Tribal Summits
OTAP convenes Tribal Summits to share best practices and experiences related to expanding programs and opportunities within American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities.
Past Summits
From August 6-7, 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy (OTAP) and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) hosted the Indigenous Prevention Summit in St. Louis, Missouri. The gathering brought together just under 100 individuals working in prevention programming for American Indian, Alaska Native (AI/AN), Pacific Islanders, and Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian, in Western terms) communities.
The purpose of the Summit was to share best practices and experiences related to expanding Indigenous prevention programs and opportunities. The goal of the Summit was to provide all attendees with valuable insight and information that can help improve prevention-related outcomes. This included strategies that provide evidence of successful service to Indigenous communities, identification of emerging and innovative areas that require focus to guide prevention work and increasing shared knowledge about effective prevention in Indigenous communities nationwide. SAMHSA supports prevention work as part of an inclusive continuum of care, from harm reduction to recovery support, across the lifespan. This Summit was a continuation of SAMHSA’s ongoing summit series, welcoming prevention experts and newcomers to build the future of prevention together.
Report on the Indigenous Prevention Summit 2024 (PDF | 1.3 MB)
On August 15 - 16, 2023, SAMHSA's Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy (OTAP) and Office of Recovery (OR) convened a Tribal Recovery Summit to share best practices and experiences related to expanding recovery related programs and opportunities within American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. The Summit's goal was to provide attendees with valuable insight and information that help improve recovery related outcomes. This includes opportunities to discuss strategies that provide evidence of successful service to the community, identifying emerging and innovative areas that require focus to guide the further progress, and increasing shared knowledge about approaches that may transform the future of recovery in AIAN communities nationwide. Over 200 people attended either in person or virtually.
On October 26, 2022, the Region 7 Tribal Behavioral Health Summit brought together Tribes, Urban Indian Health Programs, and Tribal-serving organizations from across Region 7 to discuss behavioral health issues among Native communities.
Related Resources
Summit Recordings
- Cultural Values (21 seconds)
- Finding Recovery and Purpose During Incarceration (1 minute, 26 seconds)
- Hard Reduction and Indigenous Values (17 seconds)
- A Homecoming Miracle (1 minute)
- Opposite of Addiction is Connection (45 seconds)
- Recovery Pathways, Meet People Where They Are (3 minutes, 25 seconds)
- Recovery Inside.... Social Connections (3 minutes, 20 seconds)
- True Connection to Culture (1 minute, 18 seconds)
- Values – It is heart work (1 minute, 16 seconds)