DPHHS | Montana Free Press

Special Session

The Lowdown: Nobody is going to like how it ends

By John S. Adams | November 14, 2017

When 150 Republican and Democratic legislators, dozens of lobbyists, labor organizations, special interest groups, political operatives, and citizens from across Montana all descend on the state Capitol for a special legislative session, you end up with a lot of delicate moving parts. The fiscal and political realities House and Senate lawmakers are faced with as they work toward a solution to the state’s $227 million budget hole are complex, dynamic, and too numerous to list.

Health Care

Medical Board Revokes State Addiction Doctor’s License

By John S. Adams | March 11, 2016

UPDATE: 2016-03-11, 12:35 p.m.: Anaconda-Deer Lodge Chief of Law Enforcement Tim Barkell confirmed Friday that Mark Jay Catalanello was arrested Thursday night following a hit-and-run incident east of Anaconda. According to law enforcement officials, Catalanello was found trying to hide in a culvert after he jumped from his truck at at Hwy 48 near the Warm Springs turn-off.

Crime and Justice

Embattled State Doctor Arrested on Drug Charges

By John S. Adams | March 5, 2016

By John S. Adams, Editor-in-Chief

A former state doctor who is facing an indefinite suspension of his medical license for alleged illegal drug use was arrested in Butte Friday night on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possession of dangerous drugs. Mark Jay Catalanello was a staff physician at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs and served as the medical director at the Montana Chemical Dependency Center in Butte until October, when the Montana Board of Medical Examiners temporarily suspended his medical license amid accusations that he was using illegal drugs.

Government

Former State Doctor Faces Indefinite Medical License Suspension

By John S. Adams | February 19, 2016

By John S. Adams, Montana Free Press

Disciplinary actions against the former medical director of the state-run Montana Chemical Dependency Center in Butte are taking another step forward now that he has failed to defend himself against drug abuse charges leveled last fall. Dr. Mark Jay Catalanello’s medical license was temporarily suspended in September when he was still director of MCDC.

Government

More details on suspended MCDC Doc

By John S. Adams | October 7, 2015

Montana Public Radio news director Eric Whitney interviewed me at length Tuesday about my recent report on the suspended state doctor accused of illegal drug use. Last week the Montana Board of Medical Examiners suspended the medical license of Dr. Mark Jay Catalanello for the second time after he allegedly violated the terms of a chemical dependency treatment contract.

Government

Record of Dependency

By John S. Adams | October 5, 2015

The doctor in charge of a state-run chemical dependency treatment program in Butte has a long history of drug and alcohol abuse, including felony arrests.