Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program - Target Population: Our target population will be the residents of Big Horn County, Montana, with a focus on two high-risk subpopulations, American Indians and low-income residents. The county’s population in 2024 was 12,851, of whom 66% self-identify as American Indian & Alaska Native (AI/AN), and 56% are low-income (under 200% FPL). Big Horn County is a frontier county (population density 2.6 persons/mile) encompassing most of the Crow Indian Reservation. It is an impoverished area, with a median household income of $49,100, 26% of persons living below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and 56% living below 200% of FPL. Chronically facing shortages of health professionals in the area, our community is federally designated as a medically underserved area and a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). We suffer from an excessively high rate of poor health outcomes, with marked health disparities along racial and ethnic lines. Our community’s mental health picture is bleak, with tragically high rates of depression and suicide, intricately linked to the epidemic rates of adverse childhood experiences. Number of Consortium Members: 4 List of Consortium Members: Bighorn Valley Health Center, Inc. dba “One Health,” Big Horn County Public Health Department, Big Horn Hospital Association, Big Horn County Ambulance Evidence-Based Practice Model: Community Health Workers (CHW). We will implement CHWs at eight community sites in our service area. Expected Outcomes: Anticipated outcomes include: expanding access for community members to integrated healthcare, including mental health care and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment; improving screening rates for depression, sexually transmitted infections (STI) and SUD among our school-aged youth; increasing access to comprehensive family planning education and birth control for school-aged youth; and improving re-integration of justice-involved community members with SUD. Capacity to Serve Rural Underserved Populations: The lead organization, Bighorn Valley Health Center, Inc. dba “One Health,” has been providing comprehensive, integrated primary care—including medical, behavioral health/substance use disorder treatment and dental—to residents of rural and frontier counties in central and eastern Montana since its inception in 2012. All the Consortium members are located in a frontier county and have been providing care to residents for decades. Funding Preference: Bighorn Valley Health Center, Inc. dba “One Health” is requesting a funding preference based on qualification 1. Big Horn County is in a designated HPSA.
