People living in southwest Montana have long struggled to find care when they experience a mental health crisis. They often drove for hundreds of miles to get help. A new facility is opening for those patients.
Bozeman Health this week is opening a 14-bed inpatient unit for adults experiencing a mental health crisis.
The region has long been a mental health care desert.
Nicole Madden directs psychiatric services for Bozeman Health.
“Our patients were traveling anywhere from 130 to 200-300 miles to get care,” Madden says.
Patients would drive to Missoula, Kalispell or even eastern Idaho. That’s problematic when someone in crisis might be a threat to themselves or others.
Madden expects to serve about 700 adults a year. She says the facility can also take patients from other parts of the state if local beds are full, which is often the case.
She says the facility is just one piece in a system that’s riddled with gaps. But Gallatin County is working with providers to start new services outside of the hospital. That includes case management for adults and in-patient care for children.
