The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (Photo by Eric Seidle/ For the Daily Montanan).
The state of Montana is offering more money to support capacity for community-based residential providers offering behavioral health care or developmental disability services — $15.8 million in one-time grants, the Governor’s Office announced Monday.
The Behavioral Health System for Future Generations Commission recommended the grants as another allocation of a $300 million fund reserved to improve behavioral health and developmental disabilities in Montana.
“Timely access to more residential services at the local level is critical and plays a major role in preventing the need for more intensive services down the road,” said Gov. Greg Gianforte in a statement. “I thank the commission for advancing another recommendation that will help to transform the delivery of behavioral health care in Montana.”
Money can go toward buying or building new facilities, upgrading existing ones, and hiring and training staff to increase bed capacity, according to a news release from the Governor’s Office.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Montana lost about 100 beds for people who received behavioral health services, largely due to a lack of staff.
Mary Windecker, executive director for the Behavioral Health Alliance, said the money represents additional funds for behavioral health facilities, initially approved for $10 million.
After grant requests came in at $30 million, the commission went back to the governor and requested another $5.6 million.
“The Behavioral Health Alliance is thrilled to have this money available to reopen facilities for adults and children that closed during the last three years,” Windecker said in an email.
“We recommended this funding when the commission first began working and are very happy to finally see the money becoming available. Reopening closed beds and homes is extremely cost-effective and will make it easier for adults and children needing behavioral health and DD services to receive treatment close to home.”
To help stabilize support for Montanans who need those services, the governor proposed $300 million in his most recent budget, and the Montana Legislature approved it last session through House Bill 872.
In a statement from the Governor’s Office, Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton said the goal of the grant program is to stabilize or increase residential services across Montana.
He said another goal is to build sustainable capacity and ensure more Montanans can be served in clinically appropriate settings closer to home.
“This funding represents yet another key milestone to ensuring providers at the local level have the resources they need to serve Montanans appropriately,” Brereton said in a statement.
“We know the current lack of residential services capacity in our state leads to inefficient treatment, challenges for patients discharging from inpatient settings, and missed opportunities to keep Montanans closer to home.
“We are eager to help solve this longstanding issue and will continue to advance projects like these with the needs of future generations in mind.”
In the news release, Brereton said residential treatment settings are “an essential part of the behavioral health and developmental disabilities continuum of care by helping to prevent more intensive service needs.” He said they also provide a “step-down care option” when individuals leave inpatient settings.
In the coming weeks, DPHHS will finalize contracts with eligible providers who applied for the funding and received an award, and the department will publicly announce them.
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