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Educators, providers press for school‑based screening and services as RBHI pilots expand
Summary
Department and providers told the appropriations subcommittee that school-based screening pilots expanded under an emergency education grant and that RBHI screenings found measurable reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms among students screened twice.
During public testimony and the BHDD briefing, providers and department staff urged the legislature to fund school‑based behavioral health screening and services recommended in the BISFIG report.
DPHHS and partner providers said the Rural Behavioral Health Institute (RBHI) expanded a Screening Linked to Care pilot using Governor’s Emergency Education Relief funds; RBHI performed 16,771 screenings in the 2023–24 school year, the department said. BHDD administrator Megan Peel told the committee that RBHI data show reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms among students screened twice, with the most substantial improvement among students with the most severe symptoms.
Why it matters: Montana has high youth behavioral‑health needs and large rural areas with limited access to mental‑health professionals. Multiple witnesses at the hearing — school psychologists, student leaders, and provider organizations — urged funding BISFIG phase‑1 recommendations that would support school‑based screening, targeted interventions, and expansion of school mental‑health capacity.
Provider perspective: Holly Mook of PureView Health Center and others said school‑based screening and in‑school providers shorten the pathway to care and reduce barriers for students and families; student testimony described suicide and severe distress as present realities in some communities. Megan Peel said the department will inventory the different school‑based models being used statewide and provide the committee a clearer map of models, funding flows, and the number of districts served.
What the committee asked for: Vice Chair Mercer and other members asked for an inventory that clarifies how current school‑based services in Montana differ from the older comprehensive School and Community Treatment (CSCT) model: which districts use CSCT, which use FQHC or onsite clinician arrangements, and how BISFIG proposals would align funding and federal reimbursement. DPHHS agreed to bring an inventory and a clarifying presentation at the BISFIG hearing tomorrow.
