Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Montana State News Bureau: State Distributes $18 Million In Federal Funding For Child Care
The state announced $18 million in grants funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act to help pay for 31 child care innovation projects in communities around Montana. A report from the state Department of Labor and Industry last year found that 60% of Montana's counties were child care deserts, meaning the supply of care meets less than a third of demand. (Michels, 8/17)
Daily Montanan: What Happens When You Call 9-1-1 And No One Is Available? Rural Areas Fighting To Keep Healthcare
Most Montanans assume when they dial 9-1-1, there’ll be someone who answers on the other end. They’re equally sure if they’re calling because of a medical emergency, an ambulance and a paramedics are just moments away. But ambulances and emergency medical technicians aren’t a guarantee – as much as people might suppose. (Ehrlick, 8/14)
NBC Montana: Montana Sees Increase In Fentanyl, Drug Seizures
State officials say Montana is on track to triple fentanyl and drug seizures compared to last year. There were 1,900 cases in 2019 and 37,724 cases last year. Now there are 111,611 as of June this year. (NBC Montana Staff, 8/16)
Montana Free Press: In Montana, A History Of Eugenics Remains Hidden In Plain Sight
At least seven publicly and privately owned sites in Montana bear the names of physicians and officials who openly supported eugenic theories or helped impose forced sterilizations of disabled people. Historians say that’s an opportunity. (Pallister, 8/15)
Billings Gazette: Montana Hospitals Facing Unprecedented Financial Crisis
The nation’s hospitals are facing unprecedented financial losses as labor shortages, wage pressures and inflation follow a global pandemic — and the same is true in Montana. Record high hospitalizations during surges of COVID-19 infections led to burnout among nurses and front-line workers, resulting in an exodus from the field. To backfill, hospital administrators have turned to traveling or contracted staff, whose wages cost at least three times more than permanent employees. (Schabacker, 8/14)
Bozeman Daily Chronicle: 'I Can't Imagine': With Skilled Nursing Facilities In A Financial Bind, Difficult Choices Loom
Bridger Rehab & Care is one of many skilled nursing homes that accepts Medicaid shuttering this year in Montana. And when that facility closes in September, the Gallatin Rest Home will be the last skilled nursing home with Medicaid beds in the county. (Miller, 8/13)
Ravallii Republic: New VA Clinic Coming To Hamilton
A new VA clinic with expanded services and significantly more space is in the works to better serve Bitterroot Valley veterans. The Hamilton clinic will cover more than 7,000 square feet — five times the size of the existing clinic — and offer a range of services including primary care, women’s health, outpatient mental health therapy, laboratory and telehealth services, according to a press release. (Abell, 8/16)
Daily Montanan: Where Did They Go? People Without Homes Forced To Relocate After Evictions In Great Falls, Missoula
At 9 a.m. on August 1, the residents of the encampment in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church in Great Falls were asked to evacuate the premises. By 10:30 a.m., nearly everyone had cleared out. In the last two weeks, people living in at least two unhoused communities in Montana, one in Great Falls and the other in Missoula, have been asked to leave the grounds in a month that could shape up to be one of the hottest Augusts on record. (Girten, 8/16)
