I hope that you are enjoying the longer days of March as much as I am. Exercise outside with fresh air and sunlight are welcome and necessary for my personal mental health, and a reprieve from the stresses of the world today.
Those of you that follow this newsletter or are familiar with our services already know that AWARE has a workforce of over 900 employees serving over 5,000 Montanans across the state; we serve infants and toddlers in our Early Head Start Classrooms and people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, or traumatic brain injury in group homes or outpatient care.
Services for most of the people we serve are paid for by Montana's Medicaid program, which receives federal matching funds to provide healthcare coverage to low-income individuals and families, including children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and people with disabilities.
With Medicaid funding, AWARE assists people with disabilities to live with dignity and respect and live in least-restrictive and less-costly settings. AWARE supports jobs and directly invests over $60 million per year in our local businesses, all while saving government spending of over $100 million per year by alleviating pressures on law enforcement, hospital emergency departments, and institutions like the state mental illness hospital.
Continued investment in our programs is essential to ensuring we can keep providing high-quality care to those who depend on us. Congress has adopted extreme funding reductions which could lead to devastating impacts to AWARE and those we serve. We need your advocacy at both the Montana Legislature and Congress for policies that promote resources and access to care.
Two organizations that advocate for behavioral health are the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana (BHAM) and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. See information in these links for government affairs updates from these organizations and ways you can engage in advocacy efforts to support people with disabilities.:
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our mission. Together, we’re making a difference—one person, one family, one community at a time.
With gratitude,
Matt Bugni - CEO
Was grilling with my dad, and he asked about testosterone stuff he saw on TV. Didn’t know if pills or injections were better, so I went looking for answers. Came across https://valhallavitality.com/blog/comparing-oral-testosterone-and-injection-an-insight-into-methods-of-hormone-replacement-therapy and it’s neat. Compares the two, explains how shots give a big boost but pills are more regular, and even talks about costs and side effects you gotta watch. Not too complicated. I liked explaining it to him better.
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