U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester today announced that Montana is about to receive more than a million dollars for various health projects across the Treasure State.
The grants will go to the State of Montana, both Montana universities and a non-profit mental health care organization called the Family Support Network.
* Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services will receive $600,000 to improve access to Medicare services through the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program. The “Flex Program” creates partnerships between various governments to improve health care for Americans who live in rural areas. It also allows rural hospitals to be designated as Critical Access Hospitals.
* The University of Montana (Missoula) will receive $312,500 for the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences. The money will go to the college’s Endowment Fund Program, which is used to recruit minority students and teachers.
* Montana State University (Bozeman) will receive $310,000 for infectious disease research. The money will help researchers figure out what triggers white blood cells to respond to bacterial and viral infections in the human body.
* The Family Support Network (Billings) will receive $60,000 to improve the involvement of parents whose children receive mental health care from the State of Montana. The money will be used to develop an evaluation system for parents.
“This money is a shot-in-the-arm for health care in Montana,” Baucus said. “From disease research to making sure parents have a bigger role in their kids’ health care, these are smart, innovative projects that will help make our state a better place to live.”
“These grants boil down to one thing—better access to quality, affordable health care for all Montanans, regardless of where they live,” Tester said. “This is a good dose of funding that will go a long way in making Montana a better place to work and raise a family.”
The grants will be awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.