The Montana Mental Health Settlement Trust, MMHST, was established by an Order of the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York.
The trust has been funded with approximately $9,500,000 of the proceeds from the settlement of a lawsuit in which the State of Montana was plaintiff and Eli Lilly and Company was the defendant.
The Trust states that the funds shall be distributed in Montana as follows:
5.4 Distributions. The Trust Estate, in amounts to be determined by the Trustee after
conferring with and considering the advice and recommendations of the Trust committee, shall be distributed to Beneficiaries, provided however, distributions are made exclusively for the following purposes:
(A) Mandatory Distributions. The Trust Estate shall, in the Trustee's sole and
absolute discretion, be applied to or for the benefit of Beneficiaries qualifying as
providing mental health programs, services and resources in each of the following areas:
(1) Education and information for medical providers concerning appropriate prescribing practices for patients’ with mental illness;
(2) Training and education for Law Enforcement personnel concerning effective and appropriate crisis intervention techniques and resources;
(3) Crisis intervention services to persons who come in contact with the criminal justice system;
(4) Transition funding for persons transitioning from an in-patient mental health treatment environment to an out-patient treatment and independent living environment;
(5) Children’s mental health programs; and
(6) Peer-to-peer services.
(B) Discretionary Distributions. In addition to the foregoing specifically
identified purposes, the Trust Estate may, in the Trustee's sole and absolute discretion, be
applied to or for the benefit of other programs, services and/or resources dedicated to the
prevention, treatment and management of mental illness in Montana adults and children.
5.5 The Trustee, in consultation with the Trust committee, shall establish the procedures and conditions to govern the application and receipt of distributions from the
Trust Estate.
5.6 Subject to Article 10, the Trustee shall distribute the Trust Estate to each Beneficiary at such time and in such manner as the Trustee determines to be appropriate, in its sole and absolute discretion.
The Hon. John Warner, a retired Justice of the Montana Supreme Court has been appointed as the Trustee of the MMHST. The Trust also directs the selection of an advisory committee to assist the trustee in distribution of the funds. This committee consists of the following:
MMHST Advisory Committee members in categories required under Trust Section 4.2:
1. Ms. Pam Vies; Havre, Center for Mental Health: Mental health service provider.
2. Ms. Marcia Armstrong; Helena: DPHHS, Addictive and Mental Disorders Division.
3. Mr. Robert Runkel; Helena: DPHHS, Children’s Mental Health Bureau.
4. Sheriff Dan Tronrud, Big Timber, Sheriff of Sweet Grass County: Representative of law enforcement.
5. Dr. Gary Mihelish, Helena, NAMI: Representative of a mental health advocacy organization.
6. Mr. Robert Ross; Billings, Eastern Service Area Authority: Representative of Montana Service Area Authority.
7. Dr. William Docktor; Missoula, University of Montana School of Pharmacy: College or University Faculty member.
The trustee and the advisory committee are now in the process of establishing operating by-laws to govern the Trust’s internal operation and criteria and procedure to be followed in applying for distributions from the Trust. When these tasks are completed, the Trust will be in a position to consider proposals for how the trust funds should be spent. Hopefully, the Trust will be in a position to begin accepting requests for distribution within the next few months, and notice to those interested will be published.
The Trust office is: MMHST
2601 Broadway
Helena, MT 59601
(406) 513-1073
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