The commission tasked with allocating $300 million to overhaul Montana’s behavioral health system is focusing on the state’s smallest and most isolated counties.
Members of the Behavioral Health System for Future Generations Commission (BHSFG) agreed that rural counties and tribes are in need of improved behavioral health care. More than 40% of Montana communities lack a mental health center.
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At the June 28 meeting, commissioners signed off on a Near Term Initiative (NTI) proposal to award $2.5 million in grants to up to 10 community-led projects in rural counties.
The long-term work of the commission will continue while these grants are implemented by the Department of Public Health and Human Services
Meghan Peel, the interim division head for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities at DPHHS, emphasized the need for community engagement in addressing the behavioral health challenges faced by rural areas.
