With the close of 2024, we’re reflecting on a year filled with meaningful milestones, new connections, and impactful work at HMHB-MT. From expanding our team to strengthening collaborations, this year has been one of growth and inspiration. Join us as we look back on some of the highlights that made 2024 so remarkable!
January
We started the year strong with a team retreat in Helena, welcoming two new team members: Hollin Buck, Program Manager and Lauren Johnson, Director of Communications and Outreach. Together, we set our intentions for the year and bonded through team-building activities.
Dr. Amy Stiffarm traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with HRSA (Health Resources & Services Administration) officials, sharing valuable insights about our collaborative work with state partners.
February
HMHB Team members attended The 2024 Montana Winter Institute on Improving Public Health through Positive Experiences, learning about the impacts of supportive and caring experiences for child and families and how communities can support them.
Claire Larson continued to craft new episodes of the Mother Love podcast, featuring powerful stories from mothers and care providers across Montana.
March
We put more momentum behind our Look Closer public messaging campaign, working to decrease negative biases around perinatal substance use disorders. This free, downloadable campaign fosters kindness and compassion, encouraging those struggling with unhealthy substance use to ask for help and for providers who may serve them to meet those requests with understanding.
Dr. Amy Stiffarm took the lead in organizing a series of Indigenous doula networking events, strengthening connections and support for Indigenous birth workers.
April
We were thrilled to have our article, “A Strategy to Support Perinatal Mental Health by Collaborating With Tribal Communities in Montana,” published in Health Affairs’ April issue. Co-authored by Dr. Amy Stiffarm, Stephanie Morton, Dawn Gunderson, and former Executive Director, Brie MacLaurin, this piece highlights critical work in improving maternal mental health.
May
May brought bittersweet farewells as we said goodbye to Claire Larson, who released her final episode of the Mother Love podcast.
This month we were especially grateful for funders and supporters. We celebrated receiving a grant from the Women’s Foundation of Montana, allowing HMHB to begin more formally support building the doula and birth worker workforce in Montana. The Helena Exchange Club and Gulch Distillers generously hosted a pint night fundraiser on our behalf for Mother’s Day.
Dr. Amy Stiffarm also collaborated with the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana to enhance understanding of Indigenous perinatal cultural safety.
June
Dr. Amy Stiffarm unveiled an updated version of the Cultural Safety for Indigenous Women and Birthing People Toolkit, offering vital resources for providers supporting Indigenous families during the perinatal period.
Several staff members attended The Montana Healthcare Foundation’s 2024 Symposium as part of our work on the Meadowlark Initiatives. We also participated in Early Childhood Strategic Planning hosted by the Early Childhood and Family Services Division of DPHHS.
Our Essentials Program received $35,000 from the Otto Bremer Trust Community Responsive Fund at Montana Community Foundation. These funds will help us to continue distributing safe sleep kits and car seats to family support providers across the state, to provide to families and caregivers, giving them the essential tools and information they need to care for their children. Through the Essentials program, in 2024 we distributed 363 safe sleep kits; 420 car seats; and served 527 unique families across Montana.
July
We convened an in-person meeting of the Montana Early Childhood Coalition alongside our coalition co-conveners, The University of Montana Center for Children Families and Workforce Development and Zero to Five. We also co-hosted a day long training with our partners in the Injury Prevention Bureau at DPHHS, called Resilience Rising: Navigating Through Adversity and Cultivating Positive Childhood Experiences.
August
The fourth annual edition of LIFTS Magazine was published, featuring stories from Montana parents and caregivers sharing about how asking for help has transformed the lives of Montana families. With 14,000 copies distributed to nearly 100 sites statewide, this edition continues to inspire and inform about when getting help, helps.
Dr. Amy Stiffarm delivered a keynote address at the inaugural Indigenous Milk Medicine Conference, a keystone event for Indigenous maternal and child health.
September
We hosted Dr. Samantha Greenberg’s virtual Perinatal Mental Health 101 series—a free webinar designed to raise awareness among Montana professionals about perinatal mental health.
The Montana Home Visiting Coalition, co-convened The Home Visiting Summit with the Early Childhood and Family Services Bureau of DPHHS. This provided an opportunity to connect with passionate home visitors through training and shared experiences.
This year, we dedicated significant time to improving the back end of our LIFTS Online Resource guide, focusing on making the overall experience more user-friendly. This fall, we were excited to
complete several meaningful updates and look forward to continuing to expand and enhance the capabilities of LIFTS.
October
Our 2024 Perinatal Mental Health Conference returned to an in-person format in Helena, reuniting partners from across the state. Nearly 200 providers, advocates and system champions gathered to learn and celebrate together. A standout moment was the screening of the impactful documentary film, Siloed, and the addition of poster sessions featuring local level work from around Montana.
We also received incredible news of funding from the Arthur M. Blank West Foundation, to support our storytelling work and build a strong administrative foundation for our growing organization.
November
We were thrilled to welcome two familiar faces to our team: Chelsea Bellon as the Native American Initiatives Program Manager and Emily Freeman as our new Storytelling Coordinator. We were excited to welcome their expertise and passion to our team.
Dr. Amy Stiffarm returned to Washington, D.C., to address the 2024 Tribal Prenatal-to-Three Policy Agenda, spotlighting critical issues facing AI/AN mothers, children, and families.
December
Stephanie Morton represented HMHB at the NCIT Paid Family & Medical Leave Education Initiative Convening and PN3 Policy Impact Center’s Great Opportunities, Great Progress event in Denver.
HMHB worked closely with Montana Doula Collaborative, Indigenous Birth workers network and state and national experts to draft a bill to create a state certification for doulas and birth workers, a key step to expanding access to these critical supports during and after pregnancy.
As we wrapped up 2024, we looked ahead to the 2025 Legislative Session the much-anticipated release of the fourth season of the Mother Love podcast in January, and continuing to build and deepen relationships to support the collaborative and impactful work of building a better system to improve the lives of moms, babies and families in Montana.
Looking Ahead
2024 was a year for HMHB filled with growth, collaboration, and impact. We are energized to carry this momentum into 2025 as we continue to support the work and partners helping Montana families.
