Some potential developments this week with an eastern Montana state mental hospital.
The governor says he wants to make sure that plans move ahead and some local leaders met in Billings to discuss possibilities.
“Really grateful for the governor,” said State Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings. “He stepped up to the plate, put the project back on the table.”
Back on the table and maybe back in Billings.
Watch state mental hospital story here:
Gov. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., took the hold off the proposed state mental health facility this week.
“We're going to make sure that moves ahead,” Gianforte said on Wednesday. “We are communicating back to the Board Of Investments (BOI) on some guidelines for moving forward.”
Now the BOI will wait for direction from the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).
The project is getting some pushback from community leaders who wanted a lot more information on what might be coming to town.
“We need to know a little bit of who, what, where, when, why, and how,” said Billings Deputy Mayor Mike Boyett. “And that's what we're hoping in a month to have.”
Yakawich is a longtime supporter of bringing that mental health facility to Billings or Yellowstone County.
And he wants the feedback from the community.
“We also know it's going to be put in an area that is comfortable for the community,” Yakawich said. “We're not going to throw it into the middle of a residential area.”
The entire project is waiting for the Department of Public Health and Human Services to provide two things local leaders want to know exactly, what it wants to build and exactly where it wants to build the facility.
Commissioner Mike Waters, R-Yellowstone County, says it's hard to support something that is just talk at this point.
He brought up issues on:
- Workforce availability
- Lack of a plan for reintegrating patients into the community
- Funding by the state long term
- A potential strain on mental health resources,
Yakawich says he's aware of still unanswered questions, so he continues to bring what he does know to the community.
“We do need to have more planning ahead of time,” said Yakawich. “And more preparation to be able to inform the constituents more.”
All this talk could be just what is needed to get the OK from the city of Billings.
According to Yakawich and Boyett, legislators, a county commisioner, and six from the city council met in a city of Billings conference room on Wednesday.
“They need a plan and I think by our conversation and us giving information back that this this will occur,” said Boyett.
Bottom line, it looks like a second state mental health facility is in Montana's future.
“We want to make sure it gets done because Montana needs expanded behavioral health facilities,” Gianforte said.
