Mental health advisory council discusses area authorities, suicide awareness walk

The Hill County Mental Health Local Advisory Council during its monthly meeting Monday discussed the purpose of service area authorities in the local councils.

Council member Curtis Smeby, who brought in a purpose statement for SAAs issued by Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, said that in his point of view, DPHHS has become more serious about being listened to and being a partner with the SAA and the council.

“The purpose of an SAA is to collaborate with the Department of Public Health and Human Services to assist in the management of public behavioral health,” the document he provided said.

The document added that the objective for an SAA is to ensure that people’s needs and preferences are at the center of services provided.

The SAAs have their own congress that comes together annually for a statewide conference. Montana has three regional service area authorities, central, eastern and western, with Hill County in the central authority.

“It provides some guidance … that SAAs do not report to (DPHHS), but they are in consultation with the department, and the LAC supports the SAAs and the department to provide family-orientated lived experience services in an equality matter,” Smeby said. 

Mental Health Local Advisory Council and Hill County Suicide Awareness Coalition member Andi Daniel said some recent turnovers and refocusing has taken place in DPHHS and the SAAs.

Mental Health Local Advisory Council member and Suicide Awareness Coalition Chair Amber Spring said the annual Suicide Awareness Walk is Thursday and today Old Station Brewing Co. is donating $1 from each purchase from 4 to 9 p.m. to the the coalition. Havre breweries are doing fundraisers throughout the month of September, but the dates and specials for Triple Dog Brewing Co. and Visla Brewing are to be determined. 

She added that, after the walk, Montana State University-Northern and Montana Actors’ Theatre writer Mark Cichosz will present his play “It’s Time” at 8 p.m in Cowan Hall’s Little Theatre.

“We will provide at the end of the play an opportunity if people have questions or if things that people want to talk about,” Spring said.

She said a disclaimer will be presented prior to the play letting the audience know it is about suicide.

Daniel said if the weather is bad the talk and everything else will take place in The Little Theater.

The next LAC meeting will focus on the council coming up with a master plan and goals they would like to accomplish. The council members agreed that their next meeting needs to be longer to allow each member to voice their goals and visions for the council to put together a strategic plan for the future and events to come. 

The next meeting for the Mental Health Local Advisory Council will be Monday, Oct. 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Bullhook Community Health Center.