LAC hears state suicide-prevention wins and Park County health update including nearby measles cases
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Summary
Council member Laurie Bishop summarized recent state-level changes — SB 95 passed, school suicide-prevention training made mandatory every three years, and Medicaid expansion passed — and Park County Health Department official Travis Horton reported confirmed measles cases in nearby Gallatin County and ongoing contact tracing.
Laurie Bishop, an LAC member, told the Local Advisory Council that SB 95, the veterans suicide-prevention bill, passed and that a separate change will require school staff to receive suicide-prevention training every three years.
“SB 95, which is the veterans suicide prevention bill ... did pass,” Laurie Bishop said. She told the council that the renewed school-training requirement will likely prompt local coordination with school districts and that online options from the Office of Public Instruction exist.
Bishop also said Medicaid expansion passed in the legislature in its current form and that the issue could prompt a special session if federal funding changes.
Travis Horton, a Park County Health Department official who recently joined the county from Gallatin County, briefed the council on public-health activity and trainings and warned of nearby measles cases.
"It's confirmed now. There's I think there's 5 cases. I think it's I think it's 4 kids and an adult of either unvaccinated or unknown vaccination status," Horton said. He described contact tracing and said public-health agencies are notifying potential contacts and offering vaccination as needed.
The council discussed ongoing QPR trainings and local capacity-building: Laurie Bishop said more than 200 Park County residents have received QPR, Mental Health First Aid or related resilience training since September, and the group plans to apply for state funding to continue those efforts.
Members also discussed Moms Demand Action’s Be SMART materials and Safer Communities Montana resources as possible partners for firearm-safety outreach in combination with health-department distribution of gun locks and outreach to firearms dealers and veterans groups.
Council members agreed to follow up on targeted QPR sessions for local agencies and on outreach plans that could be coordinated with the upcoming visit of suicide-prevention expert Carl Rosson.