Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services

The emergency rule, enacted in May, bars transgender residents from amending the gender markers on their birth certificates unless they have medically transitioned. About 100 people Thursday spoke in opposition.

Montana state health department spokesperson Jon Ebelt says the state is ordering vaccines in anticipation of the approval, but didn’t say how many. He says providers could receive the vaccines by June 21, which is the earliest they could be administered following approval.

As frustrated mothers search for formula, one local nonprofit has helped bridge the gap for moms facing just that issue. Mother’s Milk Bank of Montana is the region’s only breastmilk bank, serving hospitals from Idaho to the Dakotas and Wyoming.

The emergency rule skirts a recent order from a Billings district court judge.

The state health department is seeking pandemic-EBT funding two months after declining continued participation.

The survey asks participants to rate their communities based on access to public transportation, social events and long-term care facilities, among myriad other topics. Results are expected to come out in October.

State health officials say they have signed a contract with a Helena-based consulting firm to address patient safety issues at the Montana State Hospital. The federal government pulled funding for the hospital this week citing safety problems that resulted in patient deaths.

Some Montana emergency responders, like those in the Madison Valley, are trying something new. Instead of only responding to 911 calls, they are working with patients in their homes to prevent unnecessary medical emergencies.

A Bozeman nonprofit clinic will take over administering federal funds for family planning health care services in Montana. The clinic beat out the state health department in a competitive application process.

The high demand for treatment for children with behavioral and substance abuse problems has led Montana health officials to spend Medicaid funds to send kids to residential programs in other states with less stringent oversight.