Aaron Bolton
Aaron is Montana Public Radio's Flathead reporter.
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Montana has seen a record number of hot days this summer. More are forecasted as the climate changes. The state is trying to adapt with some help from the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Even with the upgraded 988 mental health hotline, there are still some callers who need to be connected with in-person services. In rural areas especially, those resources remain few and far between.
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Doctors say more of their patients are seeking permanent sterilization procedures, but some patients are reporting that doctors are unwilling to operate on people of childbearing age.
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In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, clinics report a surge in demand for sterilization procedures.
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In Montana, dogs are being trained to sniff out chronic wasting disease. The animals will be deployed on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to prevent the disease from being passed to humans.
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Montana's Blackfeet Nation is experimenting with a new way to detect chronic wasting disease in animals and toxic substances in plants used by tribal members for food and cultural practices.
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After 17 overdoses — including four deaths — this spring, Indigenous leaders in Montana and surrounding states look for ways to stop the fentanyl crisis and provide more treatment and care.
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The only public psychiatric hospital in Montana had important federal funding pulled after failing to correct patient safety issues, which resulted in deaths. Advocates worry things will get worse.
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The Red Cross has, for the first time, declared a national blood donation crisis. Some hospitals say they're rationing blood products. And blood banks are scrambling to encourage donations.
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Some states are aggressively promoting the new COVID-19 vaccination shots for kids ages 5 to 11. But Montana is not among them. The state also didn't promote vaccinations for 12 to 18 year olds.