This year, four Montana students completed the Utah Regional Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (URLEND) training in family-centered care for children and youth with special health care needs. URLEND students from five states (Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota) met weekly via video conference to learn how they can provide optimal services to children and adolescents with special health care needs.

Dr. Rayna Sage and Lillie Greiman are conducting a one-year project exploring how personal assistance services (PAS) are provided in rural areas. Specifically:

• What barriers do PAS workers experience delivering rural PAS services?
• What strategies do PAS workers use to overcome barriers delivering rural PAS services?

Census data will help answer these questions. Unpublished data indicates rural areas have fewer personal assistance services workers, compared to people with disabilities than urban areas.

The Rural Institute is excited to share information on the online University of Montana course:

NASX 595-50 Special Topics:
The Intersectionality of Disability, American Indians and Rurality: Part 1

This online course is designed to teach students about the intersections between disability, race, and place. Public health topics relevant to American Indians with disability who reside on American Indian reservations will be presented.

The Rural Institute was recently awarded a one-year contract to better understand the performance and challenges of the primary health care system in Montana.

The Montana Primary Care Office (PCO), a part of the Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS), works to increase and maintain access to primary and preventative health care across the state in order to improve the health outcomes of underserved and vulnerable populations.

For more information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.