Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

Major Agencies Working with Tribal Populations

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
BIA is responsible for the administration and management of 55 million surface acres and 57 million acres of subsurface minerals estates held in trust by the United States for American Indian, Indian tribes, and Alaska Natives. Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) provides education services to approximately 42,000 Indian students.
http://www.bia.gov/

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)
BIE is tasked with providing quality education opportunities from early childhood through life in accordance with the tribes' needs for cultural and economic well being in keeping with the wide diversity of Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages as distinct cultural and governmental entities. The Bureau considers the whole person—spiritual, mental, physical and cultural aspects.
http://www.bie.edu

Index of Native American Health Resources on the Internet
The Native American Health Index is an extensive listing of Internet resources, including general healthcare websites, information useful to teachers, websites dealing with specific Indian health issues, Indian health boards and centers, and additional healthcare related organizations.
http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/indices/NAhealth.html

Indian Health Service (IHS)
IHS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing Federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The IHS is the principal Federal healthcare provider and health advocate for Indian people and its goal is to raise their health status to the highest possible level. The IHS provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 564 federally recognized tribes in 35 states.
http://www.ihs.gov

National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
NCAI is positioned to monitor Federal policy and coordinated efforts to inform Federal decisions that affect tribal government interests. NCAI serves to secure the rights and benefits to which tribal populations are entitled, to enlighten the public toward the better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve rights under Indian treaties or agreements with the United States, and to promote the common welfare of the American Indians and Alaska Natives.
http://www.ncai.org

National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH)
The NCUIH supports and develops quality, accessible healthcare programs for all American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban communities.
http://www.ncuih.org

Native American Health Center
The Native American Health Center helps tribes and American Indian and Alaska Native communities identify their social health needs and helps connect them to resources addressing those needs.
http://www.nativehealth.org/

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Cultural Information

Indian Country Child Trauma Center (ICCTC)
ICCTC was established to develop trauma-related treatment protocols, outreach materials, and service delivery guidelines for American Indian and Alaska Native children and their families.
http://www.icctc.org

The Provider’s Guide to Quality & Culture
This website is designed to assist with providing high-quality, culturally competent services to multi-ethic populations. The Native American section explores issues of concern to providers working with the diverse populations that embody the term American Indian and Alaska Native. It is designed to broaden provider understanding of culture and health within Native American populations.
http://erc.msh.org/mainpage.cfm?file=5.4.7.htm&module=provider&language=English

Teaching and Learning with Native Americans
This website was developed to assist non-Native professionals working with tribal populations to better assist with cultural competence and the intricacies of working with American Indians.
http://literacynet.org/lp/namericans/contents.html

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Suicide Prevention and Response Information

Honouring Life Network
The Honouring Life Network website offers culturally relevant information and resources on suicide prevention to help Aboriginal people cope with a problem that has reached crisis proportions in Native populations in Canada.
http://www.honouringlife.ca/

Indian Health Service American Indian and Alaska Native Suicide Prevention
The purpose of the Indian Health Service’s (IHS) Community Suicide Prevention website is to provide American Indian and Alaska Native communities with culturally appropriate information about best and promising practices, training opportunities, and other relevant information regarding suicide prevention and intervention. The goal of the site is to provide Native communities with the tools and information to create, or adapt to, their own suicide prevention programs.
http://www.ihs.gov/nonmedicalprograms/nspn/

Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) American Indian/Alaska Native Suicide Prevention
In the spirit of honoring Native thought, this section of the SPRC website is designed to help visitors reflect and learn more about the concern, identify existing resources, and use the knowledge and understanding of the communities' readiness to work toward a common vision for wellness.
http://www2.sprc.org/aian/index

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Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Intervention

American Indian Institute
The American Indian Institute brings together specialists from North American Indian tribes and bands representing such diverse areas as education, human services, sociology, psychology, history, economics, research, and evaluation to provide leadership and strategies related to complex social and human problems and challenges including substance abuse.
http://aii.ou.edu/resource-center/resource-library/

Gathering of Native Americans (GONA)
The GONA is based on several ideas: community healing is necessary for substance abuse prevention; healthy traditions in the Native American community are key to effective prevention; the holistic approach to wellness is a traditional part of Native American belief systems; and the GONA is a safe place for communities to share, heal, and plan for action. It provides Native communities with a framework to examine historical trauma and its impact on substance abuse issues, emphasizes skills transfer and community empowerment, and presents a prevention framework based on values inherent in traditional Native cultures.
http://nace.samhsa.gov/WebImages/file/TTA%20Slides/CADCA%20GONA%20PPT%20NACE%20FEB%2010%20Final.pdf [PDF - 1.03 Mb]

Native American Indian General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous
The Native American Indian General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous provides a vision of recovery, unity, and service to the more than 500 sovereign Indian Nations in North America, which are recognized by the Federal government.
http://www.naigso-aa.org/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—Minority Women’s Health: American Indian/Alaska Native and Alcoholism
The site educates health professionals on the patterns seen in alcoholism among Native American women. It offers information and resources for American Indian/Alaska Native women.
http://womenshealth.gov/minority/americanindian/alcoholism.cfm

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Other Useful Information

Mending the Sacred Hoop (MSH-TA)
MSH-TA is a Native American program that provides training and technical assistance to American Indian and Alaskan Native populations in the effort to eliminate violence in the lives of women and their children. The program works with villages, reservations, Rancherias, and pueblos across the United States to improve the justice system, law enforcement, and service provider response to the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking in Native communities.
http://www.msh-ta.org/

National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC)
The NNAAPC offers a variety of programs to promote education about HIV/AIDS, support prevention efforts, and help foster healthy attitudes about sexuality and sexual health in the Native community.
http://www.nnaapc.org/

Ready.gov—Indian Country
This website offers information on disaster planning and preparedness for all American Indians and Alaska Natives, taking into special considerations families that live on tribal lands located far from urban centers.
http://www.ready.gov/indian-country

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