Montana ban on gender-affirming care for minors temporarily blocked in court
A state district court judge in Missoula has blocked Montana’s ban on medical care for minors with gender dysphoria from taking effect while a lawsuit over its constitutionality continues, finding that the new law appears to have “no rational relationship to protecting children.”
Latest health Reporting
How will rural Americans fare during Medicaid unwinding? Experts fear they’re on their own
A lack of access to navigators in rural locales to help Medicaid enrollees keep their coverage or find other insurance if they’re no longer eligible could exacerbate the difficulties rural residents face.
Montana’s ban on medical treatments for transgender minors has first day in court
In a full Missoula courtroom on Monday, attorneys for plaintiffs and the state of Montana traded arguments about whether a ban on certain medical treatments for transgender minors should be allowed to take effect while a challenge to the law’s constitutionality proceeds.
Montana to pay behavioral health consultants hundreds of dollars per hour
The Montana state health department has inked a likely multi-million dollar contract with a private consulting group to coordinate a mammoth two-year effort to reform mental health, addiction treatment and developmental disabilities services across the state.
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MORE HEALTH COVERAGE
State officials seek more control over judicial involuntary commitments
Montana health officials are asking lawmakers to change criminal commitment laws so the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services has a say before a judge orders a patient committed to the Montana State Hospital or another state-run facility.
How far will Montana’s push to remove lead from school drinking water go?
The Montana Legislature designated $3.7 million this spring to remove lead from school drinking-water supplies. Then the state received $565,000 more on Aug. 1 from the $50 billion federal infrastructure package aimed at improving water systems nationally. But even with those two new pools of money intended to last two years, the state’s schools may…
Officials urge mosquito caution as recorded West Nile Virus cases rise
Health officials are urging Montanans to protect themselves from mosquito bites as state officials identify more cases of West Nile Virus.
Attorney General suggests Planned Parenthood of Montana abets human trafficking
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has accused one of the state’s most prominent abortion providers of falsifying records and “flagrantly” violating state law by withholding required reports about sexual assault against minors and statutory rape, suggesting that similar alleged inaction by the organization “could be happening with human trafficking victims.”
What’s in a name change for Montana’s leading abortion access group?
Montana’s primary abortion access fund, which helps people cover the cost of abortion and related expenses such as travel, lodging and childcare, is rebranding. What was once known as the Susan Wicklund Fund is now the Montana Abortion Access Program, or MAAP. Here’s why.
Federal regulators flag ‘concerns’ as Montana cuts Medicaid rolls
Federal regulators are urging Montana health officials to fix shortcomings in the state’s Medicaid redetermination process, expressing “concerns” that the state may be disenrolling people who are eligible for the public health insurance and creating barriers for others through long wait times at call centers and during the application process.
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MORE HEALTH REPORTING
Billings Clinic and Logan Health announce merger
Billings Clinic and Logan Health announced this week that the two hospital systems have received regulatory permission to merge on Sept 1. In a press release, the hospitals announced that there will be “minimal changes” to how each organization operates on Day 1. Full integration is expected to take 12 to 24 months.
Montana State Hospital tallies high rates of falls, chemical restraints and staff vacancies
The Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs, the state’s only public adult psychiatric facility, continues to see high staff vacancies, budget deficits, and shortfalls in health and safety standards more than a year after losing federal accreditation following investigations into patient deaths and injuries.
‘Conscience’ bills let medical providers opt out of providing a wide range of care
A new Montana law will provide sweeping legal protections to health care practitioners who refuse to prescribe marijuana or participate in procedures and treatments such as abortion, medically assisted death, gender-affirming care, or others that run afoul of their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs or principles.
Home sweet parking lot
Bozeman Health created a short-term RV parking program at the hospital, which has largely been used by Montana patients traveling for care they couldn’t receive closer to home.
Montana vape shops join effort to reduce fatal opioid overdoses
Queen’s Palace is the first shop of its kind in Montana to become a naloxone distributor. The initiative was the brainchild of Evan Breshears, manager of the Helena store, and Tia Norine, manager of its Butte location. Naloxone is the generic name of a drug more commonly known by its brand name, Narcan. The drug…
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