Ruby Valley Medical Center 2022

RVMC Integrated Behavioral Health

Ruby Valley Medical Center (RVMC) will integrate behavioral health services into its primary care practice. RVMC is a critical access hospital in Sheridan serving seven rural communities in western Madison County and southern Jefferson County. This project will help RVMC identify a champion to lead the project and provide team training for its providers to enhance the organization’s standard way of delivering care. Funding will support staff training on the integrated behavioral health model, developing organizational workflows to support the model, and integrating a counselor into the primary care office.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

36 month

2022

South Central Montana Regional Mental Health Center 2022

Improving PACT Client Outcomes through Medication Optimization and Care Coordination

The South-Central Montana Regional Mental Health Center (SCMRMHC) used this grant to explore the addition of a clinical pharmacist to its Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) teams. PACT allows people with longstanding, severe, or disabling mental illnesses to live and function safely in their homes and communities rather than being hospitalized. Traditional PACT teams consist of a supervisor, program assistant, psychiatrist, peer specialist, and mental health professionals. By adding a clinical pharmacist, SCMRMHC aimed to enhance medication management, improve coordination between psychiatric and medical care, and ultimately improve overall health outcomes. Partners included RiverStone Health, the provider of preventive and primary care services for the majority of PACT clients, and Pharmacy 1, the on-site pharmacy that dispenses medications for PACT clients. Grant funds were used to support PACT staff, providers, and pharmacists to participate in planning meetings, treatment meetings, and integrated behavioral health and comprehensive medication management training. This project increased awareness of the role of clinical pharmacists in managing complex medication regimens, monitoring for medication adverse effects, identifying drug interactions, and providing medication information. Challenges included high staff turnover, poor communication with RiverStone Health, and the lack of an electronic medical record system. Due to insufficient reimbursement from Montana Medicaid, the project cannot justify a full-time clinical pharmacist position at this time. No other funding sources have been identified.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

18 month

2022

Southwest Montana Community Health Center 2022

West Elementary School-Based Clinic

The Southwest Montana Community Health Center (SWMTCHC) will expand school-based health services to the students of West Elementary in the Butte school district, the second school in which they will offer health services. The health center will help improve the students' health, which, in turn, will support their attendance and education. SWMTCHC will provide the medical and behavioral staff needed to offer services to students on-site at West Elementary. Funding will support a part-time behavioral health provider. Project partners include West Elementary School and the Butte School District.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2022

St. John's Lutheran Ministries, LLC 2022

St. John’s United Workplace Integrative Behavioral Health Initiative

St. John's United (SJU), a senior living provider with campuses in Billings, Laurel, Red Lodge, and Hamilton, used this planning grant to develop a primary care clinic model to be used within its retirement communities. The goal is to address the physical and mental well-being of both employees and residents, which will lead to reduced rates of anxiety and depression, better health outcomes, lower staff turnover, fewer hospital admissions, and improved life satisfaction. The SJU team conducted a thorough baseline wellness assessment of residents and staff members. Results from the employee survey showed a need for services and support in the areas of stress and anxiety, tobacco use, sleep, blood pressure, and weight. Results from the resident assessment showed a need for mental health support services. The team decided the optimal intervention would be to hire a full-time mental health clinician to provide on-site mental health services, psychoeducational groups, mindfulness training, and referrals. The SJU human resources director developed a position description for the behavioral health provider. The team is prepared to launch a comprehensive marketing strategy to encourage employees and residents to engage with the new mental health provider and participate in psychoeducational groups.

Grant Amount

$24,500

Term

12 month

2022

St. Luke Community Healthcare Foundation 2022

Meadowlark Initiative

St. Luke Community Healthcare, located on the Flathead Reservation in Ronan, Montana, used this grant to improve implementation of the Meadowlark model of care, aiming to enhance the behavioral health services it provides to women and families on the reservation. This project was successful in setting up a dashboard and automating data extraction to facilitate the monitoring of OB patients’ care; implementing routine screenings for substance use disorders, depression, and anxiety; ensuring that patients receive a prompt referral when needed; strengthening care coordination for pregnant women and families; and forging community partnerships to maximize access to resources. The registered nurse care manager, licensed clinical social worker, and licensed clinical professional counselor collaborated closely to review patient caseloads with providers and ensure that patients receive the care they need, particularly postpartum care throughout the first year. St. Luke Community Healthcare is committed to sustaining this program and the required positions to continue serving women and families on the reservation.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2022

St. Peter's Health Foundation 2022

Integrated Behavioral Health Support Program Expansion

St. Peter's Health (SPH) will expand and strengthen its established integrated behavioral health program. This project will increase the evidence-based screening cadence and enhance team-based care by expanding specialized support services. SPH will hire a licensed addiction counselor and behavioral health navigator and embed these positions into the ambulatory clinics to provide outpatient substance abuse services. The addition of the licensed addiction counselor position will allow SPH's addiction medicine and behavioral health providers to work to the top of their licensure, and the behavioral health navigator will assist in identifying social needs, connecting patients to the appropriate level of care, facilitating referrals, and ensuring continuity of care. Grant funds will support the licensed addiction counselor's salary and a stipend for a Carroll College Master of Social Work Program intern. Over the past several years, SPH has formed strong relationships with community partners, including other health care providers, mental health providers, DPHHS Child and Family Services, Lewis & Clark County Home Visiting Program, and many community-based organizations which will help support the effectiveness of this project.

Grant Amount

$175,000

Term

36 month

2022

St. Peter's Health Foundation 2022

Parental Mental Health Support Program Expansion

St. Peter's Health (SPH) will expand and strengthen its established Meadowlark Initiative program. This project will increase evidence-based screening cadence and access to services and enhance team-based care by expanding specialized support services. SPH will hire a licensed addiction counselor and behavioral health navigator and embed these positions into the obstetrics clinic to provide outpatient substance use and mental health services. The addition of the licensed addiction counselor position will allow SPH's addiction medicine and behavioral health providers to work to the top of their licensure, and the behavioral health navigator will assist in identifying social needs, connecting patients to the appropriate level of care, facilitating referrals, and ensuring continuity of care. Grant funds will support the behavioral health navigator's salary. Over the past several years, SPH has formed strong relationships with community partners, including other health care providers, mental health providers, DPHHS Child and Family Services, Lewis & Clark County Home Visiting Program, and many community-based organizations which will help support the effectiveness of this project.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2022

St. Peter's Health Foundation 2022

Helena Coordinated Entry System Data Coordination

St. Peter's Health Foundation used this grant for its Helena Coordinated Entry System (CES) Data Coordination project to enhance Helena's Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) database. The goal was to improve the tracking of housing vouchers and service utilization for those identified as homeless or at high risk of homelessness and better identify housing and service gaps in the community. One of the project's key achievements was improving data collection processes, which has led to more accurate and comprehensive data entry to address client needs. The project was also successful in its efforts to expand CES partners and HMIS users, which has led to the development of a comprehensive work plan to help match service providers with those in need, the creation of a more fluid system for the distribution and utilization of vouchers, and the enhancement of data sharing and collaboration among community partners. The strong relationships formed with key partners such as United Way and the Helena Housing Authority will help sustain these activities, as will the use of interns and volunteers for data entry and administrative tasks.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2022

The City-County of Butte-Silver Bow 2022

Butte-Silver Bow Behavioral Health Systems Improvements and Sustainability Project

The Butte-Silverbow City-County Health Department will implement the Crisis Now Model to decrease the number of behavioral health crises resulting in emergency room visits, hospitalization, and incarceration. The Crisis Now Model includes a crisis line (988), a mobile crisis team, and a crisis-receiving facility, and provides a more effective alternative to hospitalization or incarceration for people in crisis. Funding will support a coordinator to oversee the project, the expansion of the mobile crisis team, and planning for the crisis-receiving facility. Project partners include members of the Butte-Silver Bow Strategic Alliance, including St. James Healthcare; Action Inc; Southwest Montana Community Health Center; Western Montana Mental Health Center; and Community, Counseling, and Correctional Services, Inc.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

36 month

2022

Trust Montana, Inc. 2022

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

Trust Montana used this grant to explore ways to increase the availability of permanently affordable homes by forming partnerships between community land trusts (CLTs) and private sector building industry professionals. This project encouraged affordable home development by leveraging private developer construction financing, nonprofit grant acquisition expertise, land donations, charitable tax benefits, and the growing public and government support for CLTs. Trust Montana created outreach and educational materials targeted to various stakeholders, including builders, engineers, architects, planners and municipalities. It conducted in-person presentations to explain the CLT model and how it works. Trust Montana has now brought several new housing projects towards completion, including Deer Lodge, Lockwood, Roberts, and Missoula projects. It continues to be approached by private builders wishing to partner in developing permanently affordable homes. Additionally, it has developed fee structures for consulting, stewardship, and technical assistance to diversify its organizational operations and rely less on philanthropy.

Grant Amount

$95,604

Term

24 month

2022

TSNE MissionWorks 2022

Building Support to Advocate Effectively for Public Health at the State Level and Nationally

The Network for Public Health Law used this grant to commission a feasibility study to identify barriers, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen public health advocacy at the local, state, and national levels. The goal of this project is to address the chronic lack of funding for public health, which has resulted in county, tribal, state, and federal agencies being unable to carry out the core activities needed to protect and promote health effectively. The seven-page report that was written identified six key opportunities for action: 1) develop and advocate for pro-health policies, 2) cultivate friends of public health, 3) build and strengthen state-level advocacy organizations, 4) develop and disseminate effective, consistent messaging, 5) train the current and future workforce, and 6) unlock funding. The report was disseminated to study participants and partners in the public health field and posted on the Network’s website. The next steps are to convene advocacy and legal experts, funders, and key leaders to react to report findings and discuss actions to strengthen and align public health advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national levels, and to assess the existing capacity for public health advocacy at the state and national levels. The Network has received funding from the CDC Foundation and de Beaumont Foundation for $250,000 each, as well as in-kind support from the American Heart Association. In November, the study’s authors presented the results at the APHA Advocacy for Leaders annual workshop, and they submitted abstracts for several related conferences in 2023.

Grant Amount

$15,000

Term

12 month

2022

University of Montana Center for Children, Families, and Workforce Development 2022

MT PAX Sustainability Initiative

The University of Montana Center for Children, Families, and Workforce Development used this grant to help ensure the sustainability of the PAX: Good Behavior Game (PAX) in Montana's elementary schools. PAX is a school-based preventive intervention teachers use to teach self-regulation, build good behavior skills, and help them stay on task. PAX has been shown to contribute to a positive classroom environment with long-term outcomes, including better academic outcomes and long-term improvements in mental health and substance use. The grantee contracted with the National Implementation Research Network, DPHHS Addictive and Mental Disorders Division, and the Office of Public Instruction. The partners developed implementation and leadership teams at the state, regional, and district levels to oversee PAX's planning, monitoring, training, and funding. The project built a statewide coaching infrastructure with systems for training, coaching, data use, communication, and policy development for PAX and any evidence-based practice. In 2023-24, 65 schools implemented PAX, impacting 17,794 students. Evaluations showed sustained schoolwide implementation in committed districts and improvements in students' self-regulation, self-management, and self-control, particularly among high-risk students. The center received an additional year of funding from the DPHHS Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities Division to support statewide PAX implementation, and it continues to work with state leaders to provide long-term funding.

Grant Amount

$200,000

Term

24 month

2022

Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR)

Beaverhead County Crisis Response Task Force

The Beaverhead County Crisis Response Coalition used this planning grant to improve access to the county's crisis-related mental and behavioral health services. The project's goals were to identify strengths and weaknesses in the current crisis response protocols and work to build a comprehensive crisis system that improves access to critical community care while reducing inappropriate contacts with law enforcement and the hospital emergency department. The Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, a nonprofit mental health and substance use disorder treatment organization, led the project, working closely with a collaborative group of community leaders from health care, law enforcement, schools, government, and social service. Funding was used to hire a project coordinator who performed data research, administrative duties, stakeholder engagement, and consultant coordination. The consultants were hired to assist with county-wide mapping, strategic planning, and data analysis. The project built and strengthened its coalition membership, completed the sequential intercept mapping (SIM) process that identified prioritized goals, and applied for and received a Crisis Diversion Grant from the state to continue its work and begin the implementation phase. The Crisis Diversion Grant will provide additional funding opportunities from various private and public sources.

Grant Amount

$49,428

Term

12 month

Youth Dynamics

Becoming an ARC-Informed Agency

Youth Dynamics (YDI) 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. YDI used this grant to implement the attachment, regulation, and competency (ARC) framework to provide more effective interventions for youth who have been traumatized and reduce the number of young people sent to out-of-state facilities. Grant funds were used to hire an ARC consultant for several assessments, provide training, and conduct team consultations for the first year of implementation. YDI incorporated the ARC framework model into its services and culture. Its accomplishments include training staff so that ARC principles were reflected in their direct work with clients, updating organizational procedures and processes to use ARC language, integrating ARC principles into youth satisfaction surveys to ensure client feedback addressed the new approaches, and redesigning the individual treatment plan template to use the ARC strength-based trauma-informed care approach. Certain staff members were designated as ARC champions to promote ARC principles among staff and ensure the ARC language used was culturally appropriate for YDI clients. YDI also introduced the ARC framework and key concepts to families and community partners.

Grant Amount

$34,050

Term

24 month

YWCA Great Falls

Great Falls Housing is Healthcare Data Project

YWCA Great Falls used this grant to enhance the Great Fall's Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) database to improve the tracking of housing vouchers and service utilization for those identified as homeless or at high-risk of homelessness, and to identify housing and service gaps in the community. During the project, community partners were able to place 35 people experiencing chronic homelessness – including many people with complex medical conditions – into housing. The project updated Great Falls’ “coordinated entry” homelessness screening tool to capture more detailed information and expanded the network of organizations entering information into the coordinated entry system, which now includes more of the community's available beds. This enhanced information helped Great Falls secure funding from the Montana Continuum of Care to support the development of the Baatz Building, which will be the community's first single-site permanent supportive housing project.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month