Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch

Montana has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the U.S. The kind of psychiatric care kids need after a suicide attempt isn’t always available in-state. Many families are forced to send their child to a facility across the country. A new program near Bozeman hopes to make that less common.

Providing a mental health service for high-needs students has become more complicated for Montana’s school districts. Some are opting for other services that advocates and mental-health providers say are inadequate.

Demand for mental health care has been rising through the coronavirus pandemic after months of job loss, climbing death rates and loneliness. Now, despite…