BILLINGS — Montana ranks fourth nationally among states most at risk for addiction, highlighting an issue that Gov. Greg Gianforte calls a growing crisis as overdose deaths continue to leave families heartbroken.

Behavioral health officer Malcolm Horn describes addiction as a chronic disease that fundamentally changes the brain.

Watch health officials talk about battling addiction: Montana addiction crisis: How treatment centers are fighting the stigma around addiction

“We understand now addiction fundamentally changes areas of the brain that help us with learning, problem-solving, memory,” Horn, who works at Rimrock Foundation in Billings, said Monday.

Horn identifies two main reasons for Montana’s high-risk status: inadequate behavioral health care systems and limited access to tr

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