Health Center receives $167K grant for behavioral health

The Northwest Community Health Center in Libby was recently awarded a $167,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration that will go towards incorporating integrated behavioral health services at the center.

The administration awarded just over $2 million in integrated behavioral service grants to Montana - a portion of the more than $200 million that was shelled out to 1,208 health centers nationwide to “help health centers increase access to high quality, integrated mental health and substance use disorders (SUD) services, including opioid use disorder.”

Other award recipients in Montana include Community Health Partners Clinic in Livingston, Glacier Community Health Center in Cut Bank and the Flathead Community Health Center in Kalispell. Montana as a whole received more than the Dakotas and Wyoming combined and received the same amount as Idaho.

As identified by the administration, community health centers nationwide are leading the charge in integrated behavioral health - a trend in health-care that has gained impressive momentum in recent years.

Broadly explained, integrated behavioral health-care involves streamlining medical services by coordinating behavioral health and primary care. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a growing body of research shows “integrated behavioral health improves health and patient experience, while reducing unnecessary costs in time, money, and delays.”

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4439 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com