inform AIGPI’s tribal policy research and analysis agenda for the next 10 years. The goal of the project was to better understand and address the core causes of poor socioeconomic conditions and the social determinants of health that impact the American Indian population in Montana. Through extensive research, as well as meetings and interviews with tribal leaders and key stakeholders, the AIGPI completed a research report titled, “Key Social Factors Influencing Native American Health in Indian Country.” The report has gained interest across the state and will be used as a framework for future state health assessments. In addition, AIGPI engaged in its first four pilot studies for Montana Tribal governments, which will provide in-depth background information and policy recommendations on how to address social determinants of health. AIGPI’s research will be sustained through partnerships created with the University of Montana’s Indian Law Clinic and Master of Public Policy Program. Faculty researchers and graduate students will conduct research for credit rather than monetary payments. The Headwaters Foundation awarded AIGPI a grant of $100,000 to condense the report into a shorter article to make it more widely accessible.

Grant Amount

$99,956

Term

24 month

2020

Affordable Housing Study

The University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER), in partnership with the Helena Housing Authority, Homeword, NeighborWorks Montana, the Montana Housing Coalition, and others, completed a policy analysis to identify potential solutions to Montana’s affordable housing shortage. The goal was to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the impacts of the affordable housing shortage and create a repository of actionable information for how to approach the issue. The project achieved three outcomes: (1) conducting a survey and cataloging federal and state public finance programs for housing affordability in Montana and comparable states, (2) creating a detailed database of affordable housing units in the state, with information such as type of property, unit attributes, targeted population, geolocation, programs utilized, and age and condition of the structure, and (3) developing an analysis of the demand for and impact of low-income housing in the primary population centers of Helena, Great Falls, Kalispell/Flathead County, Missoula, Billings, Bozeman, and Butte. This analysis supports the Montana Healthcare Foundation’s Housing is Health Care initiative by helping organizations working to create permanent supportive housing in Montana track and identify available housing units. http://www.bber.umt.edu/pubs/econ/AffordableHousing2020.pdf

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2020

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