Bright Spots in the News: A New Day for Montana’s Public Health Institutions

It may be me just getting old, but it feels like 2026 has already had a lot of news. When it comes to Montana’s mental health treatment system, it can be hard to decipher what is a news release and what is critical evidence of how our long-term system is improving or needs to improve.

Some of the issues like the SAMHSA cuts from last week might look huge one news cycle and then be fixed by the next one.

That’s why I wanted to highlight two issues in the news that we see as really important developments in Montana’s mental health system. And they come in the institutional part of our mental health system, which can be so hard to positively change.

Montana State Hospital

NAMI Montana is one of the strongest and most consistent advocates for the best care possible at Montana State Hospital. That has been one of our most strongest policy platforms since our founding in 1987.

Over the years, we’ve done most of that advocacy in private with state officials. Sometimes, we do that advocacy in public through the news or at legislative hearings.

Our message has always focused on ensuring this essential care is as effective as possible. And being willing to keep analyzing and changing to make sure that only specific types of care are delivered there - with everything else being done with in the communities.

There has been a lot of years of really bleak news from Montana State Hospital. But we’re delighted to share this Op-Ed from former legislator Jennifer Carlson about the improvements that she has seen at Montana State Hospital. Carlson has received multiple NAMI Hero awards for her relentless work. We are grateful that she also allowed us to publish the Op-Ed on our website, so we can share it more easily.

Forensic Mental Health Facility For Eastern Montana

NAMI Montana has been advocating for improvements in how the criminal justice system cares for people with mental health conditions involved with that system for years. We have worked on issue that occur before a person becomes involved with the criminal justice system and after. All focusing on the best outcome for everyone involved and for the safety of the community.

At the last Legislative session, we successfully advocated for a new forensic mental health facility in Eastern Montana. This week the State of Montana identified a site in West Laurel that it has chose to site the facility. There is still a long way to go, but this is a critical step forward to help ensure our justice and public health systems are able to provide effective care in a safe place. You can read the article at this link.

Mental health advocacy requires relentless effort over decades. It's difficult and you feel like you can never get enough done fast enough. That's why it's so important to honor the wins. Honor the good news. It provides the hope and strength needed to keep going to the next challenge.

Thank you for all of your support,

Matt Kuntz

Executive Director

NAMI Montana