Montana State Hospital

Families of former Montana State Hospital patients are suing the state. They say the state failed to prevent neglect, injuries and other issues at the psychiatric facility.

The Montana State Hospital’s forensic unit has been struggling for years to keep up with the number of inmates criminally committed to the facility. That’s led to long wait times in jail cells for inmates awaiting treatment. State health officials said they have a way to fix the problem.

Montana Free Press reporter Mara Silvers joined MTPR's Austin Amestoy with details about the Montana Health Department hiring a New York based consulting firm to guide the state as it undergoes a multiyear overhaul of its behavioral health services.

Health department officials are asking legislators to change criminal commitment laws amid a bottleneck at the Montana State Hospital.

Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is recommending construction resumes on a project updating the wastewater treatment facility at the Montana State Hospital. The state issued a stop work order earlier this month, after learning that 3 million gallons of partially treated wastewater had leaked into Warm Springs Creek.

Three million gallons of partially treated wastewater has leaked into Warm Springs Creek. The spill happened during upgrades to the water treatment plant at the Montana State Hospital.

A state commission will spend the next year working to overhaul Montana’s behavioral health and disability services system.

State lawmakers this week voted to override vetoes of two bills aimed at improving care at the Montana State Hospital. A watchdog group says conditions at the hospital aren’t improving.

Montana’s behavioral health system will get an infusion of $300 million with the signing of a bill passed last legislative session. Behavioral health providers are still waiting to find out if they’ll receive a long-awaited pay increase.

Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed a bill that would send a watchdog group all reports of neglect, abuse, injuries and deaths at the Montana State Hospital.