As a representative for Billings, Montana, I am proud to be a part of the Behavioral Health Systems for Future Generations Commission. Our mission is to transform the mental health system in our state by gathering insights from experts and communities across Montana.
During one of our recent meetings, we emphasized the importance of holding statewide meetings to ensure broad participation in our work. Our assemblies in Kalispell, Billings, Helena, and Havre have touched on various aspects of mental health, including developmental disabilities and children’s mental health. We also gained valuable insights from Native American communities and workforce development.
With input from mental health experts and families, the commission is focusing on some crucial Near-Term Initiatives (NTI’s) such as funding community-based court-ordered evaluations (COE) and stabilization services. This initiative aims to ensure individuals receive prompt and comprehensive assessments closer to home, reducing the pressure on state hospitals and providing quicker intervention and support.
We are also funding existing mobile crisis providers to enhance on-the-spot intervention capabilities and offering grants to crisis-receiving and stabilization providers to expand their capacity. Other NTIs include partnering with universities and the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a crisis curriculum for all crisis workers, providing essential training to improve crisis intervention quality, supporting providers in training their workforce to assist individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), and helping Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) obtain certification to deliver specialized services for individuals with IDD.