Missoulian week in review: Local news recap for Oct. 28-Nov. 3

WOLF POINT — Now, for the first time, when someone on the Fort Peck Reservation calls a crisis helpline, a fellow community member will be on the other end.

From left, Tatum Evenson, crisis call center coordinator, Elise Akers, a suicide prevention specialist, and suicide prevention specialist Jeromy Christiansen work at The Fort Peck Tribes Call and Treatment Center that operates out of Wolf Point. The call center has six employees and is close to operating 24/7.  

ANTONIO IBARRA OLIVARES, Missoulian

An initiative that’s been three years in the making, the Fort Peck Tribes Call and Treatment Center is the first crisis call center on any reservation in Montana. The center operates under the umbrella of the tribal health department and is one of a few call centers in the country with case managers on staff.

Phoebe Blount, the Garrett Lee Smith project director for the center, said the need for an organization like this became especially apparent a few years ago when someone close to a tribal leader experienced suicidal ideation and needed help. The individual went to the hospital, and when law enforcement

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