FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 07 2022

Contact: Jon Ebelt, Public Information Officer, DPHHS, (406) 444-0936, (406) 461-3757, jebelt@mt.gov
                Chuck Council, Communications Specialist, DPHHS, (406) 444-4391, (406) 461-8367, hcouncil@mt.gov

State Officials Kick Off Strengthening Families Month Activities

Bright blue pinwheels planted outside Capitol

HELENA – Today, Lt. Governor Kristen Juras, Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Adam Meier, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT) Vice President of External Affairs John Doran hosted the annual Pinwheels for Prevention event outside the Capitol.

Bright blue pinwheels will brighten the Capitol grounds this month as part of Strengthening Families Month Activities held throughout April and the Week of the Young Child from April 2-8.

Meier said the annual event is key to raising awareness about how we all play a role in protecting Montana’s children. “At DPHHS, we are working with all our various community partners to address this important issue,” Meir said. “Events like these are being held all across the state this month, and I’m proud of the work we’re doing to support children and families.” 

Meier pointed to recent accomplishments and new initiatives DPHHS has launched over the past year to help improve the child welfare system and support families, including: 

• The DPHHS Early Childhood and Family Support Division coordinates early childhood and family support services to promote well-being, health, and development of children, youth, and families. Recent accomplishments include:
  • A total of 3000 parents have received parenting education and more than 1000 families have benefited from home visits in the past year.
  • The Women, Infants and Children program provides nutrition education and healthy foods to more than 13,000 families per month.
  • And parents of more than 22,000 children, can go to work with a peace of mind that their children are in safe, quality child care settings.
• Since 2018, the number of children in care has steadily declined by nearly 1,000 kids. A total of 4,033 children were in care in October 2018, and currently there’s just over 3,000 children in care.
• Every year, DPHHS successfully oversees nearly 350 adoptions. For more information about how to adopt a child, please visit https://dphhs.mt.gov/CFSD/Adoption/
• In February, DPHHS became the 19^th state to have its Family First Prevention Plan approved by the federal Children’s Bureau. The five-year plan emphasizes prevention services aimed at keeping children and youth safely at home with their families, and when foster care is needed, helps ensure they are placed in the least restrictive, most family-like setting appropriate to their special needs.

• DPHHS has hired Tracy Moseman as the agency’s first Faith and Community-Based Services Coordinator. The new position is a conduit between DPHHS and faith and community organizations across Montana creating a two-way flow of information, resources and programs to serve the identified health and wellness needs in each community most effectively. One area of focus is to increase recruitment of more foster parents from the faith-based community.

As part of Thursday’s event, the Montana Children’s Trust Fund (MTCTF) also accepted a $10,000 sponsorship from BCBSMT to help raise awareness about the prevention of child abuse and neglect across Montana. Activities include Pinwheels for Prevention and the Go Blue Challenge.

Pinwheels are a happy and uplifting symbol of childhood that demonstrates that every child deserves the chance to be raised in a healthy, safe, and nurturing environment. They represent efforts to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide, while recognizing that child development is a building block for community and economic development.

Organizations in Montana are encouraged to contact MTCTF to request materials and plant Pinwheels for Prevention in their communities.

MTCTF is also asking Montanans to participate in the Go Blue Challenge from the comfort of their homes. Visit the MTCTF Facebook page @mtchildrenstrustfund to find the Go Blue Challenge post. Wear blue anytime in April, copy the post and share your photo, and challenge friends to do the same to show support of Montana families and child abuse prevention.

Participating communities include Anaconda, Billings, Butte, Deer Lodge, Dillon, East Helena, Glendive, Great Falls, Havre, Hamilton, Hardin, Helena, Kalispell, Lewistown, Libby, Miles City, Missoula, Red Lodge, and Superior.

This is the eighth year that Blue Cross Blue Shield has sponsored Strengthening Families Month and MTCTF.

DPHHS Director Adam Meier speaks during Thursday's Pinwheels for Prevention event in Helena.