New youth wellness center ground breaking at Rocky Boy

Watch for more on the ceremony in an upcoming edition of Havre Daily News.

The Rocky Boy Health Center broke ground on its new Youth Wellness Center in a Thursday morning ceremony with speakers sharing their hopes for the center and how it will help local young people, especially those struggling with addiction.

Health Center staff and tribal leaders spoke at the event before members of the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation's Tribal Youth Council put shovels in the ground, the first of many before the facility is completed in a year or two.

"It's a big day for the tribe, a big day for our people," said Chippewa Cree Business Committee Chair Harlan Baker.

A release from the Health Center said the $20 million building will be between 25,000 and 30,000 square feet, with exam rooms, multi-purpose classrooms and offices, as well as a commercial kitchen and cafeteria along with a gymnasium with enough room for two basketball courts.

Speakers at the event said young people in Rocky Boy often struggle and, while the medical services of the Health Center are vital, there are limits to what it can do, being primarily focused on addressing people's immediate medical needs.

Speakers said the facility will be designed to foster connections between young people, their peers, their elders, their culture, their languages and themselves by addressing not just their medical needs, but also their mental, emotional and spiritual health.