For immediate release: October 2, 2024
Media contact:
Kirsten Smith, Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition
406-570-0058
ksmith@bloomconsult.org
Community Partners Unite to Launch Youth Behavioral Health Campus Near Bozeman
Partners Raising Money to Complete Project
Community partners are joining forces to establish a dedicated campus where youth experiencing behavioral health crises can receive safe and effective services close to home.
HRDC, Gallatin County, and the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) of Billings are spearheading the acquisition and development of a youth behavioral health campus near Bozeman. This initiative focuses on providing crisis and residential services for youth ages 11 to 18 in Gallatin, Park and Madison counties. Phase 1 services will focus on crisis services designed to stabilize and assess youth, provide comprehensive support to them and their families, and connect them with the appropriate services and resources tailored to their needs. Over time, the vision is for the campus to grow in its service provision to support a continuum of high-acuity therapeutic services.
“Gallatin County stands firmly behind this important project, and we hope that the community will join us to make this dream a reality,” said Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown. “Kids in crisis are too often left without any local treatment options. We must change that status quo. This partnership represents a generational opportunity for our community to invest in local crisis services for our kids.”
The need for this initiative is pressing. Montana has the highest rate of suicide in the nation, with Gallatin County youth at particularly high risk. 14% of Gallatin County teenagers said they attempted suicide in the past year, and 21% have seriously considered it. In 2023, Bozeman Health’s emergency department treated 276 youth (0 to 17) for behavioral health concerns. Among them, 105 were discharged to inpatient psychiatric units in Helena, Billings, Idaho Falls, or elsewhere. In the past three years, the Help Center received around 170 mental health crisis calls annually from youth, with about 75% of these callers screening positive for suicidality.
Our current service system is inadequate to meet the growing need for child and adolescent behavioral health services. Cost-of-living challenges for our workforce in Gallatin County have resulted in the closure of all group homes and a lack of higher-acuity behavioral health services in the region.
“Our children who face acute mental health challenges often find themselves in treatment environments designed for adults, separated from their families and communities,” said Christina Powell, Help Center CEO. “This campus offers a unique opportunity to create a truly child-centered space for healing, providing a comprehensive range of care and opportunities to reconnect with their vibrant selves.”
To address this critical issue, the partner organizations seek to raise $5,050,000 to purchase, renovate, and launch programs at the former Bootstrap Ranch north of Bozeman. The 30-acre campus is located at 8977 Dry Creek Road features facilities to serve between eight and 26 children in higher acuity residential services in the first phase. It has space for staff housing, an activity building, gymnasium, cafeteria, commercial kitchen, barn and outbuildings.
“We are creating transformative solutions to meet a vital need for our community’s kids and families,” said Kirsten Smith, coordinator of the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition (GBHC). “We can and must do better, and this project is the start. With the right team of leaders, we can make something remarkable possible, but it can only become a reality if donors and partners rally around this vision.”
YBGR will operate the campus, with HRDC purchasing the property and will transfer it to YBGR once start-up funding is secured. HRDC closed on the property on August 30.
“HRDC’s community needs assessments consistently highlight mental health services as one of our region’s biggest gaps,” said Heather Grenier, CEO of HRDC. “Youth mental health services are especially lacking. Buying and transferring property is something our organization does well, and it is a way we can help bring this youth campus to life.”
Gallatin County has committed $1.5 million towards the $3.55 million purchase of the campus. Acquisition costs are estimated to be $250,000, renovation costs are estimated to be $650,000, and start-up programming costs for the first year of operations are estimated at $650,000. Partners are working to raise the remaining, most of which needs to be secured in the next several months.
To donate to this vital project, visit the HRDC’s website.
For more information on this and other behavioral health projects in Gallatin County, email Kirsten Smith at ksmith@bloomconsult.org.
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