News

A month ago, we celebrated National Wellness Month by highlighting states' investments in mental health services. This week, there have been even more updates.  

In Montana, Youth Home Montana is opening a new facility in Missoula, which will provide crisis care to about 100 kids per year.  

In Colorado, AspenRidge Recovery is opening a new mental health facility to treat patients with mood disorders, PTSD, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and addiction. This facility will not require a history of substance abuse to participate, a requirement that often turns people away from similar programs.  

In Alaska, two crisis stabilization centers are scheduled to open within the next few months to provide emergency psychiatric treatment and serve as a temporary location for clinicians and police to hold individuals during acute mental health episodes.    

In Arizona, the Diocese of Phoenix opened a new hybrid facility that will "provide graduate-level theology courses by day, and education, professional development, and resources for counselors and therapists by evening," according to the Catholic Sun. 

In California, the Nevada County Government Center celebrated the groundbreaking of a new mental health facility that will deliver critical psychiatric services that are currently not available within the county.  The facility is expected to open in the fall of 2027.  

In North Dakota, Governor Kelly Armstrong led a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the placement of the final structural beam of the new North Dakota State Hospital. It will provide 141 beds for serving acute mental health needs.  

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon will host a Health Beyond Healthcare initiative workshop in Jackson, Wyoming, on October 8-9 to discuss the west’s rising behavioral health needs and how we can leverage federal resources, develop new funding streams, and implement effective, bipartisan policy that improves health outcomes in western communities. View the agenda and register here to join the conversation.        

Disagree Better: Three Western Governors, Spencer Cox of Utah, Michelle Lujan-Grisham of New Mexico, and Mark Gordon of Wyoming, participated in several Disagree Better events across the nation to talk about their collaborative efforts to end polarization in America. 

Disagree Better is an initiative launched by Governor Cox that brings politicians from opposing political parties together for discussions about how to bring civility back to politics.   

“We don’t just disagree with other people – we detest them – we think they’re less than; they’re either evil or stupid,” Governor Cox said during the Disagree Better event at the University of Michigan. “It’s important to help people understand that it hasn’t always been that way, and it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s a choice. It’s a choice that we all get to make, and certainly politicians play a big role in that choice.” 

Early childhood education in Washington: Washington Governor Bob Ferguson recently announced the addition of approximately 2,400 early childhood education slots across 42 new sites statewide. The expansion is supported by a public-private partnership between the state and the Ballmer Group, which includes an education grant totaling approximately $1 billion over the next 10 years. 

Shared Stewardship in Action: Montana Governor Greg Gianforte visited the Blacktail Powerline Project, which is the site of the first initiative under the Shared Stewardship Agreement between Montana and the U.S. Forest Service. Since the agreement was signed, the governor selected three priority landscapes covering over 750,000 acres in the Flathead, Kootenai, Bitterroot, and Lolo National Forests. 

“Preparing before the smoke arrives is one of the most important things Montanans can do to protect their families, homes, and communities from wildfire,” Governor Gianforte said. “This month is an important reminder that every Montanan has a role to play in keeping our communities safe and more fire-adapted.” 

Travel Cascadia in Style: Amtrak will debut its new Airo fleet that will operate between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia. The new trains will accommodate up to 300 passengers and feature bigger windows, improved Wi-Fi, individual power outlets, and other upgraded amenities. It will gradually replace older trains, increasing passenger capacity on a route that frequently sells out. 

Amazon contributes to water conservation: Amazon launched the Colorado River Basin Collaborative, a coalition with Grundfos and The Coca-Cola Foundation, that aims to invest $100 million in water conservation over the next two years. Projects include improving irrigation efficiency on tribal farmland in northern Arizona and expanding leak detection and repairs in Orange County, California. 

Bridge reconstruction in Denali National Park: Visitors can once again travel deep into Denali National Park thanks to the completion of the Pretty Rocks Bridge. Wonder Lake and other popular areas of Denali Park have been inaccessible to visitors since 2021 due to a landslide and thawing permafrost. With this new bridge in place, locals are already seeing an uptick in tourism now that large areas of the park have become accessible once again.