Health program targeted for cuts

The Hill County Health Department is expected to lose state funding for a home-based care program.

The Montana Initiative for the Abatement of Mortality in Infants, or MIAMI program, is slated to lose $15,000 in funding as the state deals with a projected $200 million or more budget deficit next year, according to Hill County Health Department director of nursing Cindy Smith.

The program provides at- home visits for pregnant and nursing mothers. Jamie Smith, a registered nurse for the Hill County Health Department, visits between 30 and 50 patients a year. The program has enough money to opera...