The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Montana State University will host a virtual Friday Forum on January 9th to discuss behavioral health services in Gallatin County.
“Expanding Access to Behavioral Health: Growth in Services for Our Community” will take place from noon to 1:30pm on Zoom. It is free and open to the public.
Nicole Madden, system director of Bozeman Health psychiatric services, and Kristen Smith, principal at Bloom Consulting LLC and a member of the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition, will discuss Bozeman Health’s new adult inpatient psychiatric unit, as well as its psychiatric emergency services and crisis pathways. The speakers will also examine emergency detention and the youth health continuum.
In 2024, Bozeman Health’s psychiatric emergency services team completed 1,359 mental health crisis evaluations. Recent community health surveys in Gallatin County confirmed that residents value increased mental health services, especially considering Montana has for years had one of the highest rates of suicide in the country, according to the Montana Free Press.
Participants must register for the forum by 11am on Jan. 9th. For more details and to register, visit www.montana.edu/olli/
Friday Forums, organized by OLLI at MSU, are held on the second Friday of each month from September to May. OLLI at MSU is a program of Academic Technology and Outreach, which provides outreach and engagement opportunities across the university. •
