Granite County commissioners approve letter to pass state behavioral-health prevention grant through public health

Kayla Sanders, the Healthy Grant County Network treasurer/secretary, and board chair Jen Grimm asked the Granite County Commission on April 1 to submit a state behavioral-health prevention grant through the county and to provide a letter of support.

The commission voted to provide the letter and to serve as the county pass-through for the award if the network is selected.

The network is seeking a two-year grant the presenters said comes from the Montana Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Division and would total $250,000 over two years. "It is actually 250,000 over 2 years. So 125,000 a year," Sanders told commissioners. The applicants proposed that the Healthy Grant County Network would administer the grant and hire a prevention coordinator to expand local prevention, trainings and resource coordination.

Grimm described the coordinator role as someone licensed in behavioral health who would continue existing local services and build network linkages with nearby counties. "We would do all that," Grimm said, referring to administering the grant locally and relieving county health staff of day-to-day administration.

County public-health staff had been part of early discussions; a county public-health official present told the commission she supported the approach. "We fully support them," the public-health official said during the meeting.

Commissioners discussed reporting and oversight. Staff said the county would be the formal grantee only if the award is made, and the commission confirmed the chair or an authorized county official would sign the contract documents when necessary. The motion to provide a letter of support and to approve the county serving as pass-through passed on a voice vote.

The presenters said the grant includes technical assistance from the Montana Public Health Institute and that a portion of the award (25%) is budgeted to the institute as TA. Sanders and Grimm said the network plans to use the majority of funding for the coordinator’s salary and local training and to pursue sustainability strategies after the two-year period.

The network asked the commission to sign a prepared letter of support that day to meet a state deadline; commissioners approved and directed staff to provide the letter.

Why this matters: If awarded, the state grant would fund a locally run prevention position and training over two years with state technical assistance; the county’s agreement to act as pass-through enables the network to apply because the state requires a county or tribal fiscal sponsor for this award.