The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Montana State University will hold a virtual Friday Forum on January 9 to discuss behavioral health services in Gallatin County. The event, titled “Expanding Access to Behavioral Health: Growth in Services for Our Community,” is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom and is open to the public at no cost.
Nicole Madden, system director of Bozeman Health psychiatric services, and Kristen Smith, principal at Bloom Consulting, LLC and member of the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition, are set to speak. They will address topics including Bozeman Health’s new adult inpatient psychiatric unit, its psychiatric emergency services and crisis pathways. Emergency detention and the youth health continuum will also be discussed.
According to organizers, “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.
Those interested must register by 11 a.m. on January 9. Registration details are available at www.montana.edu/olli/offerings or by calling 406-994-6646. Registrants will receive an email with a link and login instructions prior to the event.
Friday Forums are held monthly from September through May by OLLI at MSU as part of Academic Technology and Outreach initiatives that provide engagement opportunities across Montana State University.
Montana State University serves over 17,000 students with more than 250 undergraduate and 115 graduate programs as a public research institution based in Bozeman official website. The university emphasizes education, research and community engagement as part of its mission as Montana’s land-grant university official website.
