Welcome!

Welcome to Episcopal Advocacy in Montana! The purpose of this blog is to keep readers informed about the latest developments in an advocacy initiative recently begun by Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in Missoula. Our initial targets are two-fold: restoring full funding for targeted case managers for the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill in the state and retaining Medicaid Expansion. Both issues affect the neediest among us and we feel compelled to advocate on their behalf during the 2019 session of the state legislature.
While parishioners at Holy Spirit will be doing what they can to make sure Montana takes care of its neediest, we also hope to enlist Episcopal laity and clergy across Montana--and others--in this effort.
On this blog, you will find deeper explanations of the issues on which we are focusing and links to efforts by organizations and individuals to achieve the same goals.

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Restoring funding for targeted case management in Montana

What is targeted case management? Besides close family, case managers are one of the most important persons in the life of a developmentally disabled or mentally ill person. They help them get necessary services and care, thus allowing more Montanans to live in their community instead of often expensive and isolating institutional settings. Case managers help people get and keep jobs, transition to independent living, find doctors and therapists, assist clients with finding stable housing, trouble-shooting benefits paperwork, and checking on medications. They help clients navigate the transition from high school and living at home to entering the workforce and independent living. Case managers can also help people find medical and therapy providers and make sure they get to appointments and take medication. In some cases, a person can have the same case manager for years or decades, building a relationship that creates a high level of understanding. What happe
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"Notice inequity and injustice, and act for change"

Our rector's message in the 2018 Annual Report of Holy Spirit Parish underscores the importance of our advocacy work: "What’s ahead in 2019? As I said in last year’s report, the wider culture at home and worldwide is rapidly changing. Christianity has had to adapt in response to changing needs throughout its history. We must as well. We best serve as stewards of God when we responsibly carry on the work of Jesus with joy and hope. What is that work? To love as he loves us; to notice inequity and injustice, and act for change; and most importantly, to be open to what God is calling us to do today so that the message of Good News is effectively shared and received. When we pause and listen to those around us, seek the heart of their stories, their yearnings, their fears, we are already bringing Good News and the presence of God’s love into their lives. Jesus met people where they were and lifted them up by his very presence, a point from which much more would come. It
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What the governor wants

Here's a good breakdown of what Gov. Bullock is asking the legislature in his FY 2020 budget proposal, including $3 billion for the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), which would fully restore the funding that was cut in 2017. Also included in that department budget is retaining Medicaid expansion, which would cost an estimated $26 million in general fund spending. As the article points out, this is just the opening salvo and the final numbers will be the result of some intense legislative battles. 
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