Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Pathways - Overview of the Project: The University of Montana’s Center for Children, Families and Workforce Development (UM Center) will lead the Montana Rural Youth Behavioral Health Pathways (MT-RYBHP), a youth-focused and peer-led Community Health Worker (CHW) pathway program in three rural Montana communities. MT-RYBHP aims to enhance behavioral healthcare in rural Montana by engaging and training youth as Community Health Workers (CHWs). This initiative will develop youth-driven behavioral health programs and prepare rural youth for advanced training in specialized behavioral health fields. The objectives for the project are the following: 1. Pathways- Establish a pathways program to expand work-based learning opportunities for youth, provide CHW training and facilitate access to jobs and additional specialized behavioral health training. 2. Engagement- Engage high school youth in designated rural counties to create peer-driven behavioral health programming. 3. Sustainability- Develop innovative, multisectoral approaches to support the sustainability of activities within this proposal with the development of a Rural Behavioral Health Pathways Network. Needs: Montana faces significant behavioral health needs and workforce shortages. With a vast area of 147,040 square miles and just over 1 million residents, it is one of the largest and least populated states in the US. Montana is a rural state with 55 of its 56 counties eligible for HRSA rural health grants. HRSA estimates that only 32.9% of the current mental health need is met with Montana’s existing behavioral health workforce. Montana has some of the highest rates of behavioral health issues and often leads the nation in suicide rates. Forty-three percent of high school students report depression symptoms, and 26% have seriously considered suicide. The suicide rate among Montana’s children from 2013-2022 was 13.2 per 100,000, nearly three times the national rate. Despite these challenges, there are no established behavioral health career pathways for youth in Montana. Proposed Services: The MT-RYBHP will address the behavioral health career pathway gap by leveraging the existing work-based learning infrastructure and adapting existing CHW training for high school students. It will establish the Rural Behavioral Health Pathways Network (Network) to create and sustain behavioral health training and career pathways for rural youth. The Network will include five high schools, two community colleges, local social service and healthcare organizations for work placements, and statewide partners to advance training and employment opportunities. The UM Center will also set up regional Youth Advisory Boards to involve youth in developing peer-driven programs and community-based experiences. By the end of the first year, the UM Center and the Network will finalize a sustainability plan to support and expand the CHW pathway to more communities across Montana. Population to be Served: This program will serve high school youth in three HPSA-designated rural Montana counties: Flathead, Park, and Lewis & Clark. In partnership with the UM Center and the Network, Work-based Learning Coordinators in the three high schools, will leverage existing partnerships with local community colleges and local behavioral health and healthcare organizations to create and sustain behavioral health training and career pathways for Montana’s rural youth. Building behavioral health training and career pathways for youth helps address the persistent workforce gaps in rural Montana. With statewide partners involved in the Network, we believe this pathway will serve as a model that can be adopted throughout rural Montana once it proves successful.
