Behavioral Health

The Behavioral Health Program at LCPH engages with two primary groups for community efforts to identify and improve both the Crisis System and Continuum of Care. These two groups are the Behavioral Health Systems Improvement Leadership Team and the Behavioral Health Local Advisory Council. See below.

Every three years, LCPH publishes a Community Health Report that identifies areas we excel as a community and where we can improve. Our 2021 Report and 2019 Community Health Improvement Plan identify behavioral health, including suicide prevention, substance use, and mental health, as a priority area. Here are a couple ways that LCPH is engaged in preventing behavioral health crises and creating systems that support our community:

Alcohol Awareness Campaign

Behavioral Health Systems Improvement Leadership Team

This group is a strategic alliance coalition of leaders who are key stakeholders in our community. The goals of the Leadership Team include identifying gaps in providers and services in both the Behavioral Health Crisis Systems and the full Continuum of Care, re-designing the Crisis System utilizing best-practices, and identifying and analyzing data to drive improved well-being for Lewis and Clark County.

Key contributions to date include funding and launching the Mobile Crisis Response Team at St. Peter’s Health in 2020, completion of Lewis and Clark Behavioral Health Crisis Analysis Report in 2021, and SAMHSA best practice planning for improvements to Crisis Response and Stabilization with contributions to the development of the WICHE MT Crisis Facility Report in 2021. The Team continues to work with WICHE Consulting and DPHHS to plan and define crisis pathways for Detention Center, Emergency Room, and Montana State Hospital Diversion. Some of those tools that lead to diversion include expanding trauma-informed response with the Mobile Crisis Response Team, 988 MT Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline (launching July 2022) and defining improved Crisis Response and Stabilization pathways in the County.

Lewis and Clark County Behavioral Health Local Advisory Council Webpage (LAC)

In 2011, the Lewis and Clark Board of County Commissioners passed Resolution 2011-174 authorizing the creation of the Behavioral Health Local Advisory Council (LAC). The purpose of the LAC is to assist in the improvement of Lewis and Clark County Behavioral Health (Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders) services and to review and make recommendations about behavioral health services. The group consists of behavioral health providers, local professionals, and community consumers, who are people with lived experience (or their family members) with behavioral health disorders. The LAC utilizes the four workgroups to guide the work.

Both the LAC and Leaders Team meet monthly and are actively engaged in Lewis and Clark County. The LAC meetings are open to the public, and a meeting link along with contact information is available on the webpage.

BH Crisis Continuum Graph

BH Crisis Continuum Graph: Lewis and Clark County Behavioral Health Crisis System Analysis, Jones, K, Salemo, K., and Green, B (2021)

Crisis System Response and Stabilization

Behavioral Health Crisis System Dashboard

988 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline

988 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline(PDF, 103KB)

Opioid Prevention and Naloxone Distribution

Coming Soon.....

Behavioral Health Analysis and Reports

Lewis and Clark Behavioral Health Crisis System Analysis, JG Research and Evaluation, Jones, et al. 2021(PDF, 5MB)

Planning for Crisis Receiving and Stabilization Facilities, Western Institute for Commission for Higher Education: Behavioral Health Program, WICHE, 2021(PDF, 1MB)

Behavioral Health Initiatives

The Lewis and Clark Public Health in collaboration with the Behavioral Health Systems Improvement Leadership Team have been leading the way in Lewis and Clark County to develop key Behavioral Health Initiatives since 2020. The initiatives are framed with six key commonalities which include; Priority Areas, Connections, Partners, Funding, MOU/Agreements, Data Measures (top 5). Click on the initiative to learn more.

Behavioral Health Systems Improvement Leadership Team

Behavioral Health Local Advisory Council(PDF, 92KB)

Behavioral Health Crisis System Dashboard(PDF, 93KB)

Mobile Crisis Response Team Community Coalition(PDF, 102KB)

Crisis Facility Community Coalition

988 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Lifeline(PDF, 103KB)

Substance Misuse (Prevention/Intervention)