Assessment of the Impact of Energy Development on the Behavioral Health of Women in Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota

Status: Current
Year: 2015
Location: West
Client: Government organizations
Services Provided: Assessment and Planning, Research & Evaluation
Technical Expertise: Substance Use, Rural Health


HRiA is currently conducting an assessment of the impact of energy development on the behavioral health (substance abuse and mental health) of women in Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana. This 3-year project, funded by the Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health for the US Department of Health and Human Services, includes eight counties across North Dakota and Montana as well as two American Indian reservations at Fort Peck and Fort Berthold. Using a mixed-methods, collaborative assessment approach, HRiA is engaging multiple stakeholder groups from these communities to guide a broad assessment of behavioral health, its causes, and consequences. HRiA uses an engaged approach ensuring that stakeholders, including community members, county, state, federal, and tribal leadership are involved from the beginning and provide input into the study framework to ensure buy-in to the process and cultural appropriateness. The project is currently in the planning phase, which involves partnership development as well as preliminary research activities including a review of the literature, secondary data review, and environmental scan of local services and gaps. Scheduled to continue through Fall 2018, the assessment will involve primary data collection through 20 focus groups and listening sessions with a wide cross-section of population groups, 40 key informant interviews with organizational and tribal leaders across a variety of sectors, and a population-based survey among women.