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Park County public health update: measles contained locally; DUI task force restarts and school mental-health screening flagged
Summary
Park County public-health and prevention programs were a focus of the Local Mental Health Advisory Council meeting on May 15, with updates on measles testing, a restarted DUI task force and countywide school mental-health screening.
Park County public-health and prevention programs were a focus of the Local Mental Health Advisory Council meeting on May 15, with updates on measles testing, a restarted DUI task force and countywide school mental-health screening.
Travis Fortin, Park County Public Health staff, said recent local tests for suspected measles cases were negative and that a small cluster did not spread within Montana. "We had a few scares, I would say, tests that came through Livingston Park County... but they all turned out negative," Fortin said, adding that community transmission persists in parts of Alberta and North Dakota. He cautioned that seasonal travel and gatherings could continue to move cases across borders.
Fortin also reported the county has restarted its DUI task force and held its first meeting recently after a pause. The task force is developing educational materials for bars and marijuana dispensaries, outreach cards for dispensaries reminding purchasers about Yellowstone National Park rules, and plans for personal-use breathalyzers to help servers and patrons assess impairment. Fortin said the task force plans to ask the county commission on June 27 for support and to seek opportunities for overtime enforcement funding to support events and targeted enforcement.
On school mental health, council members referenced Communities That Care (CTC) prevention-needs assessment data covering middle and high schools across the county. A council member said the screening shows mental-health needs flagged more strongly in rural schools than in Livingston and described a proposed intervention called "squad," a peer-to-peer program that trains adults nominated by students to provide support. The council discussed scheduling a June meeting with school administrators to review CTC data and consider interventions.
No ordinances or formal county policy changes were adopted at the May 15 meeting; the council received updates and agreed to follow up with relevant partners and return with more information at the June meeting.
