Gov. Greg Gianforte announced $8 million on Jan. 22 to improve community-based response services for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

In May 2023, Gov. Greg Gianforte signed HB 872, which established a committee to address the state’s behavioral health and developmental disabilities service systems.

The committee is conducting meetings to prioritize potential investments and it hasn’t yet been determined how the $300 million tied to the legislation will be invested, according to Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

The committee last met Jan. 11-12.

Local agencies were waiting for Gianforte to approve that funding as they’re working to fill the gaps in service for mobile response teams with law enforcement created after Alluvion Health stopped providing the service in November due to funding shortages.

Local agencies working to provide crisis response after Alluvion cuts program

The Behavioral Health System for Future Generations commission recommended the funding, which is the second allocation of $300 million in funding the governor set aside last year to reform and improve Montana’s behavioral health and developmental disabilities services systems, according to Gianforte’s office.

The first portion of this funding, up to $7.5 million, will support mobile crisis response and crisis receiving and stabilization services. The investment will support care for Montanans who are unable to stabilize through crisis line de-escalation efforts, such as 988, and divert patients from local emergency departments, jails, and state-run health care facilities.

The Electric reported last week that Capt. John Schaffer of the Great Falls Police Department was working with Many Rivers Whole Health among other community agencies to re-establish a mobile response team framework to respond to those in mental health crisis.

Alluvion cutting, furloughing staff due to Medicaid claims backlog

Schaffer said that he met with Many Rivers last week and is “very excited” as they’re working on ideas and a sustainable funding structure.

He said he’s also working with the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Jesse Slaughter and Undersheriff Scott Van Dyken said they’re working on a grant for that funding to establish a countywide mobile response framework.

The second component of the funding is up to $500,000 to support the development of a crisis worker curriculum and certification course. This investment will help meet the increasing demand for highly trained behavioral health crisis professionals in Montana, according to the governor’s office.

More information about the commission and its work is available on the Behavioral Health System for Future Generations page.