Priority Populations

In Montana we have several high priority populations – members of underserved communities that require added resources to combat health disparities that arise as a result of their needs. High priority populations in Montana include Veterans, Indigenous persons, the aging population, persons who live in rural areas, LGBTQ+, low-income individuals, persons with disabilities and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. Importantly, we acknowledge that people are not defined solely by the population groups to which they belong—many factors contribute to what makes people who they are, and most people belong to more than one priority population group. The DPHHS engages in many activities to address social factors that affect the health and well-being of Montanans, focusing on disparities for these high priority populations. Some examples of work being done includes:

• Funding for projects that address SDOH factors in healthcare settings and encourage partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs).
• Collecting racial and ethnic data in Health Equity QI projects.
• Designing strategies that require SDOH screening of patients during office visits.
• Establishing a wide range of CBO partners to better serve patients and community.
• Community events to bring together partners to improve collaboration.
• Participation in a wide variety of workgroups with a focus on addressing unmet need and reducing disparities.
• Helping to identify and promote referrals/interventions across a variety of healthcare settings and CBOs  to reduce disparities.