All Nations Health Center 2021

All Nations Housing Feasibility Study

All Nations Health Center is an urban Indian health center located in Missoula; it serves over 4,000 Native American people. This project will help the center conduct a feasibility study for a new facility incorporating housing and an integrated care clinic. Homeward, a local affordable-housing developer, will conduct the study, including housing development costs and available funding resources for financing. MASS Architecture Design will finish a preliminary architecture report detailing the logistics of an integrated care clinic. The Native American Development Corporation will support organizing finance options for the new building. Funding will support the contractors to complete the feasibility study, housing development costs, building design, and finance options.

Grant Amount

$74,250

Term

12 month

2021

Alliance for Youth, Inc. 2021

Development of Recovery Support Services Funding Model and Peer Support Capacity Building, Implementation, Evaluation and Integration Into Crisis Intervention Program

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 Alliance for Youth that provides peer and recovery support services. With this grant, Alliance for Youth will partner with Alluvion Health to provide peer support services for Alluvion's Crisis Intervention Program. The Crisis Intervention Program decreases relapse rates among people struggling with substance use disorders and diverts people in crisis away from emergency rooms and jails. This partnership will help develop a sustainable funding model for peer support and expand services in Great Falls and North Central Montana. Funding will support staff salaries and contracts for billing and clinical supervision for peer support. Partners include Alluvion Health and the local Crisis Intervention Program organizations.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2021

Arlee Community Development Corporation 2021

Pivoting from Emergency Food Response to Food Sovereignty (FSC) Programming with Healthy Local Foods

The Arlee Community Development Corporation (CDC) sought to establish a walk-in, choice-based food pantry and resource center that provides access to more local nutritious food and food education to communities in the Jocko Valley. By collaborating with a range of partners, including Confederated Salish and Kootenai (CSKT) Tribal Health, CSKT Food Sovereignty Initiative, Mission Mountain Food Enterprise, and Montana Growers Cooperative, Arlee CDC was able to serve more hard-to-reach populations with a variety of food options, services, and educational programs. Patrons of the food pantry were educated about SNAP benefits and received assistance with SNAP applications. Arlee CDC accessed food from local growers and producers, provided meal kits to families, offered cooking and food preservation classes, educated about ancestral food preparation, and provided garden boxes to encourage families to grow their own food. Arlee CDC received a $15,000 grant from Hopa Mountain, got access to $15,000 - $20,000 in federal Emergency Food Assistance Program funding, and obtained other in-kind and financial donations from partners.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021

Billings Clinic 2021

Regional Integrated Behavioral Health Integration Project

Billings Clinic is a health care system that serves the state of Montana through a network of regional affiliate hospitals. For this project, nine critical access hospitals (which began implementing integrated care through a prior grant) will continue the process of transforming their primary care practices to a high-quality integrated behavioral health model, and up to five additional sites will join the network and begin implementing integrated care. The project aims to promote a deep understanding of integrated care practice and benefits, support long-term, sustainable engagement at rural sites, and promote integrated care conformity across the Billings Clinic affiliate network's Montana sites. Billings Clinic will continue network development activities and data sharing, with close collaboration and support of the Billings Clinic Regional Services team and the Montana Healthcare Foundation's technical assistance providers. Funding will support startup costs for additional care managers for the region (located in a rural affiliate site) and remotely support the rest of the facilities.

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

36 months

2021

Butte SPIRIT Center 2021

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

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

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Cancer Support Community Montana 2021

Expansion of Behavioral Health Programs in Missoula

This grant enabled Cancer Support Community Montana (CSCMT), which provides support, education, and hope to improve the quality of life of those impacted by cancer, to open a Missoula Chapter in in the former Cold Springs Elementary School building. The goal was to bring a new resource to Western Montana that could transform the cancer experience, increase access to care, and address depression and anxiety for patients and their families. CSCMT’s Missoula Chapter is now fully functioning, with a full-time executive director, a full-time program director, and a full-time development and operations manager. It offers a comprehensive program of support for people with cancer and their caregivers, including monthly support groups, weekly new participant orientations, education programs, mind/body classes, behavioral health services, and wigs and other supplies. The program director is providing one-on-one mental health counseling and developing a community so people have the support they need during their time of difficulty. The Missoula Chapter has successfully localized services in the community in a warm home-like environment that is patient-centered and free of charge. It has built relationships with local cancer centers, other support groups, and community members; recruited a Chapter Board; started building its donor network of individuals and businesses; and executed several successful fundraising campaigns, which will help it continue to provide all services at no cost to community members.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Center Pole 2021

Increasing Capacity and Food Quality to Create a Healthy Culturally Based Reservation Food System

Center Pole is a 23-year-old grassroots, Native-led organization on the Crow Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana. Its food security project aims to improve its capacity to procure, produce, store, and distribute healthy foods to people on the reservation and in the surrounding areas. Despite the challenges of decreased food supplies and higher food prices, Center Pole achieved several of its objectives. It completed improvements to its warehouse, expanded its mostly indigenous food network, received a wide variety of local food donations, and trained 42 community food interns in food safety, distribution, and preparation. Center Pole is working with community elders to learn about the edible wild plants in the area and how they can be used by local populations. It is also focusing on requesting healthier foods from its sources, including the Montana Food Bank Network.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021

Chippewa Cree Tribe 2021

Rocky Boy Food Sovereignty Project

Located in North Central Montana, the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation is designated as a food desert, with the nearest grocery store selling fresh produce located more than 30 miles away. The Chippewa-Cree Tribe used this grant to support the development of healthful products grown and produced on the reservation. The goal was to improve the health and well-being of those living on the reservation by giving them access to fresh, nutritious foods. Grant funds were used to hire a project manager, plant gardens, develop and market value-added products such as flour and pasta, and evaluate the needs and preferences of the community being served. Funds were also used to purchase seeds, a food processor, and a meat saw. The first growing season was not successful due to extremely hot temperatures. The second season yielded about 3,000 pounds of vegetables, including squash, potatoes, corn, and tomatillos. The plan moving forward is to focus on Kamut flour, a "salsa garden," and a few select vegetables that are likely to be resilient in the region's often harsh growing conditions.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021

Community Medical Center 2021

Community Medical Center’s Consolidation Grant

Community Medical Center (CMC) is a large hospital in Missoula that serves the surrounding region. This project will expand CMC's capacity to provide the entire continuum of care for patients with mental illness and substance use disorders by fully integrating behavioral health into its primary care clinics, expanding services through telehealth to specialty and walk-in clinics, and thoroughly training and integrating its clinical teams. Funding will support a social worker to serve as a centralized behavioral health care manager for the project. This person will provide the personnel, psychiatric consultation, and clinical supervision needed to implement the project. Partners include the University of Montana's Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program, Walla Walla University's Masters in Social Work Program, Andy Laue, LCSW, who provides group clinical supervision for the behavioral health providers, and other community behavioral health providers who offer individual clinical supervision and psychiatric consultation to the team.

Grant Amount

$175,000

Term

36 months

2021

Day Eagle Hope Project 2021

Aaniiih/Nakoda Food Sovereignty on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation

The Day Eagle Hope Project, a Native nonprofit on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation that addresses health and wellness issues, used this grant to provide fresh fruits, vegetables, and protein to all four communities on the reservation and to demonstrate healthy living and cooking for every home. Partners included the Fort Belknap Tribe, Fort Belknap Public Health, Indian Health Service, and Aaniiih Nakoda College. The project identified American Indian farmers and ranchers from Fort Belknap and the Chippewa Cree Tribe to supply high-quality, ranch-raised beef—including Bear Paw Livestock Yards and Bear Paw Meats—and oversaw every stage of the process, from production to processing to distribution. The Fort Belknap Tribe donated eight buffalo for meat distribution on a yearly basis, and the Peoples Partners for Economic Development provided a mobile processing unit to come on site for the kill. The project partnered with the Turner Hutterite Colony to supply locally grown vegetables and sponsored a youth event where young people received education on healthy living and a large bag of fresh produce. This project will be sustained through tribal support, local support, and possibly USDA funding.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021

FAST Blackfeet 2021

Sustaining Food Security with MNT Service Delivery

FAST Blackfeet used this grant to develop a sustainable method of funding for its Food Pharmacy Program (FPP), which provides medical nutrition therapy (MNT), group nutrition classes, fruit and vegetable vouchers, and specialized food pantry food boxes to participants who are referred by their health care provider for a nutrition-related chronic disease or food insecurity. The goal was to establish a method of third-party billing so FAST Blackfeet could receive reimbursement for its MNT services. FAST Blackfeet hired consultants to provide technical assistance to help create the new billing system and coordinate the effort with the Blackfeet Tribe, Blackfeet Tribal Health, Blackfeet THIP, and Montana Medicaid. The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council signed a contract, to be administered by Blackfeet Tribal Health, that allows the FAST registered dietitian to provide MNT to patients at the Southern Piegan Health Center (SPHC). Services will be billed at the tribe’s all-inclusive Medicaid reimbursement rate, and the revenue generated will be shared between SPHC, Centralized Billing, and FAST Blackfeet (15/5/80). Because MNT visits for adults 21 and older are not covered by Medicaid, the consultants submitted a proposal to Montana Medicaid to expand coverage to that age group. Medicaid has requested time to review the proposal before making a decision. The consultants also helped create systems for evaluating the FPP. While FAST Blackfeet has not yet seen any revenue from this project, the systems are in place to generate revenue. Additionally, as the community becomes more familiar with MNT services, there will be more opportunities for revenue through Medicaid billing.

Grant Amount

$19,250

Term

12 month

2021

FAST Blackfeet 2021

Working Toward a Healthy, Food Secure Blackfeet Nation

FAST (Food Access and Sustainability Team) Blackfeet used this grant to reduce food insecurity, increase food access, and improve nutrition intake and knowledge in the Blackfeet Nation. Due to the pandemic, the FAST Blackfeet O’yo’p’ Food Pantry saw a 3.6-fold increase in its participant numbers, requiring it to expand its operations to meet the demand. With the help of this grant, FAST Blackfeet was able to continue distributing food five days a week year-round, both in the food pantry in Browning and through its O’yo’p’ on Wheels Mobile Food Pantry, which serves eight outlying communities located within reservation boundaries. Under the direction of its new executive director, visitors to the pantry are now able to choose, handle, and load their own food, which has resulted in greater satisfaction among participants. FAST Blackfeet has strengthened its partnerships, including with the Montana Food Bank Network, which provides food, helps procure equipment, and assists in obtaining small and large grants. The Montana Food Bank Network helped FAST Blackfeet conduct its annual survey, which led to modifications in the pantry’s food offerings, delivery logistics, and public communications. FAST Blackfeet was able to resume its in-person nutrition workshops and dietician services, which are well-regarded within the community and help empower participants to make healthy food choices.

Grant Amount

$60,000

Term

12 month

2021

Fort Peck Tribes - Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center 2021

Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center Behavioral Health Capacity Building Project

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

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Glacier County Health Department 2021

Tribal-County Crisis Coalition Launch (Blackfeet – Glacier)

The Blackfeet Nation and Glacier County Health Department will launch a "Tribal-County Crisis Coalition" (Coalition) that aligns resources from law enforcement, behavioral health, and medical services across the Blackfeet Nation and Glacier County. The Coalition will conduct sequential intercept mapping (SIM) to understand how people in crisis currently interact with law enforcement, emergency medical services, and behavioral health, and use the results of this mapping to outline a more effective model for crisis response. The project will also develop a sustainable implementation plan. The project will be led by the Glacier County Health Department and the Piikani Lodge Health Institute staff. Loveland and Associates will support mapping, data analysis, and strategic planning. Funding will support the coordination efforts, consultation, travel, and convening expenses. Partners include law enforcement, the Blackfeet Tribe's Culture and Hope Program, and Blackfeet Tribal Health.

Grant Amount

$74,999

Term

24 month

2021

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies - The Montana Coalition 2021

Building Bridges for Better Births

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies – The Montana Coalition (HMHB-MT) used this grant for its Building Bridges for Better Births (B4) project to improve community-based support systems for families from pregnancy to the postpartum period. B4 focuses on women and families with behavioral health conditions in the perinatal period. Through this grant, HMHB-MT contributed to the Meadowlark Initiative® by facilitating new relationships between perinatal providers, social service providers, local health departments, and other community organizations. These community teams collaborate to identify resources to help meet the unique needs of each family.

Grant Amount

$74,601

Term

24 month

2021

Heart Butte Schools 2021

Feather Woman Healing Lodge Business Plan

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

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Helena Indian Alliance 2021

New Clinic Addition/Design

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

Grant Amount

$85,750

Term

24 month

2021

Holy Rosary Healthcare Foundation 2021

Eastern Montana Perinatal Behavioral Health

Holy Rosary Healthcare will join the Meadowlark Initiative and improve access to mental health and substance use disorder care for pregnant women in Miles City and Eastern Montana. The project will integrate behavioral health services into Holy Rosary’s obstetrics clinic. As part of this project, Holy Rosary Healthcare will hire a care coordinator to work directly with patients and foster connections with social service organizations in the community. In addition to hiring a new staff person, grant funding will help establish telepsychiatry services and support coaching from the National Council for Behavioral Health to ensure the project’s success and sustainability. Partners include the Montana Health Network, the Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center, and Rimrock Foundation.

Grant Amount

$148,360

Term

24 month

2021

Human Resource Development Council of District IX, Inc. 2021

HRDC Rural Housing Planning Grant: Home Rehabilitation

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

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Human Resource Development Council of District IX, Inc. 2021

Tracking and Evaluation of Outcomes for Residents Housed Through Coordinated Entry

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

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2021

Jefferson Valley EMS & Rescue 2021

Jefferson Valley Community Integrated Health Launch

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

Grant Amount

$99,956

Term

24 month

2021

Lincoln County Library Foundation 2021

Troy Library and Opportunity Center Planning Grant

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

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana 2021

Strategic Planning for Little Shell Tribal Departments

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

Grant Amount

$196,542

Term

24 month

2021

Madison Valley Hospital Association 2021

Integrated Behavioral Health

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

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2021

Messengers for Health 2021

Indigenous Evaluation and Dissemination of the Báa Nnilah Project

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

Grant Amount

$99,695

Term

24 month

2021

Mission West Community Development Partners 2021

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

The Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center (MMFEC) partnered with the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition and its Double SNAP Dollars Network to launch the Local Food for Local Families: Montana SNAP Food Box Pilot Project, which provided fresh, high-quality food items from Montana producers and processors to low-income families in Western Montana, especially those in underserved areas. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients could double their benefit dollars to buy boxes of fresh produce sourced from the Western Montana Growers Cooperative and distributed at food access sites through this program. The program distributed 1,099 food boxes, 700 of which were provided at no cost. 77% of purchasers said they were eating more fresh produce due to the food boxes, and 92% reported increased fresh produce consumption in winter. During the first year, the program experienced several challenges, including too expensive boxes, a lack of choice in box contents, and some distribution sites being ill-prepared. Mission West paused the program to conduct an in-depth evaluation during the second year. That yielded several possible improvements, such as providing more training to distributors on SNAP payment processing, offering boxes on a sliding fee scale, and varying the size and contents of the boxes. Another aspect of the program was the Local Food for Local Families initiative, a statewide partnership led by Hopa Mountain to plan and discuss projects, collaborate on local food access solutions, and discuss food system sustainability strategies. Hopa Mountain received a USDA Local Food Promotion Program grant to create local food access hubs across the state with partnering food pantries.

Grant Amount

$99,745

Term

24 month

2021

Montana Free Press 2021

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

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

Grant Amount

$39,870

Term

12 month

2021

Montana Health Network Health Inc. 2021

Eastern Montana Integrated Behavioral Health Project

Montana Health Network (MHN) used this grant for its Eastern Montana Integrated Behavioral Health Project, designed to support behavioral health integration into primary care at seven rural primary care practices that serve a large area of the state. The project aimed to implement routine screening and early intervention for behavioral health and substance use issues in primary care, improve care coordination between treating facilities, and develop a sustainable integrated behavioral health model for existing and new facilities. MHN provided clinical, operational, and financial support, information, and insights to the teams. It conducted regular monthly meetings with the seven facilities and MTHF staff, where participants shared their progress, challenges, and opportunities, networked with their peers, and learned from experts on behavioral health and integrated behavioral health. MHN provided mini-grants to each site to offset planning and implementation costs. Through this grant, four out of seven sites were able to bring mental health providers from within their organization or community into the primary care setting to implement IBH. All facilities and representatives from MHN and MTHF will continue with the monthly networking and information-sharing calls. To continue support for IBH, MHN also secured a one-year HRSA grant of $100,000.

Grant Amount

$279,722

Term

36 month

2021

Montana Public Health Institute 2021

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

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

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Montana State University Foundation 2021

Climate Change and Human Health in Montana – The Film

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

Grant Amount

$10,000

Term

12 month

2021

Northern Cheyenne Tribal Board of Health 2021

Northern Cheyenne School Wellness Project

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

Grant Amount

$274,998

Term

36 months

2021

Northwest Community Health Center 2021

Libby Rural Housing Planning Grant

The Northwest Community Health Center (NWCHC), a federally qualified health center serving Lincoln County with sites in Libby and Troy, used this grant to assess Lincoln County's homeless and housing vulnerable populations and develop an action plan for how the community can better address their needs. NWCHC built partnerships with community service providers and local officials and contracted with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to assist with the assessment, project management, and convening of partners. NWCHC facilitated a community learning collaborative to review the community housing landscape, identify state resources, and discuss the role of health centers. It also developed a Housing Case Conferencing group that meets biweekly and includes NWCHC leadership and care coordination staff, the hospital social worker, CAP Northwest, and a representative from the county drug court. Using the Housing Management Information System (HMIS), the group can now connect individuals experiencing housing instability with the needed resources. NWCHC identified an internal care manager to lead the project who has been trained to complete housing assessments that identify vulnerabilities and prioritize those with the greatest housing needs.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education 2021

Montana American Indian Post-Baccalaureate Program

The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, the University of Washington School of Medicine, and the Montana WWAMI Clinic Dean's Office used this planning grant to develop the Montana American Indian Post-Baccalaureate Program. The program will provide enrichment, support, and resources for Montana American Indians planning to enroll in medical school to increase their likelihood of attending. The project successfully laid the foundation for the program's launch, including creating materials that describe the program, outlining the curriculum, making lists of potential faculty and mentors, developing a meeting schedule, and identifying key tribal community members to contact for advice and support. Grant funds were used to provide salary support for the project director to oversee the development of tribal and academic relationships, faculty recruitment, and curriculum creation. Funding was also used for travel to in-person meetings and creating brochures and solicitation materials. The project has sent several grant applications to foundations and individual donors and is confident it will receive the funds needed to launch the program.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

One Health 2021

Sacred Families Blaine County

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

Grant Amount

$135,200

Term

24 month

2021

One Health 2021

Sacred Families Fergus County

The Sacred Families Team at One Health Lewistown used this grant to partner with health care providers in the region to reach pregnant women and families experiencing substance use disorders or mental health issues. The goal was 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 out of the foster care system. Funds were used to hire a care coordinator, who was later transitioned to a peer support recovery doula to provide care coordination and peer services. The project successfully implemented care pathways and screening protocols. It also completed a Centering Pregnancy pilot, which involves bringing eight to 10 women together to receive prenatal care from a team of providers and support staff. The team's proposal for this innovative model currently has Medicaid pending approval and could ultimately help provide long-term sustainability for the project. One Health is also exploring billing for lactation counseling and education, which could open the door to delivering other critical behavioral health services. Challenges included getting all stakeholders together for weekly huddles and the need for more staff training in perinatal mental health and substance use to facilitate screening, brief interventions, and referral to treatment. The team is working on plans to resolve both of these issues.

Grant Amount

$135,200

Term

24 month

2021

One Health 2021

Sacred Families Rosebud County

The Sacred Families team at One Health Ashland partnered with health care providers in the region to reach pregnant women and families experiencing substance use disorders or mental health issues. The goals of this 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 out of the foster care system. As the team worked to build the program, they discovered significant challenges that forced them to change their approach. Challenges in this area included a lack of transportation for patients to get to the clinic; problems finding affordable, well-located office spaces; difficulties recruiting community health workers and nurses due to the low pay offered; and a small pool of qualified applicants. In light of these challenges, One Health Bighorn stepped in to provide outreach services to the Ashland community to ensure that women and families have continued access to Meadowlark care.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

Open Aid Alliance 2021

Uncovery Treatment Center Expansion Project

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

Grant Amount

$20,000

Term

12 month

2021

Opportunities Inc 2021

Cut Bank Rural Housing Planning Grant

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

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2021

Park County 2021

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

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

Grant Amount

$74,790

Term

24 month

2021

Partnership Health Center 2021

Advancing Peer Support

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

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2021

Partnership Health Center 2021

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

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

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2021

Peoples Partners For Community Development 2021

Northern Cheyenne Food Initiatives

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

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2021

Providence Montana Health Foundation 2021

Providence Montana IBH Continuation and Specialty Clinic Expansion

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

Grant Amount

$175,000

Term

36 month

2021

Providence Montana Health Foundation 2021

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center IBH Consolidation Grant

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

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

36 month

2021

Providence Montana Health Foundation 2021

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center’s Journey of Hope

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

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

Red Lodge Area Community Foundation 2021

Carbon County Area Ride & Transit: Addressing Rural Isolation & Mobility Needs

The Red Lodge Area Community Foundation (RLACF), serving Carbon County, is dedicated to building a thriving community through stewardship, collaboration, and innovation. This project will help Carbon County Area Ride and Transit (CART) create a new transit service that reduces transportation barriers and ensures residents have transportation to medical appointments, health facilities, grocery stores, and social events. The Transportation Advisory Committee – a county-wide committee of stakeholders – will implement the project using the feasibility study and operation plans completed during the planning phase. Funding will support staff and consultants, software, and staff training and meeting attendance. Other partners include the County Commissioners, the Montana Department of Transportation, Beartooth Billings Clinic, Community Cares, Riverstone Health, SCL Health, and Red Lodge Drug.

Grant Amount

$99,905

Term

36 month

2021

Rimrock Foundation 2021

Substance Abuse CONNECT Crisis Diversion Project

The Rimrock Foundation used this grant to fund the Substance Abuse CONNECT Crisis Diversion Project, which worked to redesign the crisis system in Yellowstone County. The goal was to unite and align the various crisis services available in Yellowstone County—from peer support to inpatient behavioral health to homeless outreach—and decrease emergency department utilization and criminal justice recidivism. Project partners included leaders from more than 90 organizations, including hospitals, schools, government agencies, and nonprofits. Funds were used to hire an executive director who focused on bringing partners together under a common plan. Rimrock updated a strategic plan for implementing Crisis Now as well as for strengthening the broader behavioral health continuum; initiated the community's first mobile crisis team; and set up task force groups to work on treatment, diversion, and prevention. It secured a Crisis Diversion Grant from the state of Montana, $1.3 million in mental health mill levy funds, and $225,000 annually to support the mobile crisis unit.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2021

Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority 2021

Flathead Indian Reservation Housing Needs Assessment and Homelessness Study

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

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2021

Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority 2021

Staff Training and Ongoing Technical Assistance and Support

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

Grant Amount

$9,950

Term

12 month

2021

Sapphire Community Health, Inc 2021

Ravalli County School Wellness Program

Sapphire Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides medical and behavioral health services to the underserved population in Ravalli County. This implementation project will open a school-based health center in two school districts, Hamilton and Victor. Sapphire will provide behavioral health and medical services on designated days of the week at each district. They will provide behavioral health services onsite and medical services in their mobile unit. Funding will support the behavioral health provider/school-based health services coordinator, a nurse, and startup costs and supplies. This project is a close collaboration among Sapphire Community Health, Victor School District, and Hamilton School District.

Grant Amount

$263,273

Term

24 month

2021