Montana would fund regional mental health boards through yearly contracts

The state department responsible for mental health would provide money, staff support, and practical help to regional mental health planning boards. The department would help establish at least three regional boards that work with it to plan and oversee mental health services. Support would include at least three full-time equivalent community program officer positions overall, plus administrative and technical help. These boards could not directly provide mental health care. Each board’s yearly contract would fund administrative work, community activities, crisis support, and other services.

The state mental health department would help local advisory councils and respond to regional boards’ recommendations or requests. Support would help each county and tribal nation develop and maintain a local mental health advisory council. The department would provide one contact from its children’s mental health division and one from its child and family services division. Public meetings would seek county and tribal advisory councils’ input, and the department would help strengthen leadership committees’ diversity. The department would respond within 10 days of receiving a regional board’s recommendation or request.

Regional boards would report on their work and could review complaints, join behavioral health site visits, and send written recommendations. Reports would go to the governor, the state mental health department, and the legislature. Reports would include finances, recommendations, department responses, and surveys about relationships among the state, local advisory councils, and regional boards. Boards could also work with the state hospital, its board of visitors, and the mental health ombudsman, who handles concerns about care. Each regional board would submit its report every year.

The proposal would override specified Montana laws on government duties imposed without funding. The override would apply to this measure’s provisions and Montana Code sections 1-2-112 through 1-2-116. The secretary of state would send a copy of the measure to each federally recognized tribal government in Montana.