Volunteers Describe Hospice Experiences
A panel of six recounted the support they offer as hospice volunteers during a training for new volunteers. Ian Pickering recalled the first day he went to his volunteer assignment. He worried that he wasn’t ready and that he should have spent more time reading his training binder. He quickly realized he had everything he needed as a volunteer. “When you show up,” he said, “the only thing you need to bring is your heart.”
Reducing Suicide Deaths Among Veterans
Montana has about twice the suicide rate as the national average, with 25 suicides for every 100,000 people. A team from Billings was chosen among the first eight teams to participate in the Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and their families using a public health approach to increase suicide prevention support for veterans in their communities.
Clear Urgency for Indoor Air
New Clean Indoor Air Rules Take Effect March 1st
Rule #7, adopted by the RiverStone Board of Health, prohibits indoor use of e-cigarettes or other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in public spaces and limits smoking and vaping within 20 feet of the entryways, windows or ventilation systems of public buildings.
Services Targeting Children on the Chopping Block
Evidence shows that targeted case management is effective in helping high-risk infants and children get off to a better start in life, but those programs are threatened by cuts to state funding, which will trigger even larger federal cuts.
Innovations in Healthcare
This Billings Gazette editorial lauds our new RiverStone Health Clinic and the public-private partnership that made it possible.
Growing to Serve You
Check out the Community Open House for our new RiverStone Health Clinic on Wednesday, January 17, from 4-6 p.m. The new Clinic opens for patient care on the afternoon of Monday, January 22. Its design enhances the patient-centered model of care.
Hope for the Homeless in Billings
Addiction, poor health, poverty, trauma, and unemployment can sometimes converge and lead to homelessness, as this Billings Gazette Opinion page points out.
Unless Congress acts, Community Health Centers face 70 percent cut
Congress must act before the end of September to avoid a drastic lapse in funding for Community Health Centers like RiverStone Health and the 16 other CHCs in Montana and those in other states. The federal funding helps cover the sliding fee scale for low-income patients and families.
Dental Practice Thrives on Community Service
When Dr. Mike Downing set up a dental practice on Billings’ South Side in 1996, he was guided by a philosophy of community service instilled by his parents. “I firmly believe communities that truly value, celebrate and support the gifts of all people, regardless of gender, race, age, sexual orientation or economic level, will thrive in positive, healthy ways,” he said during an interview with The Billings Gazette.
