Governor Gianforte, DPHHS Partner With Sweet Grass County Sheriff on Angel Initiative

Press Release

Governor Greg Gianforte today announced the state's partnership with Sweet Grass County through the Angel Initiative.

"It's critical we address the substance use crisis in Montana, and to succeed we need innovative solutions, like the Angel Initiative," Gov. Gianforte said. "By partnering with sheriffs and treatment providers across the state, we aim to get more Montanans on the path to treatment and recovery. We're proud to have the Sweet Grass County Sheriff's Office on the team, and we'll keep adding more as we go."

Big Timber Public Safety Roundtable

Gov. Gianforte speaks with Sweet Grass County Sheriff Alan Ronneberg at a public safety roundtable in Big Timber

A collaborative effort among Gov. Gianforte, DPHHS, participating local law enforcement agencies, and treatment providers, the Angel Initiative allows an individual struggling with addiction and substance use to go into any participating law enforcement office and receive assistance to get connected with treatment.

To date, 22 Montana sheriffs have committed to join the effort. After receiving training from the state, sheriffs in Cascade, Lewis and Clark, and Yellowstone counties are considered in active status.

The toll-free Angel Line connects law enforcement to a treatment provider within the closest proximity to assess the level of care a participant may need. If the participant meets criteria for residential treatment, the Angel Initiative will assist in evaluating transportation needs with the goal of getting the participant to treatment as soon as possible.

Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Adam Meier said similar programs have been successful in other states, citing the Kentucky State Police starting a similar initiative in 2016 with all 16 Kentucky State Police Posts participating. The Kentucky program has helped place several hundred individuals seeking treatment.

Information about the Angel Initiative is available at angelinitiative.mt.gov.

DPHHS cites several key statistics describing the impact of substance use in Montana:

DPHHS estimates that approximately 90,000 Montanans have a substance use disorder, but realistically only a fraction of these people seek treatment in any given year.
EMS agencies are being called to more opioid-related events than ever before. From January through September 2021, the state averaged 69 opioid overdose calls per month. And, from late spring through summer 2021, Montana saw some of the highest opioid overdose monthly call volumes in the last three years, with a peak of 86 calls in July.
In 2019, the annual methamphetamine-related death rate in Montana was 7.2 per 100,000 people, exceeding the national average of 5.7 per 100,000 people.

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