The Proposed Montana Pilot Big Horn County & Crow Nation — 2026–2028
The Problem and Proposed Solution:
In Big Horn County, Montana, diabetes prevalence among Crow Nation community members runs two to three times the national average. Two accredited diabetes self-management programs serve the county. No integrated multigenerational community prevention program exists.
LIFE Journey™ is built to fill that gap — reaching families before they need clinical services, building the behavioral foundation that makes clinical care more effective, and engaging whole generations simultaneously.
The Montana proposed pilot is planned to launch in 2026 with a 24-month implementation anticipated grant funding. It signifies the first real-world test of the Re-IX5 ecosystem in the community it was built for.
What the Proposed Pilot will Accomplish:
Over 24 months the pilot will deliver LIFE Journey to 50 or more participants across two cohorts of 10 families each. LIFE Journey families with young children are simultaneously served through Little Explorers™ Discovery Circles, extending Re-IX5 health messaging to the 0–5 population. Re-IX5 Institute Foundation will certify 6 to 8 permanent community Trail Guides — existing CHWs, Tribal health workers, and community educators who carry this capacity in their existing roles beyond the grant term. It will generate the outcome evidence that positions LIFE Journey for Montana DPHHS statewide adoption. And it will build the documented replication model that enables other Montana communities and Tribal nations to launch their own pilots.
This proposed pilot does not rest on a single organizational commitment. It is built on a confirmed network of partners whose contributions make implementation not just possible but durable. Planned Partnerships include:
Crow Tribal Health — Primary community partner. Tribal authorization and governance support, Tribal health worker engagement as Trail Guide candidates, community gathering spaces, and the cultural foundation that makes this program possible in Crow Nation.
Big Horn County Public Health — Fiscal sponsor, confirmed by signed Letter of Commitment from Public Health Director Kelsey Roebling, RN. Fiscal management and organizational infrastructure, WIC program's existing year-round Friday playgroup through which LIFE Journey messaging reaches the 0–5 population every week, and community health networks built over decades of service in Big Horn County.
Montana DPHHS — Chronic Disease Prevention Bureau — State agency partner. Data analysis and program evaluation technical assistance, connections to statewide chronic disease prevention networks, and active participation in positioning LIFE Journey for statewide adoption. This relationship is grounded in Dr. Dorland-Roan's current service on the DPHHS Chronic Disease Prevention and Weight Management Steering Committee — not a letter of endorsement, but an active working relationship.
IHS Crow Service Unit — Clinical infrastructure partner. Clinical referral pathway for LIFE Journey participants, community spaces at outpatient locations in Crow Agency, Lodge Grass, and Pryor covering the full reservation geography, and existing community health worker staff as natural Trail Guide candidates. Formal MOU targeted for Year 2.
Little Explorers™ — WIC Playgroup Extension. Running concurrently with LIFE Journey, Little Explorers™ Discovery Circles extend Re-IX5 health messaging to the youngest generation every Friday through the Big Horn County Public Health WIC playgroup. A community stipend recipient — a trusted playgroup participant identified in coordination with the WIC program coordinator — facilitates pillar-aligned activity kits for the 0–5 population, ensuring that children and caregivers in the same family encounter the same health concepts simultaneously at every age.
Re-IX5 Institute Foundation — Program developer and sole contractor. The complete program ecosystem — curriculum, Trail Guide training system, digital tools platform, and evaluation framework, valued at over $300,000 in development — is provided at no cost to this grant. Dr. Dorland-Roan serves as Lead Trail Guide and project manager across the full 24-month term.
The Timeline:
July–September 2026 — Partner MOUs finalized, 4–6 Trail Guides certified, participant recruitment launched, 0–5 playgroup assistant onboarded
October–December 2026 — First LIFE Journey cohort: 12 Trail Marker Gatherings, 10 families, baseline and post-program data collected
January–June 2027 — Second cohort launched and completed, additional Trail Guides certified, MTHF interim report submitted, IHS clinical MOU development begun
July–December 2027 — Year 2 cohort with full Family Program Infrastructure: Nutrition Prescription Fund, activity memberships, device access, transportation gas cards, and gathering meals
January–June 2028 — 24-month evaluation completed, replication model presented to Montana DPHHS, CDC DPRP recognition application initiated, final report submitted
The sustainability pathway:
The pilot is designed so that when anticipated funding ends, the program does not.
Certified Trail Guides are permanent community infrastructure — they carry program delivery capacity in their existing roles independently of any future grant. Montana DPHHS statewide adoption — supported by Dr. Dorland-Roan's active steering committee role — would embed LIFE Journey in existing state public health infrastructure without ongoing grant dependence. CDC Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program recognition in Year 2 opens direct Medicaid and commercial insurance reimbursement. IHS and One Health FQHC can employ certified Trail Guides as Community Health Workers under existing staffing budgets.
Anticipated funding is the proof of concept that makes every one of those pathways possible.
Interested in partnering on the Montana pilot or bringing LIFE Journey to your community?