In 1901, Montana’s Seventh Legislative Assembly created the Montana State Board of Health. The Board was responsible for sanitation as well as investigations regarding diseases, epidemics, mortality, and other health-related concerns. In 1967, with the creation of the State Department of Health, the State Board of Health was given the additional duty of overseeing the new Department. The State Board of Health continued in an advisory capacity, but the day-to-day administration of the state laws regarding public health and related matters were relegated to the new Department. The State Board of Health was later renamed the Board of Health and Environmental Sciences and it remained active until it was abolished in 1994.
In 1937, the Montana Legislature established the Department of Public Welfare, which consolidated state welfare activities. The Department was responsible for the administration of all forms of public assistance, including general relief programs and supervision of institutions caring for the dependent, delinquent, or mentally or physically handicapped. In 1971, with the state reorganization, the Department of Public Welfare was abolished, and its functions were assumed by the newly created Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS). The SRS assumed the functions of various state agencies, including functions pertaining to vocational rehabilitation and education; the Commission on Aging; and the Council on Human Resources. The SRS administered all forms of public assistance, child protection, and child welfare; gave consultant service to private institutions providing care for the needy, indigent, handicapped, or dependent; developed provisions for services to the blind; supervised county boards of public welfare; and administered all funds allotted for public welfare activities.
In 1995, following another State government reorganization, SRS combined with portions of the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences (DHES) to form the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). The Environmental Sciences Division was split from DHES to become the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Additionally, in 1992, the Department of Institutions was renamed the Department of Corrections and Human Services. In 1995, the Department was reorganized, with some duties and Divisions remaining with Corrections, while others were transferred to the newly created Department of Public Health and Human Services, including oversight of the Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs.
As of 2024, DPHHS has the following Divisions: Director’s Office, Public Health and
Safety Division, Child and Family Services Division, Child Support Services
Division, Early Childhood and Family Support Division, Disability Employment and
Transitions Division, Human and Community Services Division, Behavioral Health and
Developmental Disabilities Division, Health Resources Division, Senior and Long Term
Care, Facilities (including Montana State Hospital and Veterans’ Home), Operations
Services Branch, Business and Financial Services Division, Office of Inspector
General (formerly Quality Assurance Division), and the Technology Services Division.
Each Division oversees a number of Bureaus, Offices, Sections, and/or Units. Please
visit the
This collection contains records from various Divisions, Bureaus, and Programs within the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services records were integrated under one collection number to help facilitate access and reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog. Please note that some materials in the following groups may have originated in the Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Department of Public Welfare, Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, or other predecessor agencies.
To learn more detail about the records in each subgroup, please click on the links below in the arrangement section to be redirected to those finding aids.
This subgroup (1977-2002) is comprised of records from the Director’s Office. It contains court papers (1977-1989), press releases (1993-2002), subject files (1994-1997, topics include the 1997 Legislature and Families Achieving Independence in Montana (FAIM)), and clippings (1998-2002).
This subgroup (1987-2005) is comprised of records from the Child and Family Services Division. It contains manuals, manual updates and bulletins, and internal communications about manuals for the programs of the Child and Family Services Division. These include Food Stamps (including FAIM), Aid for Families with Dependent Children, Medical Assistance, and the Family Medicaid Program, as well as a general Child and Family Services manual.
This subgroup contains records from the sub-subgroup, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program (1976-2003), which operates within the Family and Community Health Bureau, which itself operates under the Early Childhood and Family Support Division. Records include correspondence, financial records, and subject files, including files on the Intertribal Policy Board.
This subgroup (1935-2001) is comprised of records from the Human and Community Services Division. It contains minutes, expenditures, and related records of the Beaverhead, Blaine, Cascade, Gallatin, Hill, Liberty, and Madison County Welfare Boards. It also contains correspondence, minutes, reports, subject files, and printed materials of the Human and Community Services Division, and day care provider case files of the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
This subgroup (1977-1999) is comprised of records from the Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Division (formerly named Disabilities Services Division and Developmental Services Division). It contains correspondence, covering topics such as child abuse, AIDS, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Health Care Financing Administration, and more; reports, quarterly reports, and subject files on topics such as the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center, Family Child Care Choices Project, Developmental Education Assistance Program, Developmental Disabilities Planning and Advisory Council, and Montana University Affiliated Programs.
This subgroup also contains records of the defunct Addictive & Mental Disorders Division (1983-2002). The collection was processed separately, as this was originally a distinct Division that is now a part of the Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Division. Records include correspondence, reports, and subject files. Also included are case files of the Mental Health Managed Care Advisory group and the Mental Health Access Plan Advisory Group, as well as case files pertaining to the Montana State Hospital campus redesign project of the 1990s.
Additionally, this subgroup contains records from the Mental Health Division (1990-1999). Following the state reorganization in 1995, the duties of the Mental Health Division were transferred to DPHHS' Addictive and Mental Disorders Division. Records include Cooperative Recruiting Service (CRS) files, county plans, Human Resources Development files, and correspondence.
This subgroup (1978-2006) is comprised of records from the Senior and Long-Term Care Division. It contains correspondence, including incoming and outgoing correspondence related to the Division, reports, including area plans, area grants, and state plans, as well as subject files, including adult protective services, Alzheimer’s disease, tribal elder abuse, and other related topics.
This subgroup contains records from two State Healthcare Facilities: Center for the Aged and Eastmont Human Services.
The sub-subgroup, Center for the Aged (now the Montana Mental Health Nursing Care Center, 1912-1994) consists of correspondence, subject files, meeting minutes, personal files of patient Mayme Matson (1912-1930), and maps.
The sub-subgroup, Eastmont Human Services Center (1960-2003), originally operated under Department of Corrections and Human Services until the state reorganization in 1995, wherein it was transferred to DPHHS. Records include correspondence, subject files, meeting minutes, scrapbooks, photo albums and slides, and case files. MEDICAL RESTRICTION: Patient files are confidential and privileged (MCA 53-21-166 and MCA 50-16 part 5). For more information contact an archivist.
This subgroup (1976-1998) is comprised of records from the Office of Inspector General (formerly Quality Assurance Division). It contains subject files, including revised versions of manuals for programs on Food Stamps, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Medicaid, and the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP), and court papers on Fair Hearings Trials. Please note that some information has been marked as restricted due to the presence of social security numbers. This subgroup also contains records from the sub-subgroup, the Certification Bureau (1947-1988), which consists primarily of survey files.
This subgroup contains records from the sub-subgroup, Environmental Health and Food Safety Section (1979-1980, formerly named Food and Consumer Safety Bureau). It consists of records related to the Pierce Packing Company’s Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) spill in Billings, M.T. in 1979.
This subgroup (1990-2002) is comprised of records from the Health Coalition (formerly Healthcare Advisory Council), an Advisory Board to DPHHS. It contains minutes, agendas, handouts, member lists, charters, and other related materials.
This subgroup consists of two separate collections, as they were initially processed separately and have not yet been completely integrated. Both collections contain records from the State Board of Health (later named the Board of Health and Environmental Sciences). The first collection (1907-1994), formerly RS 238, is comprised of minutes, reports, licensing laws, as well as materials from the Food and Drug Division, including correspondence, court papers, press releases, field investigations, speeches, subject files and miscellany. The second collection (1907-1966), formerly RS 58, contains correspondence, meeting minutes, court papers related to field investigations, and reports.
This subgroup (1934-1936) is comprised of records from the Montana Relief Commission, which merged with other State Boards and Divisions in 1937 to form the Department of Public Welfare. Records include interoffice correspondence regarding earthquake fund allocations; financial records, including emergency fund transmittals, auditors reports, and daily reports; and miscellany, including a list of personnel of the County Emergency Relief Committee.
This subgroup (1933-1973; undated) is comprised of records from the Department of Public Welfare, which was abolished in 1971. It consists of general correspondence, arranged by subject; minutes of the Division of Child Welfare Services field staff, the Montana Relief Commission, the State Board of Public Welfare, and the Old Age Pension Commission; organizational records; reports on public assistance, day care facilities, and other matters; subject files on county medical plans, legal services, and other issues; writings; and miscellany.
This subgroup contains records from various Divisions (sub-subgroups) that formerly operated within DHES. The sub-subgroup (1940-1982), Centralized Services Division, consists of correspondence with the Governor's Office and subject files on various topics including Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the Health Education Bureau, as well as 40 volumes of financial ledgers. Records from the sub-subgroup, (1952-1994) Health Services Division, include subject files from the various Bureaus under the Health Services Division. The largest concentration of records stems from the Nursing Bureau and the Family/Maternal Child Health Bureau.
This subgroup (1971-1992) contains records from the former state agency, Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. It consists of Director's Office correspondence, reports, and subject files, along with the Board of Social and Rehabilitation Appeals minutes, organizational materials, and miscellaneous records for five advisory councils.
This subgroup also contains various records from former Divisions and Bureaus (sub-subgroups) that operated within the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. The sub-subgroup, Audit and Program Compliance Division (1972-1987), is comprised of correspondence, subject files, reports, and memos. The sub-subgroup, Centralized Services Division (1969-1975), consists of financial records prepared by the Budget and Management Services Unit, including expenditure reports and projections, Grants-in-aid applications and records, cost allocation plans, and work papers for budgets and plans. Records from the sub-subgroup, Office of Legal Affairs (1970-1995), which operated within the Centralized Services Division, include correspondence, Administrative Rules Review files, case files, legislative files; and subject files.
The sub-subgroup, Community Services Division (1966-1984), consists of subject files, with topics including budgets and cutbacks, and district and regional offices. Also included are records from the sub-subgroup Medicaid Services Division (1988-1992), which is composed of subject files, primarily related to AIDS, Home Health, and Medicaid. Additionally, it contains records from the sub-subgroup, Family Assistance Division (1984-1994). Records in this sub-subgroup consist of correspondence, minutes, subject files, and clippings. It also contains records from the sub-subgroup, the Reimbursement Bureau (1985-1992), which consists of Janie Wunderwald’s correspondence (Chief of the Reimbursement Bureau) relating to Medicaid and Medicare.
This collection is arranged into 15 subgroups, represented by the Divisions, Bureaus, Sections, Boards, and former Agencies within or related to the Department of Public Health and Human Services. Some of the Divisions contain the Bureaus, Programs, Offices, or Units that operate within the Division.
To learn more detail about the records in each subgroup, please click on the links below to be redirected to those finding aids.
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Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 495, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Public Health and Human Service’s various
Divisions and Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now
integrated into
Each of the links above will redirect the user to a specific subgroup (Division) or
sub-subgroup (Bureaus, Programs, or Offices) of the Montana Department of Public
Health and Human Services. There may be some overlap or inconsistencies in terms of
which records are in which subgroup or sub-subgroup, as these collections have
Please see specific subgroups' finding aids for citation information.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Related Collections:
Related Collections:
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Research Center catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.