Targeted capacity expansion for SUD/COD - project name: south central montana regional mental health center (MHC) targeted capacity expansion for SUD/COD summary of project: this project will…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded South Central Montana Regional Mental Health Center (doing business as Bridgemont Health & Wellness) $1.5 million under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program on September 30, 2025, for a three-year targeted capacity expansion serving patients with substance use disorder and co-occurring disorder.

The award funds 3.9 full-time equivalent clinical and support staff, including licensed clinical social workers, addiction counselors, licensed professional counselors, a case manager, and a peer recovery support specialist. The recipient will provide outpatient treatment across a ten-county service area in south central Montana (Yellowstone, Carbon, Fergus, Golden Valley, Judith Basin, Musselshell, Petroleum, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, and Wheatland counties) and establish the first Level 4 Recovery Center in the region. The project will serve 235 total patients over the performance period: 65 in year one, 75 in year two, and 95 in year three. The target population includes uninsured persons, veterans, Native Americans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those transitioning from correctional settings.

Performance period runs from September 30, 2025, through September 29, 2028, with place of performance in Billings, Montana. The assistance type is Project Grant.

Targeted capacity expansion for SUD/COD - project name: south central montana regional mental health center (MHC) targeted capacity expansion for SUD/COD summary of project: this project will support 3.9 full-time equivalent staff members including lcsw's, LAC's, lcpc's, a case manager, and peer recovery support specialist to serve 235 total patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and/or CO-occurring disorder (COD) by the end of the 3-year project period, with 65 in YR 1, 75 in YR 2 and 95 in YR 3. Staff will provide outpatient care throughout a ten-county service area and will enable MHC to open the first level 4 recovery center in the service area, joining only four other such facilities in the entire state. Population of focus: persons with substance use disorder (SUD) and/or CO-occurring disorder (COD) including uninsured persons, veterans, native americans, those experiencing homelessness or transitioning from a correctional setting, and all persons in the ten-county service area which includes yellowstone, carbon, fergus, golden valley, judith basin, musselshell, petroleum, stillwater, sweet grass, and wheatland counties in south central MT. Need for this project: there is a critical need for SUD/COD services in MT. Montanans use cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and illicit drugs at a significantly higher rate than the nation. Rates of SUD are highest among native americans; this group comprises montana's largest minority. The rate of past-month illicit drug use in montana was 23.4%, much higher than the US (16.67%) rates. Montana has also experienced a significant increase in opioid use, with an opioid overdose death rate that has almost tripled from 2.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2018 to 7.3 in 2020. Only 4.5% of montanans with SUD received any type of treatment during the past year, despite 53.8% of the population reporting that their life has been negatively impacted by the effects of SUD. Montana consistently ranks in among the three worst states in the nation for suicide completion rates. Strategies and interventions: this project includes multiple evidence-based interventions, including: screening with PHQ-9, screening with columbia suicide severity rating scale, overdose education and naloxone distribution, harm reduction by drug checking with fentanyl and xylazine test strips, medication assisted treatment (mat) and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and peer recovery support. Goals of the project: • expand assessment for SUD/COD using evidence-based tools • expand use of evidence-based practices in treatment of SUD/COD • offer harm reduction supplies to patients • provide tobacco cessation support to patients • expand peer recovery support to patients with SUD/COD • expand case management to patients with SUD/COD south central montana regional mental health center (MHC) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the establishment, development and maintenance of high-quality mental health and chemical dependency care in south central montana. MHC serves 10 counties in montana with a service area almost 2.5 times the size of massachusetts. All ten service area counties are mental health professional shortage areas. MHC is headquartered in billings (yellowstone county), the largest city in montana. Outside of billings, the entire service area is rural and frontier, with a dearth of medical and behavioral health services. Services expanded and enhanced by this project include: screening for substance use disorder (SUD), CO-occurring disorders (COD) and suicide risk, treatment for SUD and/or COD, harm reduction services, tobacco cessation, peer recovery support services and case management. MHC is recognized and trusted as a reliable resource for mental health, substance use disorder (SUD) and treatment of CO-occurring disorders (COD).