Montana's mental health crisis can't be ignored

Montana is facing a mental health crisis that can no longer be ignored. This isn’t about assigning blame—it’s about acknowledging a systemic failure that continues to cost lives and undermine the dignity of those in need.

The situation at Montana State Hospital reflects a troubling pattern. Inadequate funding and sky-high employee turnover have left the hospital in disarray.

It’s rare for a Chief Executive Officer to hold the position for more than a year. Other key leadership and administrative roles suffer from similar instability. Meanwhile, local healthcare workers are forced to fight for wages that barely meet today’s cost of living, while traveling medical staff often earn significantly more than industry standards.

In this instability, the people most in need—the patients—suffer the gravest consequences. 

Wait times for treatment can stretch from several months to over a year, creating a barrier to care so high that many community providers only turn to the state hospital as a last resort. When help is delayed, the ripple effects are devastating.

We must act. Mental health care cannot be a privilege for the few—it is a right. Until Montana’s leadership treats this crisis with the personal and political urgency it demands, we cannot expect outcomes to improve.

Because in the end, no one pays attention until it’s someone they know. But by then, it’s often too late.

Michael Borchardt-Robertson, Warm Springs, Montana