The Missoulian, March 20, on the Special Olympics Montana 2016:
Washington-Grizzly Stadium can hold more than 25,000 fans. At full capacity, the stadium’s population is larger than that of all but the six largest towns in Montana, and the roar from the crowds can be heard from the other end of the Missoula Valley.
Griz fans fill the stands to watch the state’s top athletes and cheer their favorites. They come to be part of a larger community and take part in a shared experience.
If Griz Nation wants to witness some real feats of athleticism, stirring examples of sportsmanship and truly special sporting events, it will pack the stadium for the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics Montana 2016 Summer Games at 7 p.m. on May 18.
Volunteer registration just opened and there is already a rush to sign up. Many of the volunteers who helped out at the Summer Games last year are lining up to do it again.
After all, it takes hundreds of volunteers to take care of the millions of details that go into organizing a sporting event of this magnitude. From setting up the bocce court to running the T-shirt table to handing out awards, the individual jobs for volunteers are widely varied and each is indispensable.
But one of the most important volunteer opportunities is the chance to join the “fans in the stands.” Volunteers can officially register to watch the games as spectators in the “cheer section.”
It’s a good way to guarantee a seat at these crowded competitions. As Missoula saw at last year’s Summer Games, the event makes an enormous splash that lasts for days.
This year, Missoula is hosting the games for the second time in a three-year turn. More than 1,100 athletes from 8 to 80 years old and from all across Montana are expected to attend with their friends and families. They will form approximately 70 teams and compete in 11 different Olympic-style events involving nearly 500 coaches and 2,000 volunteers.
Those are just the measurable numbers. The stories behind these numbers are countless, and the heart behind the stories is limitless.
The local economic impact, on the other hand, is quantifiable - and it’s huge. The Destination Missoula Convention and Visitor Bureau calculates the Summer Games fills 1,700 hotel room nights, not to mention many restaurants, shops and museums as well. This economic activity supports more than 300 jobs, and contributes nearly $1 million to the local economy each year.
The monetary value of sporting events is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but athletics is valued for less-tangible reasons as well. Sports encourage individuals to accomplish amazing feats of athletic ability. At their best, they showcase the best of humanity: dedication, self-discipline, sportsmanship.
Special Olympics Montana does all this and more because it also promotes the spirit of inclusiveness, camaraderie and respect for differences. The official Special Olympics athletic oath is “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” It is, at its core, a nonprofit sports organization that helps highlight the very special abilities of those with intellectual disabilities.
So take note, sports fans: The powerlifting event will wow you. And you don’t want to miss the kayaking competition. The triathlon, of course, is not to be missed either.
OK, every sport in the Special Olympics is special in its own way. Come see for yourself.
Teams will start registering on May 17, and the majority of events will take place May 18-20 on the University of Montana campus. For a comprehensive calendar of events and list of volunteer opportunities go to www.somt.org. Check out the same link to register as a volunteer, or call the volunteer hotline at 406-523-4343.
Editorial: https://bit.ly/1MlHi0X
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The Great Falls Tribune, March 22, on implementing a primary seat belt law:
A midsize sedan cruising at 68 miles per hour careens out of control and rolls off a highway.
The driver is not wearing a safety belt. His door pops open on the first roll and the man rolls out the open door on the next roll. His body is crushed by the 3,500-pound vehicle and he dies before the ambulance reaches a hospital. This is one not uncommon way in which a Montana motorist can sustain deadly injuries after not wearing a shoulder-and-lap safety belt.
It’s sad when this happens. Unfortunately, Montana’s legislators won’t act to make this tragedy less likely to occur.
Of 224 highway deaths in Montana in 2015, 178 of the people killed were not wearing seat belts, or 79.5 percent. The number was even higher, 80.7 percent, in 2014, according to figures released by the Montana Highway Patrol. Three-fourths of people ejected from a vehicle during a crash die from their injuries, according to Consumer Reports magazine.
Attorney General Tim Fox was at a meeting recently in Helena on seat-belt use in which he noted the “elephant in the room” was the fact Montana lacks a primary seat belt law. That’s a law that would allow a Highway Patrol officer, sheriff’s deputy or police officer to stop a vehicle motorist for not wearing a seat belt.
The way the law reads now, authorities cannot stop a vehicle for an adult seat-belt violation alone; the driver has to be doing something else wrong as well.
Montana is one of 16 states without a primary seat belt law, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The institute also cited a 2005 study that showed when states boosted their laws from secondary to primary enforcement, the death rates of motorists dropped by an estimated 7 percent.
We think it’s high time for Montana legislators in 2017 to pass a primary seat-belt law, to save the lives of some of these folks who are not wise enough to save their own without a higher chance of getting caught.
Fortunately, societal pressure has pushed Americans to wear seat belts, and an estimated three-fourths of Montanans use them regularly. It’s the ones who don’t buckle up who are putting their lives on the line every day.
Some might ask: Does state government really need to try to threaten the Montana minority that doesn’t wear a seat belt with strong enforcement and a big fine to get them to protect their own lives? In short, yes.
A primary seat belt law still won’t force a driver to wear a seat belt. But the threat of a fine, especially if the law is enforced through a primary law, would save some lives. Sometimes it’s necessary to pressure people to do the right thing.
Which brings us to why Montana legislators continue to vote against the primary seat belt law. Montana is a huge, beautiful state with some folks who hang onto the Old West mythology of rugged independence. We love wide-open spaces, towering mountains and not being told what to do. If a Montanan wants to get killed crashing a pickup truck, why not let him die?
Well, for one, here’s John Donne’s poem: “No man is an island, entire of itself. . Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” The life of every Montanan is lessened when a person dies in a car accident.
Not only that, it’s usually not just the motorist who suffers and dies. Family members grieve. Friends cry. And, to bring finances into it, hospitals and federal health programs often absorb heavy losses from fatal crashes, or when a motorist is severely injured. Sometimes, the decision not to wear a seat belt can cost taxpayers millions of dollars over one injured person’s miserable remaining lifetime.
It’s a callous thing to use Montanans’ love of independence as an excuse to kill a tougher seat belt law. We strongly recommend the 2017 Legislature pass such a law.
However, if Montana’s legislators are too gutless, or ruggedly independent, to pass a primary seat-belt law, then Montanans should collect signatures and place the issue on a future ballot.
It’s sickening allowing the blood to continue to flow without trying to do more to stop it.
Editorial: https://gftrib.com/1LGdhsG
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Billings Gazette, March 20, on expanding medical education in the state:
During a Board of Regents meeting earlier this month, the Montana University System discussed expanding medical education throughout the state.
That’s hardly a new idea, though.
What was new and refreshing is the dynamic conversation that’s taking place about medical education in Montana — and the new vision that’s beginning to form.
We can hardly believe we’re saying this, but the ill-conceived programs proposed by Manipal in Missoula and Burrell in Bozeman may have turned out to be gifts. These programs were certainly not right for Montana and could have had questionable, if not disastrous, results. That’s pretty evident by how quickly both programs announced plans and how quickly each exited the Treasure State.
However, by considering their proposals, Montana clarified better and refined what kind of medical education it needs and how it might look, breaking away from the traditional approach.
That Montana needs more medical training, more doctors and more health care professionals is something that has been said for years, if not decades. The question is how to fill that gaping need, especially as the Baby Boomer generation continues to need more healthcare in rural Montana.
Dr. Jay Erickson, assistant dean of the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho medical training program, noted that we rank 47th in the nation for graduate medical education.
Obviously, we can do better.
But, he also noted the successes here in Montana, including the residency program at RiverStone Health, which during its 17-year existence has added $1 billion (that’s billion with a b) to the economy.
Erickson also promoted the idea of working with more communities, for example Missoula and Billings, both of which have sizable medical communities.
Montana State University President Waded Cruzado and others who addressed the regents and had concerns about the cost of expanding medical training programs.
They have a point. Doctors are expensive. Doctors who train other doctors are even more expensive. Setting up programs across the state may not be economically feasible. And, just expanding medical training wouldn’t solve the problem. If that were the case, then Manipal or Burrell would have been almost instantly and assuredly successful. Instead, there’s still the question of residency slots that must be addressed by any expansion of medical doctor training.
However, we don’t believe that Erickson or anyone would suggest just doubling the medical training program somewhere else. We would suggest to regents and state lawmakers (who have to consider funding) that there are many ways to add training slots. It doesn’t mean necessarily doubling costs.
We see so many different partnerships between private business and education that this particular area seems to be opportune. We believe that if given the chance to be part of the conversation and vision, our medical institutions here and across the state could come up with ways to have staff work with students for training. In other areas of the country, medical staff often serve as both faculty and practitioners. We believe that if there’s a need for more training slots and more doctors in Montana, there has to be away to incorporate the already great health care institutions without having to reinvent medical school, so to speak.
We also hope that Erickson’s message doesn’t just apply to doctors. We would point out that Rocky Mountain College has an incredibly successful physician’s assistant program. And, Yellowstone County not only needs more nursing professionals at all levels, but it probably has an amazing depth of talent which could certainly be leveraged in more training. We’re glad to see recent good news from Montana State University Billings for nursing training, and believe that with a little help from the regents and the Legislature, Billings could take the lead on getting more medical training here.
Billings Clinic continues to expand its training program and has been a passionate advocate for adding more — the right way.
We also hope that talk of medical training and expansion doesn’t pit one community against another. We are proud of the great work the WWAMI program has done in Bozeman. Its expansion to 30 slots is an example of the high quality work that continues to happen there. But adding more opportunity should be seen as threat to that program, only a compliment.
The regents are on the right track as they consider expanding medical training. We hope they think big and think creatively. We also applaud them for taking a leadership role in the conversations. We believe that the Montana University System continues to have the experience and expertise to do it right, not just for doctors, but all the medical professionals needed for a robust healthcare system.
The need is great and is only going to become larger. We urge the regents to outline a bold plan that will meet the demands of all Montana.
Editorial: https://bit.ly/21GJmSY
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