Public health director defends Indian suicide consultant expense

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Service Director Richard Opper defended the state's decision Wednesday to use nearly half of the funds allocated for American Indian youth suicide prevention to hire a contractor.

The contractor would be tasked with pulling together a coalition of tribal health care officials and others selected by the tribes, to construct a comprehensive plan to curb the high rate of suicide among young American Indians both on reservations and in urban settings.

The state Legislature's Interim Tribal Relations Committee, chaired by state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy,...