Katheryn Houghton
What the slow vaccine rates mean for one rural Montana county
Flathead County stands out as one of Montana’s most populated counties to fall behind. There, 25% of people had been fully vaccinated by May 10. To compare, nearly 33% of Montanans were fully vaccinated, and that figure is closer to 35% nationwide.
Covid-19: Montana sticks to patchwork vaccination rollout as eligibility expands
Montana’s covid-19 vaccine distribution is among the most efficient in the nation, but closer examination reveals a patchwork of systems among counties and tribal governments that will be put to the test as the state opens vaccine eligibility to all people 16 and older this month.
Prescription to die remains tricky, even as aid-in-dying bills gain momentum
So far in 2021, legislators in at least 19 states have pushed aid-in-dying bills, most seeking to legalize the practice and some seeking to drop barriers to existing aid such as expanding which medical professionals can offer it.
With GOP back at helm, Montana renews push to sniff out welfare fraud
Montana is considering becoming the latest state to aggressively check welfare eligibility to cut costs. While supporters of the move say it’s about what’s fair, opponents say it will impact enrollees who need help, especially amid the pandemic.
Spurred by pandemic, Montana’s Little Shell Tribe fast-tracks health service debut
The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana is building its health services largely from scratch roughly a year after becoming the United States’ 574th federally recognized Indigenous tribe. Because of the pandemic, it’s doing it on hyperdrive.
How rising COVID cases forced Montana to change its masking strategy
While the state’s public mask mandate has been in place since July, enforcement had been left to local governments that largely lack the resources or the political will to do so.
COVID spike prompts health worker shortages in Montana, Rockies
In Montana, pandemic-induced staffing shortages have shuttered a clinic in the state’s capital, led a northwestern regional hospital to ask employees exposed to COVID-19 to continue to work and emptied a health department 400 miles to the east.
Wildfires’ toxic air leaves damage long after the smoke clears
When researchers arrived in Seeley Lake three years ago, they could still smell the smoke a day after it cleared from devastating wildfires. Their plan was to chart how long it took for people to recover from living for seven weeks surrounded by relentless smoke.
Montana rodeo goes on, bucking fears on Fort Peck reservation
At a Wolf Point rodeo, Cowboys lined the metal chutes that released bucking horses and their riders into the arena, Miss Rodeo Montana signed autographs for fans, and coronavirus warning signs ended with “Face mask usage is of personal choice.”