Health Department

COVID-19 in Silver Bow County

Image of novel coronavirus

Butte-Silver Bow Health has activated its emergency response team and is working daily to prepare for the likelihood that COVID-19 will spread to Butte-Silver Bow County. We are also working closely with local health-care providers to monitor for the disease.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that originated in China in late 2019 and has since spread throughout the world. The disease can have mild to severe symptoms, including fever, cough, and trouble breathing. It can also be fatal, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems.

Click here to see a map showing the number of COVID-19 cases in the world and where they are occurring.

What You Can Do to Avoid COVID-19

Assess Travel Risks

The best thing you can do to avoid the disease is to avoid exposure to the virus that causes it. In part, this means avoiding travel to areas where the virus is epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issues advisories for travelers regarding potential exposure to disease in other countries. These travel alerts are likely to change as the disease spreads. Visit the following link regularly to get up-to-date information.

COVID-19 Information for Travelers (CDC)

Practice Good Personal Hygiene

Everyday precautions that can help prevent the spread of flu and other germs are also effective against the virus that causes COVID-19.

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing;
  • If soap and water aren’t available, use a hand sanitizer containing 60 percent alcohol;
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth;
  • Stay home when you’re sick;
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and then throw the tissue in the trash; and
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated.

Forget About Masks

Health experts, including the U.S. Surgeon General, don’t recommend that the general public buy or use face masks. Masks primarily prevent a person from giving the disease to someone else and are less effective in preventing well people from getting sick. They should be reserved for people who show symptoms of COVID-19 and for health workers and others who are taking care of patients at home. People who are in direct contact with people who are infected must change their masks repeatedly.

If You Think You Have COVID-19

Call If You’re Sick

Symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. If you have symptoms – and if you’ve been in close contact with someone who has the disease or have traveled to an area with ongoing spread --  call your health-care provider before visiting. Tell your provider about your recent travel or contact.

Your provider will make sure you don’t expose others in the office or hospital setting. He or she will also work with public health professionals to determine if you need to be tested.

COVID-19 Related Documents

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About Us

The mission of the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department is to protect and improve the health of Butte-Silver Bow residents. Our vision is for Butte-Silver Bow to be Montana’s healthiest county.

Our Core Values

Respect, Quality, Service, Stewardship, Vision, Integrity, Leadership, Innovation,  and Science

Success by the Numbers

21,642

That’s the number of activities — clients served, establishments inspected, communicable diseases reported — by the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department in FY17.

Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Report

Other Communications, Facts, Reports, and Data

Have you ever wondered what we do at the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department?
Check out our mock-umentary to find out...

Contact Us

  1. Health Department

    Physical Address
    25 W. Front St.
    Butte, MT 59701

    Phone: (406) 497-5020
    Fax: (406) 497-5095

Health Department Programs

Communicable Disease Program

Communicable Disease Program

The goal of the program is to prevent the spread of communicable diseases (e.g., hepatitis A, bacterial meningitis, food borne illness, etc.) in the community.

Home Health

Community Health

Community Health provides a wide range a services including:
Child Passenger Safety, Chronic Disease Prevention, HIV Services, Immunizations and Maternal Child Health, 
Emergency Mangement

Emergency Preparedness

Emergencies and disasters can strike anywhere and at any time. Yous may be required to deal with an emergency when it is least expected and proper planning before an emergency is necessary to respond effectively.
Family Planning

Family Planning

Our Family Planning Clinic provides reproductive and sexual health services for men and women. Services also focus on preventing or achieving pregnancy. Services include those that can influence a person’s ability to conceive or to have a healthy birth outcome, including contraceptive services to prevent or space pregnancies, pregnancy testing and counseling, services to assist in achieving pregnancy, basic infertility services, preconception health services, and screening and treatment services for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. All services are provided on a sliding fee schedule and are confidential.

Environmental Health Program

Environmental Health

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), through its Food and Consumer Safety Section, issues licenses for retail food establishments, wholesale food establishments, public accommodations, public swimming pools and spas, trailer courts and campgrounds, group homes, and daycare centers.

WIC

WIC

WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program designed to improve health outcomes and influence lifetime nutrition and health behaviors in a targeted, at-risk population