LAUREL— The Laurel City Council heard from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and the Board of Investments (BOI) at Tuesday night’s meeting, addressing the state forensic mental health facility coming to Laurel.
Director of Montana DPHHS Charlie Brereton and BOI Executive Director Dan Villa joined the meeting over a phone call.
Listen to the phone call here:
Laurel City Council hears more about upcoming mental health facility
Brereton clarified how patients would be transported and released from the facility once it opens.
“Patients will be securely transported to the facility under court order and then will return to their county detention facility of origin, the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs, or the Montana State Prison or Montana Women’s Prison after treatment without ever leaving this campus,” said Brereton.
“I deeply understand the community concerns surrounding this facility, which deserve meaningful attention,” he added.
Related: Laurel officials react to city’s selection for new state mental hospital
Villa said the state has not chosen a property where it hopes to build the facility and has not made any offers to purchase land.
“No land has been purchased. No offers to purchase land have been made to any property owner,” said Villa.
Villa also promised transparency to the council going forward with the project.
Vanessa Willardson
Laurel city officials
“Some of you learned about this announcement from the press rather than from the state directly. That process could have been, and indeed should have been handled better. Going forward, you can expect a different sort of state partnership that is grounded in transparency, is respectful of local process and genuinely interested in the well-being of your community,” said Villa.
Villa said BOI is evaluating infrastructure to accommodate the facility right now.
“We are evaluating visibility, infrastructure, compatibility and the practical requirements of building a 32-bed forensic facility that will serve central and eastern Montana’s most vulnerable patients, as well as the law enforcement professionals who care for them,” he said.
Related: Other counties surprised by Laurel’s selection for new state mental hospital
Related: Laurel chosen as site for new $26.5M state mental-health hospital
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) announced Nov. 28 that the 32-bed facility would be coming to Laurel.
The 2025 Montana Legislature approved $26.2 million for a mental health facility in eastern Montana, the second of its kind in the state.