Montana voters overwhelmingly view cost as a major mental health care hurdle
According to a Montana Free Press-Eagleton Poll, conducted in late 2025 and early 2026, 67% of respondents cited “cost of services” as a major problem when it comes to accessing care. A smaller share, 42%, cited the stigma associated with receiving care as a major problem, while 47% said the same about the travel distance…
Latest health Reporting
Federal appeals court sides with BNSF Railway in dispute with Libby asbestos victims
In the unanimous finding, a panel of three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 2024 Montana federal court ruling that asbestos contamination at BNSF’s rail yard had contributed to the 2020 deaths of Joyce Walder and Thomas Wells. BNSF shipped asbestos-tainted vermiculite products nationwide from the 20-acre site in downtown…
Laurel locals speak out against site location for state psychiatric facility
Laurel city council members sat in silence as they listened to nearly two hours of commentary from frustrated community members about the selection of a 114-acre parcel just off Old Highway 10 and Golf Course Road for the location of a state-run psychiatric facility. While the council members’ lips were tightly sealed, residents of Laurel…
Montana prepares to funnel $233 million into rural health projects
Montana’s state health department, rural hospitals, medical associations and other groups have about six months to turn $233 million into action. How well the state meets its goals in the first year will also impact how much federal funding Montana receives in 2027 and the years after. Some stakeholders have expressed doubt that the first-year…
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MORE HEALTH COVERAGE
Trump administration reverses itself, restores $2 billion in mental health, substance abuse grants
Less than 24 hours after the Trump administration terminated about $2 billion in substance abuse and mental health grants, the administration reversed itself and restored the funding. In an email to the Montana state health department, federal officials directed the state to “disregard” the previous notification canceling the grants.
Health departments, mental health advocates, reel from sudden federal grant cuts
Montana public health officials and advocacy groups said that local suicide prevention, addiction recovery and other mental health programs had lost millions of dollars in federal funding, citing a letter from the Trump administration announcing that grant money that had already been distributed would be clawed back.
Everything you need to know about Montana’s rural health windfall
All told, the administration of Gov. Greg Gianforte has said that Montana could receive $1.2 billion in grant money by 2031 if the Trump administration continues to fund the state’s proposed projects at the same level every year. How far will that go toward filling the hole left by Medicaid cuts, and what exactly can…
Montana pediatrician group pushes back against CDC vaccine changes
A Montana pediatrician weighs in on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s decision to revise the routine schedule for childhood immunizations.
New buildings, business in Lodge Grass are symbols of recovering from pervasive meth addiction
In Lodge Grass, an estimated 60% of the residents age 14 and older struggle with drug or alcohol addictions. But signs of renewal are emerging. In recent years, the town has torn down more than two dozen abandoned buildings. Now, for the first time in decades, new businesses are going up.
Weeks after flooding, Libby still lacks clean drinking water
Two weeks before Christmas, Lincoln County was struck by some of the worst flooding in decades following massive storms that wreaked havoc across the Pacific Northwest. The flooding also impacted the city of Libby’s drinking water reservoirs, resulting in an order for residents to boil their water that has continued into the new year and…
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MORE HEALTH REPORTING
The year on the health beat
From the renewal of Montana’s Medicaid expansion program to the Affordable Care Act subsidy cliff, 2025 featured continuous coverage about health care affordability.
Can the Montana State Hospital regain federal standing without electronic health records?
State health department director Charlie Brereton has long said the state hospital aims to apply for recertification by the end of December. At a Dec. 16 meeting with lawmakers, Brereton confirmed the agency was still operating on that timeline, even without an electronic health record, or EHR, system in place.
Montana medical board revokes cancer doctor Thomas Weiner’s license
A panel of medical board members unanimously decided to revoke the medical license of former Helena cancer doctor Thomas Weiner, a decision that bars him from practicing medicine in Montana.
In Laurel, details thin about proposed state-run mental health facility
Details about the state’s proposed psychiatric facility in Laurel have been thin on the ground for local elected officials. The list of unknowns includes where exactly the state wants to build the 32-bed facility, the next steps for the project and what role, if any, local government officials will play in approving the plan.
SNAP may be back, but new work requirements could mean some lose coverage
Under the new federal budget law, to be eligible for SNAP benefits, more people are required to show that they are working, volunteering, or studying. Those who don’t file paperwork in time risk losing food aid for up to three years.
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