Aaron Bolton

Author's posts

The Blackfeet Nation’s Plight Underscores the Fentanyl Crisis on Reservations

The deadly synthetic opioid has spread across the nation during the pandemic, and the problem is disproportionately affecting Native Americans.

The only psychiatric hospital in Montana is losing federal funding

The only public psychiatric hospital in Montana had important federal funding pulled after failing to correct patient safety issues, which resulted in deaths. Advocates worry things will get worse.

Immunocompromised Patients Worry Vaccine Exemptions Put Them in Peril

Montana’s governor pushed the state’s health workers to seek religious exemptions to a federal mandate to be vaccinated against covid, but the number who have done so is unknown.

Covid Shots for Kids Are Scarce — And Demand Is Mixed — In Rural Montana

Although covid vaccines have been available to children as young as 5 for more than a month, they’re not being offered in some rural Montana counties, and parents don’t know where to find them in others.

Montana’s Governor Nixed a Kids’ Vaccine Campaign, So Health Officials Plan Their Own

A former Montana health department leader said Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration killed a public service campaign planned for last summer that promoted covid vaccines for teens. Health organizations want to fill the void with information on vaccines for children 5 and up.

New Montana Law Sows Confusion, Defiance Over School Quarantines

Some counties are changing their covid quarantine policies in line with a law that bans discrimination based on a person’s vaccine status. But one county has decided to defy the rule.

Wildfire Smoke Drives People in Low-Vaccinated Areas Indoors, Raising Outbreak Fears

Unvaccinated Westerners are flocking to movie theaters, malls and other indoor spaces to beat the smoke and heat. Health officials worry that may fuel covid outbreaks.

Rural Ambulance Services Are in Jeopardy as Volunteers Age and Expenses Mount

Experts say rural communities must find new models to keep emergency services afloat as more 911 calls go unanswered.

Rural Ambulance Services At Risk As Volunteers Age And Expenses Mount

To keep emergency services afloat in rural areas, communities will have to go beyond volunteer-based programs to get people to distant hospitals, experts say. Meanwhile, some 911 calls go unanswered.

Montana Tribe Welcomes Back Tourists After Risky Shutdown Pays Off

When the Blackfeet tribe shut down the roads leading to the eastern side of Glacier National Park, businesses worried for their future. But it worked, and with one of the nation’s highest covid vaccination rates, the reservation has reopened to visitors.