Breaking Barriers in Rural Health

We talk with Dr. Robert Sise and Dr. Ty Reidenbaugh, co-founders of nonprofit 406 Recovery, as well as Tammera Nauts from the Montana Primary Care Association about the use of telehealth services to increase access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and mental health services. With changes to telehealth prescribing practices approaching next year, we learn how 406 Recovery is meeting patients where they are in their recovery journey. 

We talk with community and criminal justice advocate, human trafficking survivor and Blackfeet Tribal member Lea Wetzel, who shares her experiences in making her voice heard. Through her personal and professional paths, Lea now wears many hats, supporting Montana’s drop-in centers that support people struggling with mental illness, substance use and/or homelessness; promoting “culture is prevention” among minority groups and more. We find out what community resources are key in forging healing and building relationships among some of our most vulnerable populations.

We talk with staff from St. James Healthcare, an acute-care hospital in southwest Montana, and Tammera Nauts from the Montana Primary Care Association about how the emergency department at St. James approaches patients experiencing opiate addiction or overdose. Part of a statewide program to better respond to and treat opioid use disorder (OUD), learn how St. James is helping lead the way in reducing the stigma around OUD in rural health care.