Intermountain’s Permanency Program receives a $10,000 gift from Gallagher Foundation to improve the lives of Montana families affected by abuse and neglect

As part of Intermountain’s http://intermountain.org/ ongoing efforts to improve the lives of families affected by abuse and neglect we have developed educational opportunities for families and affiliated professionals.

We are working with consultants to create a distributed learning strategy which will reach more than 108,000 students, parents and professionals in Montana who can directly help our children. Through creating highly relevant courses, we are improving child welfare in Montana. We are influencing the long-term thinking and methodology of future mental health professionals to restore hope for traumatized children by strengthening the treatment and support they and their families receive.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s 2007 Child Maltreatment Report, more than 794,000 children were confirmed victims of abuse and neglect in the United States; 32 percent were younger than four years old. Knowing that these children need permanent homes, this extensive training will help ensure that their parents are prepared and successful.

The development of online courses is one part of Intermountain’s comprehensive Permanency Program. The Gallagher Foundation http://www.gallagherfoundation.org/, a long-term donor of Intermountain, is the newest financial supporter of the Permanency Program; joining our other major donors, The Gilhousen Family Foundation and the Ila B. Dousman Fund.