ment programs, child and adult ….

ment programs, child and adult outpatient programs and served as on-site trainer for staff.

“In rural areas, there is a pervasive stigma associated with behavioral health. I want to bridge both the need for services and the need for education about this as an issue that needs both diagnosis and treatment,” Hilyard said.

Hilyard received her bachelor’s degree in counseling and human services from MSU-Billings and her master’s degree in social work from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

She returned to northeast Montana, where she grew up, in 2017 to work for Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center in Plentywood.

“I came back to the area because I was ready to come home and because I recognized there are a lot of unresolved behavioral health traumas in this area. Mental trauma is the focus of what my work has always been, and I wanted to use my experience and expertise to make this problem less pervasive in this area by providing the services people desperately need,” she said.

Ten of 11 large hospitals and 32 of 48 small, critical access hospitals, are participating in the Integrated Behavioral Health Initiative.

Patients will be able to schedule appointments with Hilyard on Fridays by contacting the clinic. For more information, contact 406-787-6400.