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By Mark Moran - Producer-Editor, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - A state commission is calling on Montana lawmakers to invest $300 million in mental health services. Providers and experts say those services have been inconsistent since 2017 when the state took an economic downturn. Comments from Matt Kuntz (KOONTS), executive director, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Montana.
Click on the image above for the audio. A state commission is calling on Montana lawmakers to invest $300 million in mental health services. Providers and experts say those services have been inconsistent since 2017 when the state took an economic downturn. Comments from Matt Kuntz (KOONTS), executive director, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Montana.
Mark Moran
August 5, 2024 - Montana is spending $300 million to improve mental health services in the state.
Experts are focusing on six key areas.
Montana's mental health care services took a hit in 2017 during an economic downturn, and Matt Kuntz - executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Montana - said the state is trying to come back from that.
New data released by what's known as the 872 Commission recommends the state bolster services in key areas - including investing in more mental health crisis beds, securing more funding sources, and getting more resources into Montana classrooms.
"It's important because it's a really great place for the kids to be able to access the care without disrupting their schooling," said Kuntz, "and it also gives the schools the ability to help their students get the care that they need."
The 872 Commission will make its recommendations to state legislators when they convene in January.
Kuntz said some of the commission's recommendations will require ongoing funding.
He said the state is already working to re-establish the mental health services the state needs, which suffered dramatically during the 2017 budget shortfall.
"And it was really heavily impacted in ways that we haven't quite dug out from yet," said Kuntz, "and they were only compounded during COVID."
The 872 Commission also recommends funding for forensic mental health evaluations and expanding group homes. Its report and recommendations are open for public comment.
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PNS - Monday, August 5, 2024 - VP Kamala Harris vets potential running mates, former President Trump feuds with Georgia Republicans who say 2020 election wasn't stolen, and Ohio election officials highlight efforts to erase noncitizens from the voter rolls.
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PNS - Monday, August 5, 2024 - Federal lawmakers tackle AI-generated 'deepfakes' as election nears; Tropical Storm Debby will strengthen into Category 1 hurricane before making landfall in Florida; Black women ramp up political organizing in VA, swing states; PA mayor puts bipartisan infrastructure law funding to work.
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ButteNews
August 2, 2024
Photo Info: US attorney Jesse Laslovich, photo by Jim Larson
MISSOULA — A former nurse practitioner in Butte admitted on Thursday to prescribing controlled substances despite having a suspended license and to falsely billing an insurance company approximately $61 million for vitamin B-12 injections in which she received nearly $600,000 for the false claims, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
The defendant, Tristan Ashley Svejkovsky, 40, pleaded guilty to health care fraud and to use of a registration number issued to another person. Svejkovsky faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the health care fraud charge and a maximum of four years in prison, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release on the charge of using the registration of another person.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing was set for Dec. 12 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Svejkovsky was released pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that Svejkovsky was a nurse practitioner whose license was suspended by the Montana Board of Nursing on April 1, 2022. Svejkovsky continued to prescribe controlled substances using her own name and Drug Enforcement Administration registration number until June 8, 2022. The DEA contacted Svejkovsky through her attorney, and she agreed to voluntarily surrender her DEA registration. However, Svejkovsky continued to prescribe controlled substances using the name and DEA registration number of a friend who also was nurse practitioner. Svejkovsky misrepresented to her friend that her nursing license was on probation, not suspended, and that she would not use her friend’s information to prescribe drugs. In fact, Svejkovsky used her friend’s name and DEA registration number for at least 12 prescriptions of controlled substances.
The government further alleged that Svejkovsky billed Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana for vitamin B-12 injections that did not occur. In August 2021, Svejkovsky started falsely increasing the number of units of a standard vitamin B-12 injection from one unit to 1,000 units. This increased the corresponding payment from the insurance company for each injection from roughly $4.88 to $4,880. After her license was suspended, Svejkovsky started submitting numerous such claims each month to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana by backdating claims to supposedly before her license was suspended. This conduct continued through May 2022, when Svejkovsky submitted four claims, this time claiming $15 million per vitamin B-12 injection to a new patient. Svejkovsky never gave that patient any vitamin injections, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana did not pay those claims. In total, Svejkovsky billed the insurance company at least $61,995,000 for false vitamin B-12 injections and received at least $593,583 from those false claims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The DEA and FBI conducted the investigation.
