2023 NAMI Montana Conference

Please consider joining us for the 2023 NAMI Montana Conference in Billings, Montana on October 25th-27th. We've got an amazing set of speakers from around the country and state. 

• Continuing Education Credits are available for licensees of the Montana Behavioral Health Board.

• Scholarships are available for peers.

Initial Speaker List

 Phillip K. Naithram - A Journey Towards Recovery Leads to A Message of Hope
Phillip started life over at age 31 following more than a decade long struggle co-occurring mental health, alcohol abuse, and suicidality.  Phillip is now a renowned podcast host, entrepreneur, and consultant who lives in service of others. Working to help people break their limiting beliefs and become their best self one day at a time.
 

Dr. Stuart Hoffman, Ph.D. - Update on the Hannon Precision Brain Health Initiative
Dr. Hoffman Ph.D.  is the Senior Health Science Officer for Traumatic Brain Injury for the Office of Research and Development (ORD), Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Dr. Hoffman will be presenting on the Hannon Precision Brain Health Initiative, a critical VHA initiative to develop precision diagnstics and treatment.  The Initiative is named in honor of late NAMI Montana volunteer Commander John Scott Hannon.
 

Dr.  Eric Arzubi MD - Telehealth Services of Mental Health - Where We Are and Where We're Going
Dr. Arzubi MD co-founded Frontier Psychiatry in 2019 to introduce an accelerated, more aggressive response to Montana’s growing mental health crisis. He served as Chair of Psychiatry at the Billings Clinic from 2014 to 2019, during which time he led the creation of Montana’s first psychiatry residency training program and the launch of Montana’s first EmPATH Unit, a service dedicated to providing timely care to individuals in crisis. In 2020, the Montana Medical Association presented Dr. Arzubi with one of its top physician awards, the Doctor Jack McMahon Service to Montana Physicians Award, for his contributions.  Dr. Arzubi is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center. He has proudly served as President of the Big Sky Regional Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and as a board member of the School-Based Health Alliance. Dr. Arzubi is board certified in general psychiatry and child/adolescent psychiatry.

Don Wetzel Jr. - Building a Future for Montana's Native Youth and Young Adults
Don Wetzel Jr. has spent the last seventeen years building hope for Montana's Native Youth and Young Adults by both relying on the strength of ways of the elders and embracing the tools of the present. A member of the Blackfeet tribe, Don has served in leadership roles in the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, Office of Public Instruction, and the Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Behavioral Health System for Future Generations Commission - Understanding This Critical Commission and the Process for Giving It Input
Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 872  into law on May 22, 2023, providing a generational investment to reform and improve Montana’s behavioral health and developmental disabilities service systems. A central component of the governor’s Budget for Montana Families, the $300 million investment will expand intensive and community-based behavioral health care and developmental disabilities services across Montana. House Bill  872 establishes a commission to make recommendations on investments to the governor.
 

The Conference page is available at this link. 

Peer scholarships sign-ups are available at this link. 

 The conference will also be available for free online.

We hope that you can join us!

Thank you,

Matt Kuntz

Executive Director 

NAMI Montana