The Rural Institute's impact is broad. This year's summary features numbers, charts and a few stories describing our impact on people's lives. When it comes down to it, our work is about people and how we work together to make life better.

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services and the Rural Institute are excited to bring you the award-winning Hearts of Glass documentary and an engaging panel discussion!

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The documentary is a story of employment possibilities and community impact that is resonating with employers, job seekers, family members and service providers.

The event will open with a special welcome by the Montana Director of the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Adam Meier, and then there will be an interactive panel featuring speakers from the film, presenting organizations, and community partners.

Hearts of Glass follows the first 15 months of operation of Vertical Harvest (VH) based in Jackson, Wyoming — a state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse that provides meaningful, inclusive employment for people with disabilities. The documentary weaves the story of VH’s launch with the personal journeys of employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Plants and people grow together in this intimate portrait of innovation, inclusion and impact.

Learn more about the Hearts of Glass Documentary

View the Live Panel Discussion

Hosted by:
• Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
• Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services
• Rural Institute – University of Montana

Montana healthcare providers, families & caregivers, and social & human service professionals share the same on-going overall goal for at-risk children and youth: Improved health and well-being outcomes of children, youth and their families.

A Montana interdisciplinary team is participating in a unique learning community centered on implementation of care coordination. Through workshop-structured learning opportunities, regular virtual meetings, and targeted technical assistance, the National Care Coordination Academy supports Montana efforts to acquire the essential knowledge, skills, and competencies for effective care coordination in the Big Sky.

Key Montana Team Outcomes

• Meaningful family and youth participation in healthcare decisions that impact their health and family well-being.
• Increased healthcare literacy among families and transitioning youth.
• Increased provider understanding of patient- and family-centered medical homes, how they function, and what is required to sustain them.
• Enhanced communication across health centers, systems and providers.

Connect to the Montana Team

Montana Team Member Listserv: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Team Leadership Contacts:

• Kim Brown This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Mackenzie Petersen This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Team Resources

• Montana Team Overview and Invitation: one-page fact sheet describing Montana's team and how to join.
• Montana Team Working Files: Provides access to the working Action Plan, meeting agendas and minutes, Montana Team roster, and other team-related files.
• The National Care Coordination Standards for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) are designed to help state officials and other stakeholders develop and strengthen high-quality care coordination for children. They identify and assess the need for care coordination, engage families in the process, build a strong and supportive care coordination workforce, and develop team-based communication processes. Download the standards document.
• Pediatric Integrated Care Survey (PICS): A Family-reported survey instrument that measures family experiences of care integration. It is used to inform quality improvement and interventions to improve integration.  Available in English and Spanish.
• The Care Coordination Measurement Tool (CCMT) enables care providers to record the types of encounters that necessitate care coordination activities, the complexity level of the patient requiring care coordination, the activities performed, and the outcomes that occurred.
  
  

Open Pediatrics Connection

Go to: https://learn.openpediatrics.org/learn

National Care Coordination Academy materials are in the “My Courses” section of Open Pediatrics.  If you are unable to connect to your Open Pediatrics account, please contact Kim Brown This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pediatric Care Coordination

The five module Pediatric Care Coordination Curriculum, 2nd Ed. (Antonelli, et al., 2020) is available on Open Pediatrics. This online video version uses a learning management system to guide learners through the content.

A hard-copy version of the Pediatric Care Coordination Curriculum, 2nd Ed. is available online at: https://medicalhomeinfo.aap.org/tools-resources/Documents/PCCC%202nd%20Edition/Full%20Pediatric%20Care%20Coordination%20Curriculum.pdf

Curriculum learning objectives

• Discuss key components of care coordination within an integrated model of care delivery
• Identify established tools and processes that can be used to implement key components of care coordination
• Apply tools and processes that support key components of care coordination to a case example

Target audience

• Physicians
• Nurse Practitioners
• Nurses
• Social Workers

Related Resources

• Framework to Promote High Value, Integrated Care
• Patient- and Family-Centered Care Coordination: A Framework for Integrating Care for Children and Youth Across Multiple System. Turchi, R, and Antonelli, R. (PDF)
• Montana Pediatrics is a collaborative effort of innovative Montana pediatricians coming together to bring the convenience of technology enabled care to Montana's children. Behind the scenes, team members communicate directly with each other so healthcare is seamless and important information is not lost.

The National Care Coordination Academy is a Partnership of the Division of General Pediatrics and the Department of Accountable Care and Clinical Integration, Boston Children’s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School and the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network for Children with Medical Complexity at the Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health, Boston University School of Social Work, with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Letter from the director

2020 was an exceptional year -- we had our share of uncertainty, sadness and frustration. But the year also provided opportunities to demonstrate our creativity, expertise and humanity. The Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities quickly found ways to provide service, research and training activities in formats requested by community and government partners. For example, the MonTECH program developed and implemented COVID-safe practices so they could continue to provide assistive technology to Montanans; one of the first AT programs in the U.S. to do so. RTC:Rural published information briefs to help policy makers and service providers understand the economic and social impact of COVID on people with disabilities who live in rural America.

Though COVID dominated our attention, it didn't hinder our work. We set up technology in our homes so we could reach record numbers of people through video meetings and conferences. We started new projects to better understand community strengths and system barriers faced by rural Americans. We came up with innovative ways to connect with research participants and partners around the U.S.--the people who drive our efforts. We've always practiced the value that "people are at the center of our work" and 2020 provided an opportunity to once again prove that point.

Visit us on social media or our website to learn more about how we are building "collaborative community partnerships that support opportunities for all."

May you enjoy a peaceful, healthy and fulfilling 2021!

Martin E. Blair, PhD
Executive Director

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Impact

• The Rural Institute has 55 active projects and programs
• We mentored 43 trainees across 14 disciplines
• 47 UM students took a class sponsored by the Rural Institute
• We published 18 reports, articles and book chapters
• We shared 28 conference presentations and posters
• We trained 5,665 people in Montana and across the country
• Rural Institute staff members participated in 48 local, state and national committees, councils and boards

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Budget

13% Evaluation

15% Education

27% Service

45% Research

FY 2020 budget = $6,095,572

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Projects and Programs

Evaluation

Montana Access to Pediatric Psychiatry Network (MAPPNet)
Evaluates impact of statewide pediatric telehealth program

Healthy Montana Families Home Visiting Needs Assessment
Identifies the need for home visits for pregnant women & families with children 5 and under

Montana Title V Needs Assessment
Assesses Montana’s maternal and child health population needs, and the capacity to meet those needs

Montana Obstetrics and Maternal Supports Evaluation (MOMS)
Evaluation and research for Montana Obstetrics and Maternal Support project

Montana Primary Care Office Needs Assessment
Assesses the need for and access to primary healthcare services across the state

Achieving Success by Promoting Readiness for Education and Employment (ASPIRE)
Evaluates impact of independent living and employment supports on families

School Climate Transformation: MBI in High Need Areas
Evaluates effectiveness of PBIS in high-need schools

Education

UR-LEND
Leadership training and education focused on family-centered healthcare

Egypt Disability Services Study Tour
Strengthens the capacity of Egyptian university staff to administer Disability Support Centers

Community Oriented Living Well
Expands the delivery of Living Well with a Disability curriculum to rural Montanans through CILs

UM OUTREACH
Trains speech language pathologists in rural and tribal communities

Diversity Fellowship Program
Graduate fellowship for culturally-diverse students

Service

MonTECH: Montana’s Assistive Technology Program
Supplies technology to support independence across the lifespan

Montana Family to Family Health Information Center
Provides family-focused healthcare information

Healthy Community Living
Offers independent living workshops focused on health and community living skills

Montana Disability and Health Program
Promotes health-related policy and practice initiatives

All of Us Outreach in Montana
Recruits participants for national health outcomes research

Deaf-Blind Project
Gives resources and assistance to local school systems

NCDB: Transition Outcomes for Youth with Deaf-Blindness
Provides training to improve transition outcomes for youth

Children’s Special Health Services: Montana Transition Resources
Provides transition-to-adulthood health resources for youth, families and providers

Movin’ On in Montana
Offers a college experience for high school students with disabilities

Research

Home Usability Project
Promotes community participation of adults with disabilities

Out and About
Evaluates community intervention to promote health and wellness

Partnering with Women with Disabilities to Develop a Health Information Website
Creates an online health information resource for women

Texas Model Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Systems
Evaluates ways to improve the health of people with SCI

Loneliness and Its Relation to Health in People with Spinal Cord Injury
Identifies how loneliness impacts the health of people with SCI

Effort Capacity and Choice
Investigates the link between energy exertion and quality of life

mHealth App Development
App that features the Living Well with a Disability curriculum

Montana Pediatric Medical Passport (MP2)
Builds an app for healthcare information and decision making

Rural Community Living Development
Develops a peer-to-peer training program CILS can use to address issues and initiate change

Understanding Personal Assistance Services Experiences in Rural States
Explores barriers to PAS delivery, and designs an intervention to address rural outcomes

Rocky Mountain Region ADA Research
Researches ADA legal issues

Expanding the Availability and Quality of Rural Data
Rural analyses of existing large data sets

Exploring Rural Disability Onset
Explores how disability evolves

Rural Access to Health Insurance and Health Care
Answers questions about health care and quality of life

Rural Resource Analysis
Maps community resources and networks

Building Networks to Expand Living Well Delivery
Scales up Living Well to rural hospitals

Personal Assistance Services in Rural America
Explores and addresses rural PAS outcomes

Rural Transportation Options
Explores accessible transportation in rural communities

Rural Self-Employment
Develops and evaluates online tools for state and tribal Vocational Rehabilitation