The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced $15 million in funding for states to develop or support clinics that provide crisis services 24/7 and offer mental health and substance use care to anyone regardless of their ability to pay.
Now two years old, the nascent program remains in flux, though its successes have been punctuated by the people it has helped and the money it has saved, be it time in jail or trips to the emergency department.
If passed by voters, the new law would establish penalties for health care providers if they did not provide necessary medical care and treatment to preserve the life of infants born alive, including infants born alive after an abortion.
While the City of Missoula will close the Authorized Camp Site next month and open the Emergency Winter Shelter in its place, challenges around staffing, the lack of a long-term funding stream and a dwindling pot of federal aid still weigh heavily over Operation Shelter.
Jen Molloy writes, "Providing people in crisis with appropriate help when they need it is cost effective and frees up ER staff and law enforcement to more successfully do their work of protecting public health and safety."
The measure would allow licensed “healing centers” to provide access to psilocybin and psilocyn for therapeutic purposes. It would also decriminalize the “personal use” of the substances.
People could increasingly face dirty air risks as climate change makes wildfires, drought, dust storms, and floods more frequent across the U.S. and the world.
The city's housing and homeless advocates said the decision was not an easy one to make. But staffing and necessary hookups for winter survival at the authorized outdoor camp presented significant barriers.
More than two years after issuing an emergency proclamation due to coronavirus, Missoula County officially retracted it on Tuesday, citing similar federal and state declarations.