The Transportation Security Administration has announced mandatory masking in transportation hubs will end April 18th based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, Montana Representative Matt Rosendale has joined 16 other Republican members of Congress in suing the CDC citing government overreach.
Rep. Rosendale Joins Lawsuit Against CDC
Seventeen Republican members of Congress including Montana’s Matt Rosendale have sued the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seeking an end to the federal rule requiring passengers on commercial flights and in airports to wear masks. The CDC extended the air travel mandate which was set to expire Friday last week to April 18th. Th...
Montana Continuing To Drop Mask Recommendations
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less severe COVID cases means less masking is needed. In Montana, there are now 36 counties that are free to go without masks indoors compared to 16 last week. The number of counties with masking recommendations still in place decreased from 44 counties last week to 20 this week. Las...
Montana Doctor Warns About Continued COVID Coverage, Despite Dropping Cases
The pandemic may not be getting the top headlines due to Ukraine but it is still with us. Recently on Voices of Montana the author of “From Killer to Common Cold” Montana Dr. and Author David Graham said this about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
COVID-Protection Funds For Montana Prisons Not Yet Spent
Kaiser Health News reporter Katheryn Houghton reports Montana has yet to spend any of the $2.5 million in federal aid it received last summer to boost COVID detection and mitigation in the state’s prison and jails. That’s because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised concerns about the state’s spending plan causing the st...
State Hospital Placed on “Immediate Jeopardy”
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service inspectors have placed the state psychiatric facility in Warm Springs on “immediate jeopardy” status after they found patients had fallen 113 times between June and August 2021 and employees told them staffing documentation had been altered to not list patients whose needs required one-on-o...
DPHHS Issues Guidance for Health Care Facilities & Providers For Federal Mandate
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services has issued guidance for state health care facilities and providers with respect to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services COVID-19 vaccine mandate. It requires Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities to establish a policy ensuring that all covered staff have been vaccin...
Numerous Montana Schools Find High Lead Levels In Drinking Water
In early 2020, the state of Montana required all public schools to test their drinking water for lead and they were given until December 31 of this year to take initial samples. Of the Montana schools that have met the state’s program deadline, most of the 560 Montana schools show high levels of lead in school drinking water. According ...
Montana’s APRA Economic Commission Meets To Discuss Allocation Of Remaining Funds
Congress approved nearly $2 billion in COVID-19 relief money for Montana officials to spend earlier this year. The Montana Department of Health and Human Services has released more information about federal money it has distributed across the state for COVID-19 contact tracing and other mitigation measures. The current ARPA funds have been tar...
Nursing Homes & Assisted Living Facilities Exempt From New State Vaccine Law
It’s cold and flu season and on top of the ongoing pandemic people are focusing on who is required to get their COVID-19 vaccine and who isn’t. Montana’s House Bill 702 became law earlier this year and it prevents employers from discriminating based on vaccine status or having an immunity passport. That means all vaccines inc...