Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly April 5 To 9

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

04/05/2021 7:00 AM

Vaccines are available to everyone 16 and older. Make sure to sign up for an appointment at covid19.missoula.co, and share your experience on social media with the hashtags #endthepandemic, #vaccinatethe406 and #gotmyshot406.  

To receive COVID-19 updates, sign up for e-notifications at the Missoula County website here and choose to receive “COVID-19 Vaccine Updates” in your preferences. 

Missoula Health Board selects D'Shane Barnett as new Health Officer

Following a nationwide search and extensive community interview process, the Missoula City-County Board of Health has selected D'Shane Barnett to replace outgoing Health Officer Ellen Leahy when she retires in June. Barnett (Mandan/Arikana) has worked in the American Indian health field for more than two decades. He is the former director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health in Washington, D.C., and currently serves as the executive director of All Nations Health Center in Missoula. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology, with an option in inequality and social justice from the University of Montana and has a master's degree in healthcare administration and inter-professional leadership from the University of California, San Francisco. He is currently completing his doctorate in public health at UM. Barnett is looking forward to his new role, which he’ll start on May 17. As health officer, Barnett will be responsible for professional-level administration of the health department. This includes overseeing all divisions of the health department and carrying out statutory duties related to protecting public health.

Read more.

Missoula County accepting grant applications to support services for at-risk populations, substance abuse prevention 

Missoula County opened the grant applications Tuesday, March 30, for both the Community Assistance Fund and the Substance Abuse Prevention Mill Levy. Government and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply for funding, and applications are be available online at missoulacounty.us/fundingopportunities. The deadline for application submission is 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 12. The grant funding is for fiscal year 2022 (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022).  

Read more. 

Commissioners to proclaim Fair Housing Month 

Each year, the County Commissioners proclaim the month of April as Fair Housing Month to reflect on and reaffirm the national commitment to the ideal that fair housing opportunity is available to everyone in the United States without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status and disability. This year is the 53rd anniversary of the adoption of the Fair Housing Act, and the commissioners will read the proclamation at their public meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 8. 

Find the agenda and link to join the meeting, as well as a copy of the proclamation. 

Missoula County Health Officials urge pet owners to keep animals vaccinated, pick up pet waste 

With the arrival of spring, county health officials remind pet owners to pick up dog waste and make sure their pets are vaccinated against rabies, parvovirus and other diseases that can harm animals and people.  

Read more. 

Keep up with the latest news from the Missoula County Commissioners 

The Commissioners’ Office frequently receives questions from the public on how they county is working to address the most pressing issues facing Missoula County residents. In Missoula County’s What is Missoula County Doing About... Page, you can find information on how the county is addressing subjects such as diversity, equity and inclusion, criminal justice reform, sustainability and climate change, affordable housing and homelessness, responsible growth and development, economic development, historic preservation, public engagement, essential services delivery, human services, public infrastructure and COVID-19 relief efforts. Find the page on Missoula County’s website under the Commissioners’ Office, and if you need any more information, feel free to reach out to bcc@missoulacounty.us.  

Stay up to date on COVID-19 

Remember to keep your social circles small, socially distance yourselves and wear a mask! The COVID-19 vaccine is now available to all those 16 and older. Make sure to sign up for an appointment at covid19.missoula.co, and share your experience on social media with the hashtags #endthepandemic, #vaccinatethe406 and #gotmyshot406. To receive COVID-19 updates, sign up for e-notifications at the Missoula County website here and choose to receive “COVID-19 Vaccine Updates” in your preferences. To keep up with other Missoula County operations, see the Status of Missoula County operations amid COVID-19. 

Upcoming Commissioners’ Meetings from April 5 to 9 

To join commissioner department, administrative and public meetings via Microsoft Teams and view the agendas, please visit the Missoula County Commissioners’ Meeting Minutes and Agenda Portal. Please note that agendas for department and administrative meetings are published two business days before the meeting, and public meeting agendas are published the Friday before the meeting. Administrative and public meeting video recordings are available on the Missoula County YouTube page after the meeting, and MCAT plays the public meetings live on their Spectrum Channel 190. Email bcc@missoulacounty.us or leave a voicemail at 406-258-4877 if you have any questions or comments on an upcoming meeting. 

• Monday, April 5 
  Public Works Update 
  Community and Planning Services Update 
  Montana Department of Transportation Update 
  Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Update 

• Wednesday, April 7 
  Senior Staff Update 
  Chief Officers Update 
  Missoula Economic Partnership Update 

• Thursday, April 8 
  Chief Administrative Officer Update 
  Commissioners’ Administrative Public Meeting 
  Commissioners’ Public Meeting 

• Friday, April 9 
  No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day. 

This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.