Montana
Montana suicide prevention plans and initiatives
In 2007 Montana law established a suicide prevention coordinator within the state’s Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to be responsible for distributing public awareness campaign materials and resources, delivering training, funding regional training and interventions, developing and maintaining media campaigns, disseminating materials to Veterans, maintaining the State Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and producing a biennial suicide reduction plan (MCA § 53-21-1101). The most recent 2023 Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan includes goals, objectives, and strategies designed to strengthen current work and support a statewide, coordinated, and evidence-based approach to reducing suicide. A group of key stakeholders from around the state participated in a review of the new plan, and in addition to the goals identified in the plan itself, interventions have been implemented to focus on high-risk populations in the state.
Montana laws
Key:
- Required by law
- Encouraged by law
- No law in place
Crisis lines and 988 implementation
- Addresses 988 infrastructure and provides for telecom user fee
- Addresses 988 infrastructure but does not include telecom user fee
- 988 law limited to creating an exploratory commission, advisory committee, or task force
Mental health parity
- Public health plans (e.g., Medicaid) regularly submit parity compliance analyses to state regulators
- Private health plans (individual and group) regularly submit parity compliance analyses to state regulators
K – 12 school suicide prevention
- Inclusion of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and/or other crisis line(s) on student ID cards
- Student allowances for excused mental health absences
- School personnel must report student suicide risk to a parent and/or guardian
- Suicide prevention and/or mental health training for certain school personnel, annual
- Suicide prevention and/or mental health training for certain school personnel, not annual
- Suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies/programming
- Student education on suicide prevention
Health professional training in suicide assessment, treatment and management
- Mental health professionals receive regular training
- Mental health professionals receive one time training
- Medical/surgical professionals receive regular training
- Medical/surgical professionals receive one time training
Conversion therapy bans
- Prohibits licensed/board certified mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy with minors under 18 years of age
- Prohibits licensed/board certified mental health providers from engaging in conversion therapy with vulnerable adults
- Prohibits use of state funds for any purpose related to conversion therapy (e.g., conducting, making a referral for, or extending health benefits coverage for)
University and college campus suicide prevention
- Inclusion of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and/or other crisis line(s) on student ID cards
- Students receive information on available mental health and/or suicide prevention services and/or resources
- Adoption of suicide prevention/awareness policy or program