SAMHSA Awards More Than $6 Million to Support Children’s Mental Health Systems in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities

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Date: 9/18/2008
Media Contact: SAMHSA Press Office
Telephone: 240-276-2130

SAMHSA Awards More Than $6 Million to Support Children’s Mental Health Systems in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the award of eight grants totaling more than $6 million over three years to fund infrastructure development for children’s mental health systems in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Known as the Circles of Care, the program’s purpose is to provide tribal and urban Indian communities with tools and resources to plan and design a holistic, community-based system of care to support mental health and wellness for their children, youth and families.

“These grants will increase the capacity and effectiveness of behavioral health systems serving American Indian/Alaska Native communities,” said Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H., acting administrator of SAMHSA. “As a result, Circles of Care grantees will be equipped to reduce the gap between the need for behavioral health services and the availability and coordination of services for children and families.”

The eight awards are funded up to $305,875 per year in total costs for up to three years. Just over $2.1 million is available for the first year of funding. Continuation awards are subject to the availability of funds and progress achieved by awardees.

The grant program supports the goals and mission of the Indian Health Service (IHS), another agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "We are pleased that these grants emphasize the coordination of children's mental health services with primary care,” said IHS Director Robert G. McSwain. “The Indian Health Service is proud to support its partnership with SAMHSA by providing technical assistance to the grantees in order to increase their capacity to improve mental health services for American Indian/Alaska Native children and families."

The grants announced today will be administered by SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services and will be awarded to the following organizations:

American Indian Center Circle of Care
American Indian Center of Chicago, Chicago -- $257,326 for the first year to enable the Center to develop an infrastructure for a collaborative, community-driven mental health system of care for Chicago's American Indian/Alaska Native youth at-risk for, or suffering from, serious mental illness.

Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Circles of Care
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Fort Thompson, S.D. -- $285,860 for the first year to design a holistic mental health service delivery system in which service will be provided to youth and their families in a coordinated manner.

Pueblo of San Felipe Children's Mental Health Systems of Care Development Project
San Felipe Pueblo, N.M. -- $292,440 for the first year to build on the progress already made toward improving health care programs by assessing, designing and implementing a system of care for children with serious emotional and mental health problems.

Yav pa anav (The medicine is good)
Karuk Tribe, Happy Camp, Calif. -- $116,157 for the first year to strengthen communities by increasing the access to and availability of culturally appropriate behavioral health, wellness offerings, and primary care services.

Standing Rock Circles of Care Grant
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Fort Yates, N.D. -- $305,875 for the first year to develop a project that will assist the Tribe, the communities, and the tribal members in the transformation of the mental health systems for children.

Nebraska Urban Indian Centers System of Care Program
Indian Center, Inc., Lincoln, Neb. -- $305,875 for the first year to provide the urban Indian communities with tools and resources to plan and design a holistic, community-based system of care to support mental health and wellness for youth and their families.

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
Mashantucket, Conn. -- $305,875 for the first year to collaborate with the Clifford Beers Clinic to to plan, design, and assess the feasibility of implementing a culturally appropriate mental health service model for youth and their families

American Indian Health and Family Services
Gda'shkitoomi (We are able)
Detroit, Mich. -- $270,421 for the first year to create an integrative culturally appropriate system of wellness by conducting an in-depth gap analysis of the systems of care impacting the mental health and wellness of American Indian children and their families.

For additional information about this grant and other SAMHSA programs, please visit http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/sm_08_012.aspx and www.samhsa.gov.

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health services delivery system.

Page Last Updated: 9/18/2008