County approves public-health grant and speaker contracts for June ‘Coordinating Hope’ summit

On April 21, 2026, the Lewis and Clark County Board of Commissioners approved a public-health grant and three speaker contracts to support the Coordinating Hope Summit scheduled for June 17, 2026.

Sarah Sandau, Public Health Grants Specialist, told the commission the county received a Retail Flexible Funding Model award from the National Environmental Health Association and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in an amount not to exceed $9,200 for the period April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027. Sandau said staff recommended approval of the grant award.

Sandau also presented three speaker contracts tied to the Coordinating Hope Summit: a $716 contract with Andrew Laue to speak on secondary trauma and resilience; a $1,500 contract with Florence Crittenton as the summit keynote; and a $150 contract with Halliday and Associates to speak about boundaries. Each contract carries a period through June 30, 2026, and Sandau said staff recommended approval of each.

Commissioner Andy Hunthausen moved to approve the grant award and the contracts; Commissioner Candace Payne seconded. Each motion passed on a 3–0 vote. No public comment was received at any of the approvals.

Why it matters: The county said the grant and contracted speakers will support public-health training and resilience programming tied to the Coordinating Hope Summit, helping local public-health staff and partners build capacity for retail food safety and trauma-informed practice.

The board moved on to other agenda items after the votes; the meeting adjourned at 10:08 AM.