County coalition looks at day treatment program for students with behavioral needs
Dec. 18, 2023
Original story by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle can be found here.
By Laurenz Busch
A therapeutic day treatment program may soon be established in Gallatin County, providing a coordinated effort to assist students with behavioral needs in a specialized setting.
Earlier this year, the county announced it had received a $50,000 grant from the Montana Healthcare Foundation to begin the process of developing a roadmap to establish a county-wide program through a coalition of mental health and education partners.
“We are trying to find ways to serve our community members and this is one of the ways that we feel is important for us to be exploring (for) having appropriate educational settings with the therapeutic supports that these students need,” Kirsten Smith, a coordinator of the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition and principal of Bloom Consulting, LLC said.
A day treatment program would help school districts across the county better serve students in a — potentially centralized — facility where they would receive behavioral and mental health services as well as their education.
The county’s grant was provided by the Montana Healthcare Foundation’s 2023 call for proposals seeking “innovative ideas for improving health and well-being in Montana.”
Over the past five years, the foundation has on average funded 17% of applications and this year, it handed out more than $360,000. Other grantees included the Butte SPIRIT Center which received $100,000 and the Montana Innocence Project which received $50,000.
“We are excited to make progress toward better addressing the complex needs of students with behavioral health challenges through this planning project,” Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown said in a press release. “Our county is committed to better serving our community members of all ages so that they are healthy and thriving.”
The grant money helped contract Routefinder Consulting who then subcontracted JG Research and Evaluation.
Together, they’ll work with the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition to develop a roadmap forward and assess different structure models that would best suit the county while remaining financially sustainable.
The coalition’s members include Montana State University, Bozeman Health, Community Health Partners, the Bozeman School District and the city of Bozeman
“I bring in expertise as a licensed clinical social worker who has lots of experience in school-based mental health treatment and support and JG is bringing their wealth of experience around data collection, research and evaluation,” Ellie Martin of Routefinder said. “Our partnership will bring the broadest opportunity for expertise on this type of project.”
Beyond research, Brandn Green, the co-owner of JG said they’ve also conducted a facility visit in Billings. In the new year, they plan to begin interviews with key stakeholders, such as families who would benefit from such a program.
According to the Montana Healthcare Foundation, the coalition has until Sept. 16, 2024, to wrap up the research and present a final report.
How exactly the day treatment school will manifest is still to be determined but Smith says that in the end, the goal is to provide better, more accessible services for students in Gallatin County.
“From a youth perspective, we have more gaps than we do with our adult behavioral health systems,” Smith, who wrote the grant, said. “This became a priority in terms of not having safe, effective services for students with acute behavioral health needs, who were not being effectively served in our classrooms.”
Although Bozeman Public Schools has a day school program, Smith says more is needed for those who aren’t in the district or who’s needs haven’t been met.
“(Some kids) are either doing the best they can in school, some of the Bozeman kids are in day services if they have enough space, or they’re leaving our community,” she said. “We’re trying to create a continuum of services, so everyone’s needs are being met.”