MEDIA ADVISORY

State of Montana COVID-19

March 16, 2020

Contact:

John Grassy, Public Information Officer

Montana Dept. Natural Resources and Conservation

(406) 324-4752 / jgrassy@mt.gov

Amber Conger, Communications Director

Montana Dept. Of Administration

(406) 560-7183 / aconger@mt.gov

Tim Crowe, Public Information Officer

Joint Information Center

(406) 324-4755 / tim.crowe2@mt.gov

Montana establishes Joint Information Center in Response to COVID-19

HELENA, Mont. The State of Montana has established a Joint Information Center (JIC) to provide news media with current information on the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. The JIC is intended to be a central location for reporters and community partners to engage state public information officers to receive timely and accurate information.

What: A Joint Information Center is an incident management structure attached to the State Emergency Command Center operated by the Montana Department of Disaster and Emergency Services (DES) in Helena. Within the Center, state public information officials field media and community partner inquiries and provide current updates from across state government.

When: The Center initiated operations on March 16, 2020. News media inquiries should be directed to (406) 324-4752. The Center will be staffed from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. seven days a week.

Why: To establish a single, reliable point of contact for Montana media and community partners on COVID-19 news and information.

Email inquiries: Covid19info@mt.gov

On the Web: Covid19.mt.gov

Social Media: On Twitter: @MontanaDES; Facebook: Facebook.com/MontanaDES; Instagram: @MontanaDES406

By Phone: (888) 333-0461