Megan Peel, administrator for the Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Division at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, told the Legislature’s budget committee the department oversees the state’s suicide-prevention program and provided a PowerPoint and a budget fact sheet for the hearing.

“The original program was House Bill 478, which was created in 02/2007,” said Carl Roston, Montana’s suicide prevention coordinator, explaining that the position was created by statute to coordinate statewide efforts and produce a biennial suicide-prevention plan. Roston and other department staff said the program’s responsibilities include public-awareness campaigns, statewide training, tribal partnerships, grants to local communities and support for the crisis lifeline now reached by dialing 988.

The department described multiple prevention strands: public awareness and media purchased in partnership with the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Northern Broadcasting System; training such as QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) and Suicide Safe Care for health providers; school-based programs including the PAX Good Behavior Game and the Signs of Suicide curriculum; tribal and urban Indian community postvention resources developed with Columbia University; and the statewide data surveillance effort that reviews every suicide to inform interventions.

John Tabb, the state’s suicide-prevention program manager who oversees the 988 work and veteran outreach, said Montana operates three lifeline call centers (Voices of Hope in Great Falls, the Help Center in Bozeman, and Western Montana Mental Health in Missoula) and that the system has operated “well above the nationally established threshold of 90% for answer rate.” He said call volume rose about 30% after the 988 rollout and that most calls are resolved on the phone: “80% of the callers, the issue is stabilized on the phone,” and only “8% of our calls require crisis response.”

On outcomes, Roston said the state has seen recent declines: a 12% reduction in suicides overall in the last two years, including a 17% drop in American Indian suicides, a 39% drop in youth suicides and a 14% drop in veteran suicides. He cautioned that suicide is multi‑factored — citing geography, isolation, high rates of firearm ownership, alcohol use and stigma — and that progress is slow and uneven.

The committee’s budget discussion focused on funding sources and spending variability. Gene Hermanson, the department’s Medicaid chief financial manager, said the suicide-prevention budget has been driven by federal grants in recent years while general fund and state special revenue (notably a tobacco-interest 2987 fund used for community grants) have been more stable. Hermanson summarized recent legislative funding and appropriations: the community grant line first funded in House Bill 118, continued in House Bill 2, provides about $500,000 a year for local prevention grants; a five‑year SAMHSA grant (the tribal “Zero Suicide” cohort) awarded about $3.6 million was used primarily from 2019 through 2024 but $774,000 of that grant was not spent and reverted to the federal government; and federal 988 capacity grants (about $850,000) funded call‑center upgrades and workforce capacity.

Lawmakers repeatedly asked for a clearer, itemized accounting. Senator Glynn pressed for an explanation of year‑to‑year variances and asked whether general fund dollars were spent before federal grant funds; Hermanson confirmed spending and timing decisions and said department staff would provide a full breakdown. Committee members also asked about unspent federal grant balances, whether reversions occurred and where carried balances sit; Hermanson and department fiscal staff agreed to follow up with specific ledger details.

Members pressed staff on operational gaps and next steps. Questions included how to expand the PAX Good Behavior Game in schools, how to ensure continuity of care for people discharged from psychiatric residential treatment facilities (the department said the first 30 days post‑discharge are highest risk and noted efforts such as discharge planning and 7‑ and 30‑day follow‑up calls), and how to reduce stigma that prevents schools or communities from adopting recommended programs. The department said it trains roughly 1,400 health‑care workers per year, maintains about 80 “train‑the‑trainer” instructors statewide (10 serving tribal communities), and partners with MSU’s art department for culturally tailored outreach materials for tribal and veteran communities.

The hearing identified several locally based pilot or emerging programs funded through the community grants and other sources: Tamarack Reef Resources (school and tribal work), the Rural Behavioral Health Institute (school screening and crisis intervention), Riverstone Health (school-based work and postvention in Yellowstone County), Montana State University (YAM—Youth Aware of Mental Health), Lewis and Clark County’s “Loss Team” pilot for immediate survivor support at death investigations, and Safer Communities Montana, a lethal‑means safety program developed with local gun‑community buy‑in.

Lawmakers pressed the department for two immediate follow-ups the committee requested: (1) a detailed budget breakdown showing all funding sources and expenditures tied to 988, PAX/ school‑based work, community grants and tribal grant carryovers; and (2) options for improving post‑discharge outreach and for extending loss‑team style survivor support beyond pilot counties. Department staff agreed to provide the requested financial detail and to coordinate with coroners’ offices, hospitals and tribal partners about faster survivor outreach and possible cross‑county loss‑team responses.

The session closed with committee members urging sustained investment in prevention and a coordinated plan that pairs proven, scalable school and community programs with stronger follow‑up for high‑risk individuals. The department said House Bill 2 contains continuing support for the main suicide‑prevention lines and that BizFisc recommendations include proposed expansions for school‑based screening and IT infrastructure to support crisis response work.

Ending: Committee members asked the department to return with the requested financial breakdown and implementation options; staff said they would supply those materials and further data to help the Legislature weigh budget adjustments during executive action.