Grants Dashboard

Maniilaq Association's ""Wellness Leaders Intensive Support Project"" increases the capacity of village based leaders to deliver outreach, education, and activities for the prevention of suicide and youth substance abuse among the region’s primarily Alaskan Native youth. Maniilaq Association is the tribal provider of health and social services for 12 Alaska Native Villages in northwest Alaska. The project builds on evidence-based PC CARES learning circles. PC CARES (Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide ) is the result of decades-long partnership between Maniilaq Association and academic researchers (funded in part with support from NIMH). Maniilaq Association employs a tribal public health multi-tiered approach to prevention of youth suicide. This project focuses on strengthening delivery of tier 2 prevention activities in remote communities. The goal of the project is to strengthen Village Wellness Teams who then provide ongoing services in their communities. The objective is to train and support two cohorts of 5 leaders for a total of 10 village wellness leaders. We estimate activities conducted by these 10 new village based leaders will serve 150 youth per year. As is appropriate for prevention services and health campaigns, repeated interventions and impressions are key to changing beliefs and behaviors. Leaders will put on 25 events (5 leaders * 5 events) per year. An estimate of non duplicate youth served is therefore 300 over the course of the project.

Abstract for the Mescalero Prevention Program's Native Connections Proposal The Mescalero Prevention Program is applying for SAMHSA Native Connections funding to build on and continue previous prevention efforts to stop suicides on the reservation and to improve resiliency and traditional values among our youth and adults. The Mescalero reservation is in southeastern New Mexico’s Otero County. The Reservation is rural with approximately 1,200 residents living in the town of Mescalero and approximately 3,000 in the 88340-zip code area. Our overarching goal for the Native Connections program is To improve the quality of life for all our Mescalero Apache people by increasing resiliency through reinvigorating our traditional values and customs and our Apache way of life. The following measurable, SMART objectives will be implemented to help us reach this goal: Objective 1: Decrease the rate of suicide completions among Mescalero youth from 50.0 per 100,000 people to less than 10 per 100,000 people by September 30, 2029. Objective 2: Increase the involvement of Mescalero people in the traditional activities, learning sessions, and workshops by 10% by September 30, 2029. Objective 3: Decrease the percentage of Mescalero youth who drink alcohol monthly from 20.7% to less than 5.0% by September 2029. Objective 4: Decrease the rate of suicidal ideation/planning for our Mescalero Youth from 14.3% to less than 5% by implementing the Lead and Seed, evidence-based prevention program for families and youth. Activities are designed for each objective to ensure that we can accomplish these objectives with Native Connections funding. MPP has a Team of Prevention Specialists with extensive experience and capacity in implementing research-based prevention programs. Our Coordinator will be Pius LaCroix Garcia who worked on previous suicide prevention federal funding. Our Director, Ardena Orosco has led our prevention Team since 2005 and has grown the Team’s capacity and knowledge. We will include a Youth/Family case manager for intervention, referrals and post-vention interventions as needed. Also, on staff we have a Data Coordinator, an outside evaluator/epidemiologist, and a Youth Coordinator. We update our Needs Assessment and Community Readiness Assessment (Tri-Ethnic Center, University of Colorado) annually through data collected on an ongoing basis. We have a strong working relationship with the Southwest Tribal Epidemiological Center and help collect the Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS) every other year (odd years) and our Team collects the New Mexico Community Survey annually in March-May from adults. We also evaluate our workshops and traditional sessions with surveys from the participants. We will work with the Suicide Prevention Coalition that was mandated by the Tribal Council. They will take the data we collect and use it for updating the Prevention Tribal Strategic Plan as a required activity. We also will update and distribute the postvention protocols with the Youth Case Manager, the Suicide Prevention Coalition, and the Native Connections Coordinator. At all points in the Mescalero Native Connections project the Suicide Prevention Coalition will be involved in guiding the program. All activities and strategies will be designed based on the cultures, traditions, and norms of the Mescalero Tribe. Both the Prevention Suicide Coordinator and Youth Coordinator, and all MPP staff, are from the Tribe and are knowledgeable about Mescalero lifeways. The project will be evaluated by an external, independent evaluation firm that has worked with MPP for the past 20 years. All process and outcome data collected will be confidential and will be useful for program replicability.

The Native Connections project will primarily focus this award on preventing and reducing suicidal behavioral and substance misuse and promoting mental health among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) youth, up to and including 24 years of age by building a network of systems, services and partnerships that impact youth. Within the MCN tribal jurisdiction, nearly 30% of the citizens are between 10 and 24 years old. The Southern counties suffer from persistent unemployment and poverty with little access to resources. Through the Native Connections project, MCNDH will provide much-needed mental health and substance misuse prevention awareness and resources to the communities with the greatest need. Goal 1: Strengthen the capacity, effectiveness, and efficiency of suicide prevention, substance misuse prevention, and mental health services for AI/AN youth who reside within the Muscogee reservation. Goal 2: Develop and/or revise postvention protocols that reflect the traditions and culture of Muscogee Nation for 40 public schools and 20 charted Muscogee Indian community centers involving key stakeholders. Goal 3: To reduce the prevalence of suicide, suicidal behaviors, and substance misuse among the at-risk AI/AN youth population in the Muscogee reservation. Primary Outcome To prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance misuse, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote mental health among AI/AN youth up to and including age 24 by building a healthy network of systems, services, and partnerships that impact Native Youth. Proposed Number of Individuals Served Year One: 150 Year Two: 250 Year Three: 275 Year Four: 300 Year Five: 350 Total: 1,325 The target subpopulation is American Indian and Alaska Native youth aged 10-24 who are at risk for suicide or suicide behavior.

Native American Fatherhood and Families Association (NAFFA) is excited to launch its Transforming Tomorrow Youth and Young Adult Intensive Outpatient Program as a way to impactfully prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance misuse, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote mental health among American Indian youth. This new model has been developed in direct conjunction with tribal health leaders and is a seamless extension of the training programs NAFFA has offered for over 20 years, benefitting over 300 tribes nationwide. Beginning with meeting demonstrated need among the Tulalip Tribes, and Winnebago, Omaha, and Santee tribes via Indigucation, partners outlined in this grant proposal, and extending to meet demand as resources permit, NAFFA will run its Transforming Tomorrow Youth program alongside its traditional training offerings. NAFFA’s program anticipates serving 200 Native youth in its first year, and 350 youth in year 2, with expanding numbers over subsequent years. Overall, NAFFA is committed to implementing each activity with integrity, cultural humility, and a deep respect for the traditions and values of the Native American community. Major program activities include conducting a needs assessment among areas served, implementing universal prevention strategies directly with Native youth, developing and revising postvention protocols, and holding an annual youth conference to promote spiritual and cultural development and youth interconnectedness. These required activities will form the foundation for the implementation of the youth counseling program, ensuring a comprehensive and culturally responsive approach to addressing the mental health needs of Native American youth.

The overall goal of our Native Connections Program is to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance use, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote mental health among Menominee youth through the age of 24 years. In addition to the program’s overall goal, there are five objectives to help achieve our program’s overall goal. The five program objectives are listed below and are followed by a description of each objective: Objective 1: Develop and revise protocols that address youth at risk for suicide and postvention. Objective 2: Increase the number Menominee community members that are knowledgeable of and engaged in suicide prevention efforts, substance misuse prevention efforts and increase mental health awareness. Objective 3: Collaborate with agencies to receive data on suicide attempts, threats, and completions. Objective 4: Develop and implement strategies for youth to cope with adverse life events and negative emotions. and Objective 5: Develop and maintain a Mental Health Work Group that includes community members, healthcare providers, schools, elected tribal officials, law enforcement, and others working together to maintain a community-wide awareness of suicide prevention, substance misuse awareness and mental health promotion.

The proposed project, Seminole Tribe of Florida (STOF) Native Connections, will develop and implement programs to promote wellness, prevent suicidal behavior and substance use, and increase knowledge of and reduce the impact of trauma among STOF youth through age 24-years-old. These goals will be attained through training with STOF community members and staff to recognize and address suicide risk, targeted intervention programming for identified priority groups (e.g., teenagers and young adults), and providing greater knowledge of the effects of trauma to the STOF community. STOF’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Center for Behavioral Health (CBH) will work with a community advisory board to develop outreach and intervention programming to address project goals and objectives across universal, selective, and indicated prevention tiers. Universal strategies include educational campaigns regarding topics of trauma, wellness, recovery and healing, and awareness campaigns about resources available for urgent and crisis situations (CBH on-call line, 988). Selective interventions include increasing community and staff ability to recognize and address warning signs of suicide and substance misuse (safeTALK and ASIST trainings serving at least 20 community members and 75% of clinical and non-clinical staff within HHS annually) and direct service provision focusing on addressing risk and protective factors for suicide and substance misuse for identified priority groups. Indicated interventions include training clinical staff to address those at high risk for suicide and substance misuse (100% of CBH clinical staff annually) and developing community postvention protocols.

NATIVE HEALTH foster mental health promotion in a trauma-informed, indigenous resilient environment that will enable prevention and reduction of risk for suicidality and substance misuse in the urban indigenous youth. To accomplish the goal, the agency will achieve the following objectives: ? By the end of program year one, NATIVE HEALTH will develop a culturally responsive action plan that will address implementation across three tiers of prevention/intervention and trauma-informed strategies targeting indigenous youth at-risk for substance misuse and suicidality. ? By the end of the project period, NATIVE HEALTH will demonstrate an increase in youth and family strengths and resilience because of increased participation in selected culturally responsive and resiliency centered prevention/intervention strategies. ? By the end of the project period, NATIVE HEALTH will increase sustainability efforts to reduce suicide behavior and substance use disorder in Maricopa county by implementing a 5-year sustainability plan for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. The program aims to impact at least 200 youth throughout the 5 years with increased access to services.

Project Name: Hooper Bay Native Connections Population To Be Served The Native Village of Hooper Bay, an indigenous Yup'ik community in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Southwestern Alaska, is a remote coastal community on the Bering Sea, population 1,375 people. Our location is closer to Russia’s coast (277 miles) than Anchorage, Alaska (533 miles). Our remoteness is a barrier and blessing because it protects us from many outside interests and allows us to keep many traditions intact. Most of the population is Yup’ik, 83%, 8% White, and 7% Hispanic. 43% of the community, 591 people, is under 24 years, and 17.6% are between ages 10 and 24. Females make up 54% of the population, and males, 46%. 55% of households speak English, 36% speak their native language, Yup’ik, and 8% speak Spanish. As of 2021, 37% live below poverty, however 45% of Alaska Native residents are below poverty. Strategies / Interventions Hooper Bay is not exempt from the suicide epidemic plaguing AI/AN communities. Over the past 15 years, 16 youth have died by suicide, and over the past twenty, 25 youth have died. The NC Project will serve the 591 youth of Hooper Bay, 24 years of age and under. Along with completing the NC required activities, I.e., the Community Needs Assessment, Community Readiness Assessment, Tribal Strategic Action Plan and the prevention and postvention protocols for youth at risk for suicide, our Hooper Bay NC Project will also increase positive identity and improve mental health of our youth by providing youth activities, including ""Qaygiq"", or Life Lessons, with elders teaching and storytelling about traditional healthy life skills and coping skills, craft nights, game nights, ice fishing and camping trips. We will also reopen the Youth and Elder Building so it can be the central point of our NC Project, and this will also provide a safe space for other community activities to hold their events. Project Goals and Measurable Objectives We have five goals with measurable objectives, including: 1) Increase positive identity and improve mental health in the youth. This will be measured with a survey and interviews, 2) We will complete the community assessment, community readiness assessment, Tribal strategic action plan, and 3) review and revise the Standards of Care for Youth At-risk and Postvention Protocols. 4) We will build protective factors and coping skills in our youth by teaching them traditional Yup’ik knowledge and ways of living (Yuuyaraq) - with help from our elders in the community, and 5) we will provide safe and healthy youth activities for our youth. Number of people to be served annually: 300 Number of people to be served through the lifetime of project (5 years): 1,500 Summary of Project Hooper Bay, a Yup’ik community of 1,375 people in Southwestern Alaska, on the Bering Sea coast, proposes to implement a Native Connections Program using local community members. Through this program we will provide safe and healthy activities for our youth, including Yup’ik “Qaygiq” (Life Lessons) taught by our elders to increase coping skills and prepare our youth to live a healthy and successful life, free from substance use and mental health disorders.

The Culture, Connection, & Healing for Urban Indigenous Families project will serve American Indian (AI) youth ages 9 - 24 and their parents/caregivers. Proposed interventions will address substance misuse and suicide among AI families in Maricopa County and increase resiliency factors through evidence-based curriculum, coalition work, and community-based prevention education. It is estimated that the project will provide direct services to 1,675 youth, parents/caregivers and AI service providers over the project lifetime. Programs to be implemented are the Living in 2 Worlds (L2W), Parenting in 2 Worlds (P2W) curriculum, Gathering of Native Americans (GONA) workshops, historical intergenerational trauma workshops, safeTALK, ASIST, QPR, and community-based coalition activities. Abbreviated goals and objectives of the project are: Goal 1: Increase resiliency in urban AI youth and families. Objective 1.1: By the end of each year, 15 urban AI middle-school youth in the Phoenix area will increase by 3% their use of the R.E.A.L drug resistance strategies to resist drugs taught in the evidence-informed L2W as measured by baseline pre- and post-survey data for each of the 5 years. Objective 1.2: By the end of each year, 60 AI youth/young adults between 9-24 in the Phoenix area will report increased positive development through participation in culturally appropriate workshops, such as storytelling, ribbon skirt making, and drumming, as measured by participant counts, satisfaction surveys and a retrospective survey for each of the 5 years. Objective 1.3: By the end of each calendar year, for the target group of urban AI youth ages 9 - 24 in the Phoenix area, increase the number of youth/young adults trained in evidence-based suicide and substance abuse prevention programming eg. GONA, QPR, ASIST and safeTALK by 200 participants each year. Goal 2: Improve family functioning and communication strategies among parents/caregivers, siblings, and urban AI youth. Objective 2.1: By the end of each year, for the target group of urban AI families, increase cultural skills as a protective factor as measured by at least 60% of adult participants attending 80% of P2W workshop. Objective 2.2: By the end of each year, for the target group of 30 urban AI families, increase by 5% the communication skills and number of drug prevention resistance strategies taught to their children (as taught in P2W) to improve family functioning and communication as measured by pre-survey data collected the beginning of year 1 compared to post-survey data at the end of each of the 5 years. Goal 3: Increase the capacity of local AI-serving organizations to respond to high-risk behaviors among AI youth that may contribute to AI youth suicide and substance use disorder risk. Objective 3.1: By the end of year 1, AI youth and family-serving organizations will meet quarterly to develop standards, policies and procedures for youth at-risk of suicide and substance use disorder; AI youth-serving organizations will meet biannually in each subsequent grant year to review and revise policies and procedures as needed. Objective 3.2: By the end of year 1, AI-serving organizations will develop an action plan that focuses on selective prevention and intervention strategies based on the results of the Community Systems Analysis, Needs Assessment and Readiness Assessment; implementation of the Action Plan will continue through each remaining year of the grant. Objective 3.3: By the end of each year, 30 AI-serving and youth-serving providers will increase 5% their knowledge on historical/generational trauma affecting AIs in Maricopa County as evidenced by retrospective reflection survey. Objective 3.4: Each calendar year, hold the Suicide Prevention Convening annually to increase communication across service-provider agencies through the continuation of the suicide convening of youth, parents and health professionals as measured by satisfaction forms and participation counts.

Northeast Oklahoma Connection Group, Inc. (NEOKCG) located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, is a 501c3, Native American women minority-owned organization established in December 2021 to help communities in need. The name of this project is ""Build Paths"" because this is what we would like to do. Building means “construct or make stronger or more intense” and Paths mean “the course of direction in which a person or thing is moving”. Our Native American culture is to honor our elders they have laid down the paths for the next generation. The mission is to connect individuals and organizations to build strong, happy, healthy, and safe communities. Although members of the organization are primarily Native American, activities and programs are designed to assist the community at large. Board members/program staff have the education as well as over 40 years of experience in health promotion and disease prevention programs addressing Substance Use Prevention, Suicide prevention, and Suicide Misuse Prevention across Northeast Oklahoma. Individual board members have previously successfully managed federal grants through the CDC, SAMHSA, and State and Tribal grants. NEOKCG members have a long history of working in public health and behavioral health with local partners within the rural NE Oklahoma reservation. This project will address the needs of residents of three of the highest-need counties in the tribal reservation.

Within our community of Togiak, we envision a resilient, substance misuse-free community that is knowledgeable and supportive of the behavioral health needs of its members-especially youth-to promote the growth of healthy, culturally-rooted generations. We believe it is vital to take a trauma-informed approach using the key principles of empowerment, voice, and choice as our people should retain autonomy within—and ownership of—their path to healing from trauma and preventing future substance misuse and suicide. Our project, ""Togiak Youth Cayaillkutaq"", will primarily support Alaska Native youth ages 5-24 who attend the Togiak School. Our proposed objectives are rooted in community and culture. We believe it is the role of all members of the community to guide our youth to develop resilience and problem-solving skills to help them navigate adversity they may face in their lifetime and cope in healthy ways. We are approaching program development with a trauma-informed lens to develop a behavioral health system rooted in self-determination and empowerment. It is vital for Togiak as a community to have control over its well-being, empowering our people—particularly our youth—to share this responsibility of reducing substance misuse and preventing suicidal behaviors. We will utilize a public health approach rooted in cultural competence to implement our activities. Through our activities, we will grow our own staff to develop a community behavioral health system that is culturally grounded, community-led, and therefore more sustainable using SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) centered around the social-ecological model to develop our program and implement our activities. We believe prevention needs a holistic approach to addressing risk and protective factors. We anticipate serving 200 (primarily Alaska Native) youth ages 5-24 and an additional 100 adult community members (parents/guardians, school staff, Elders, leadership, and key stakeholders) annually. Over the lifetime of the project, we hope to reach at least 75% (600 unique people) of the population in Togiak as we engage the community in our activities to support our youth and teach them about community and resilience. Our three main goals are to: 1) Implement culturally based interventions to address trauma in the community, increase community resilience, and ultimately create a sustainable community-based behavioral health system; 2) Prevent and reduce suicidal behavior in AN/AI youth by increasing access to culturally appropriate, traditionally grounded behavioral health services in the Togiak School for ages 5 to 24; and 3) Decrease youth substance use in Togiak by implementing culturally based, trauma-informed interventions to address the behaviors that may lead to their use.

Applicant Name: Reno Sparks Indian Colony Purpose Area: Tribal Behavioral Health Native Connections Grant Program The Reno Sparks Indian Colony is a federally recognized Tribe located in Washoe County, Nevada. The Behavioral Health Native Connections Program, a division of the Reno-Sparks Tribal Health Center, works to address suicides, substance misuse and mental health disorders among Native American youth as follows: The program provides comprehensive strategic planning services and referral coordination for targeted at-risk youth 24 years and younger, to begin the healing path to wellness. With this funding, the Native Connections program will hire a coordinator and contract evaluator to conduct a community needs assessment and community readiness assessment, and coordinate Tribal and other local community agencies to maximize resources available for at-risk native youth. Culturally appropriate assistance includes outreach, case management, advocacy, prevention, crisis intervention and postvention relating to suicides and substance misuse. A Gathering of Native Americans (GONA) targeting native youth will be sponsored. A Youth Advisory Group comprised of community tribal youth provides input and guidance on policies, protocols and community outreach feedback. Collaborative partnerships with local city, county and state health agencies, Tribal justice systems, Tribal departments are strengthened and relationships with outside local agencies will be maintained. Improved data collection is addressed through data sharing agreement with the Nevada Department of Health and Human Service Office of Analytics. The Reno Sparks Indian Colony has partnered with the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona Epidemiology Center, Join Together Northern Nevada and the United National Indian Tribal Youth local chapter to implement this project. The timing for performance of this award is 5 years at $250,000 per year.

ABSTRACT Turtle Mountain Native Connections Project The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, through the Turtle Mountain Outreach (TMO) program, proposes to utilize community adult, youth, and mental health professional advisory teams to plan and implement prevention and intervention measures to decrease significantly high rates (when compared to the North Dakota general population) of substance misuse and suicide ideation, attempts, and completions. The tribal community median household income is nearly half of other North Dakotans in the same region. The tribal population under the age of 18 is nearly 35% of the total population and, and represents 3,328 TMBCI youth within this catchment area; these children and youth are the focus of this grant request. (US Census Bureau, 2022). Turtle Mountain Outreach (TMO) provides the Turtle Mountain reservation community with awareness of risks to youth suicide and substance abuse/misuse and provides resources that can mitigate and intervene in the prevention of suicide, substance use and misuse, and deterioration of mental health. The purpose of Turtle Mountain Outreach is to provide Turtle Mountain with the tools and resources to plan and design a family-driven, community-based, and culturally competent system of care to support children and youth, and families who are at risk for mental health problems or other challenges. TMO is organized into a coordinated network, builds meaningful partnerships with families and youth, and addresses their cultural needs so they can function better at home, in school, and throughout life. The current status of socioeconomic, social, and mental health continues to demonstrate the need for TMO to continue and to expand their programing to meet the needs. TMO will, conduct needs and readiness assessments to better understand what the current systems of care are active in the reservation community, to determine the relationships that exist, and analyze the gaps in these relationships and collaborate with the existing advisory teams and partners to improve the continuum of care and community awareness. TMO will provide training for community members, youth, and care providers. TMO has identified a variety of practice-based prevention and intervention trainings that will provide participants with skills to assist at risk youth and prevent possible suicide; these include: Suicide education, prevention, intervention, and intervention, Sources of Strength, Mental Health First Aid, Trauma-Informed Care, Safe Talk, ASIST, Suicide Risk Assessment, Mental Health First Aid for Adult and Youth, and QPR. TMO will create a training schedule for community adults and youth to be conducted quarterly throughout the grant award period. TMO has also recognized and identified the need to decrease wait-time for emergency care when families and youth, who experience a crisis that may result in suicide or self-harm. TMO will contract with local, indigenous Behavior Health providers to meet this need.

Project Name: Northern Cheyenne Native Connections Program Population(s) to be served: Our project will serve Native youth up to age 24 on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation directly. We will also serve the community through community events and training sessions on the Reservation. The NCT has approximately 12,340 enrolled tribal members with approximately 4,460 residing on the reservation. Of these, 2,386 (over 53%) are under the age of 24. Strategies/Interventions: Our strategies and interventions will include: 1) prevention services including community events and distribution of suicide prevention kits; 2) training of 810 gatekeepers (duplicated count) in the community in QPR, ASIST, and SafeTALK; 3) Development and implementation of a local evaluation instrument; 4) community involvement through a PAB and YAC; and 5) provide direct services to at least 25 youth and their families annually. Project Goals and Measurable Objectives: The goal of the NCT Native Connections Project is “to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance abuse, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote behavioral health and referrals among American Indian youth (ages 10-24) within the NCT service area.” To achieve this goal, we have developed the following measurable objectives: Objective 1: During the Project Period of September 30, 2024, to September 29, 2029, the NCT will conduct one (1) needs assessment; one (1) community readiness assessment; and one (1) comprehensive strategic plan all focused on addressing gaps in crisis response services and preventing and reducing suicidal behavior on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, as measured by the creation and approval of these documents. Objective 2: During the same project period, the NCT (in partnership with community organizations) will provide prevention, early intervention, and postvention services to at least 25 youth and their families per year (at least 125 over the project period), as measured by project records, referrals, participant files, and external evaluation results. Objective 3: During the same project period, the NCT will provide at least 54 training sessions (6 in year one and 12 in each of years 2 through 5) in QPR, safeTALK, ASIST, and other suicide prevention models to at least 810 gatekeepers (duplicated count) over the Project Period, as measured by flyers, sign in sheets, training records, and external evaluation results. Objective 4: During the same project period, the NCT will recruit and implement a school and community-based Project Advisory Board (PAB) composed of twelve (12) key community service providers and a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) composed of ten (10) youth up to age 24, which will meet at least monthly (starting Month 4) to assist in developing and implementing a suicide prevention and intervention plan, as measured by PAB and YAC rosters, meeting minutes, sign in sheets, events hosted, and external evaluation results. Objective 5: During the same project period, the NCT will provide at least 4 community events annually in each of the 5 districts (20 per year or 100 over the project period) and one (1) Gathering of Native Americans (GONA), as measured by agendas, sign in sheets, copies of materials presented, and external evaluation results. Number of people to be served: 25 youth and families annually and 125 throughout the lifetime of the project. Also 90 gatekeepers to be served in year one and 180 gatekeepers in years two through five for a total of 810 gatekeepers.

Summary: The Rocky Boy Health Center Native Connections Project will implement comprehensive and culturally relevant strategies (outreach, implementation of a culturally-adapted evidence-based curriculum, traditional healing practices, and coordinated referral and follow-up care) designed to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance abuse, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote mental health among American Indian youth on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. Project Name: Rocky Boy Health Center (RBHC) Native Connections Population to be served: American Indian (AI) youth through the age of 24 years who reside on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. Strategies/Interventions: Tier One: Universal Prevention Strategies: RBHC currently conducts limited, informal community outreach through local media outlets. The RBHC Native Connections Project will implement a culturally-informed comprehensive formal outreach campaign which will be focused on substance abuse prevention, increasing public awareness of suicide, and reducing stigma surrounding behavioral health disorders. Tier Two: Selective and Targeted Prevention Strategies: Tier two strategies are traditional healing practices (e.g., sweats, ceremonies, and Tribal specific practices). Tier Three: Indicated Prevention Strategies: Coordinated referral and follow-up care will be provided and guided by the protocols and procedures developed during the year one planning process. Goals and Objectives: The goal of the RBHC Native Connections Project is “to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance misuse, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote mental health among youth (ages 24 or younger) on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation.” To achieve this goal, we have developed the following measurable objectives: Objective 1: By the end of six months, RBHC will conduct one (1) Community Needs Assessment and one (1) Community Readiness Assessment focused on addressing suicide prevention, substance abuse prevention, and behavioral health disorders on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. Objective 2: By the end of the first year, RBHC will review and revise the current postvention protocols to ensure coordination of care and intervention among youth serving agencies. Objective 3: By the end of nine months, the RBHC will develop (year one) and implement (years two through five) one (1) tribal strategic action plan that will address the three (3) tiers of prevention and intervention strategies: Universal Prevention Strategies, Selective and Targeted Prevention Strategies, and Indicated Prevention Strategies. Over the course of the entire project, project staff will be working with youth the entire project period to promote mental health and reduce substance misuse. Number of people to be served: At least 125 (tier one, unduplicated count) per year; 625 (tier one) over the life of the project; 100 (tier two) per year; 500 (tier two) over the life of the project; 75 (tier three) per year; 375 (tier three) over the life of the project.

The Southern Ute Health Clinic proposes implementation of a community project entitled, “Native Connections,” a five-year project to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance use, and reduce the impact of trauma and promote mental health among American Indian/Alaska Native youth through the age of 24 years old. By highlighting culturally-based programming and events, such as Native beadwork classes, storytelling workshops, and music or dance events, we will underscore the critical role of cultural practice and solidarity as a keystone of mental health. We will capitalize on our strengths as a Health Center offering trauma-informed and evidence-based mental health approaches. We will accomplish this in collaboration and cooperation with many internal and external partners, including our Youth Advisory Council, Cultural Preservation Department, Education department, and with direction from elders and knowledge-keepers, including Tribal Council. Our primary objective is to engage youth in activities that are rewarding, fulfilling and character-building and that support positive behavioral health outcomes. While we have utilized sports, recreation and outdoor activities in the past to draw in youth, we intend to broaden the horizons of culturally based prevention measure by spearheading new projects in youth filmmaking, storytelling, and music-making as hands-on opportunities to express, connect, learn, and build community towards protective mental health factors. We anticipate that the number of youth served including youth on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation as well as Native youth in the surrounding towns of Durango and Bayfield will approach 500 youth over the period of a 5-year grant.

The Tei Nii I inn Kiin Native Connections grant program aims to strengthen youth and young adult (up to age 24) serving agencies to address childhood mental health issues, experiences of trauma, suicide risk, and the cycle of violence. This program provides a profound opportunity for Tei Niii I iin Kiin to develop an intervention system grounded in Aaniiih and Nakoda ways of knowing and being. This indigenous model can reduce the impact of suicide, mental illness, and substance abuse to benefit youth, families, and generations to come by ending these cycles

The ""Leading Our Future"" program is a comprehensive initiative aimed at preventing and reducing suicidal behavior, substance misuse, and the impact of trauma among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth on the Spokane Indian Reservation and surrounding communities. This program integrates cultural values and community strengths to address the complex needs of AI/AN youth, with a focus on promoting mental health and resilience.

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (PGST) will prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance abuse among its enrolled and affiliated Indigenous youth, ages 18-24, who face barriers to health in terms of rural location, low average income, and generational trauma. The project will focus on community assessment data-informed interventions, such as emphasizing culture in support activities, providing direction and help for risk factors like transitions between high school and college or jobs, and education around warning signs and resources. To address the determined needs, PGST will engage around 100 youth annually (as much as 150 individuals over five years) in social activities that incorporate PGST cultural practices, healthy living, life skills, and self-esteem building, as well as training on mental health and suicide prevention. Activities will connect youth to the Tribe’s history and culture, help them develop positive beliefs about themselves, and learn healthy behaviors in their relationships with others. The project will also train community members to learn how to recognize suicidal behavior, how to respond, and where to find help. Specific goals and outcomes that will be achieved include: Goal 1: By July 2025, at least 100 respondents ages 18-24 years will be surveyed to determine community needs, readiness, and existing resources. Outcome: The program will better understand the necessary strategies for outreach and programming, prevention of suicide and overdose, and treatment of mental health crises and substance abuse for the PGST community. Goal 2: By December 2025, PGST will use internal collaboration and survey data to develop and implement monthly community-based suicide prevention programs and activities engaging at least 10 young adults per event. Outcome: PGST youth ages 18-24 will have a sense of belonging and support through access to monthly activities, training, and community awareness to prevent suicide and substance abuse. Goal 3: By the end of the funding period, service eligibility policies, suicide and substance abuse prevention procedures, and community input opportunities across programs relating to youth will be reviewed and updated based on the required assessments. Outcome: Young adults will have access to an enhanced support network through PGST needs-specific updates and knowledge of current gaps in services.

Hunkpapa Development Community Suicide Prevention project will serve the Rapid city area and surrounding communities to provide a strength based outreach project to decrease suicide and substance abuse.

NATIVE CONNECTIONS PROJECT ABSTRACT Project Summary: The Tanana Chiefs Conference Native Connections Project builds the capacity of the five hub communities across much of TCC's Region - Galena, Nenana, Fort Yukon, Tok, and Huslia located in the Interior region of Alaska, to prevent suicide and substance use and promote mental health among youth and young adults ages 10-24 through extensive outreach, engagement, community involvement, and training in evidence-based strategies. Project activities will be based on comprehensive assessment and asset mapping processes in each community. Population to be Served: The Tanana Chiefs Conference Native Connections Project serves individuals ages 10-24 in TCC's most populated communities of Galena, Nenana, Fort Yukon, Tok, and Huslia. An estimated 512 individuals aged 10-24 reside in the five communities of the region which range in size from just 300 individuals in the smallest community of Huslia to 1,315 in the largest community of Tok. Rates of historical trauma and substance use among the Alaska Native population are high. The five-year (2019-2023) average prevalence rate for suicide for TCC beneficiaries in the named sub-regions was up to twice that of the State of Alaska. In individual communities, the rate was as much as 10 times that of the State of Alaska. (The 2021 State of Alaska suicide prevalence rate was 30.8 per 100,000, already more than double the national rate of 14.0 per 100,000.) The median age of these individuals was 17, highlighting the need for coordinated systems and protocols for youth transitioning into adulthood. Of these 125 individuals, only 89 were admitted for treatment. Villages are extremely isolated and small, with limited educational and economic opportunities. Strategies/Interventions: Evidence-based strategies and interventions adaptable to the cultural needs of the Alaska Native population will be selected based on community assessment and resource/asset mapping processes conducted during Year 1 of the project. Based on action plans developed, a Train-the-Trainers model will be used to train leaders in each community in evidence-based strategies, building community capacity to prevent substance use and suicide and promote mental health. Project staff will work with tribal leaders and Community Prevention Response Teams in each community to develop and implement policies and procedures to promote coordination among youth-serving agencies, ensure youth at risk for suicide receive follow-up and treatment, and provide communities with suicide postvention protocols. Project Goals and Measurable Objectives: The project goal is to increase the local infrastructure and capacity of the five communities of TCC's most populated communities across most of the TCC region to build resilience to the impacts of trauma, to promote mental health, to decrease substance use, and to reduce suicidal behavior among youth and young adults ages 10-24. Measurable objectives to support this goal are to complete a community assessment, community resource/asset map, and strategic action plan for each community that addresses suicide, impacts of trauma, substance use, and mental health among youth and young adults; 2) train at least five people in each community in culturally relevant Evidence-Based Practices shown to reduce suicidal behavior, promote mental health, and build resilience; across the 5 communities, with youth, and adults hosting Talking Circles as facilitators; 3) implement suicide postvention policies and procedures in each community and 4) establish policies, procedures and protocols in at least two communities that ensure coordination and integration of services and supports for youth and young adults at risk for suicide. The project will serve an estimated 512 individuals ages 10-24 annually, and a total of 512 individuals repeatedly over the entire five-year project period.

The Native Connections Behavioral Health Program will be implemented on the Lake Traverse Reservation, homeland to 14,799 enrolled citizens of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. Located in extreme northeast South Dakota, the Reservation shares geography and checkerboard jurisdiction with 7 counties in South and North Dakota and Minnesota. This project aims to engage the Oyate (people) in community-driven efforts to PREVENT substance misuse and suicidal behavior for 3,242 resident American Indian youth who are 24 years of age and younger and IMPROVE ACCESS to services for 500 young people at highest risk. Premature death, disability, incarceration, and other adverse consequences disproportionately affect young relatives, the future generation. Poverty, historical and intergenerational trauma (perpetuated through Adverse Childhood Experiences), short life-expectancy, severe health professional workforce shortages, and socio-economic inequities continue as root causes of the disparities that, unfortunately, persist and were exacerbated by the pandemic. The award will provide funding to employ a Project Director, Chemical Dependency Counselor/Family Case-Manager, and Data Specialist/Intake, who will lead the movement to regroup and revitalize prevention and intervention efforts. They will organize youth advisory groups and a Gathering of Native Americans during the first year, as well engage with the Behavioral Health Interagency Team, SWO Tribal Action Plan (TAP) Stakeholders Work Group, and others for an inclusive and coordinated approach through needs and readiness assessments. A Strategic Action Plan will be developed during the first year with involvement from leaders, workforce, youth, families and all sectors. The intent is to create systemic change in processes, policies, and laws to break down barriers and programmatic silos. The aim is to create a more functional and coordinated network of youth-serving programs and resources with improved capacity to reach underserved subpopulations at highest risk. Momentum and teamwork will be sustained into development of the successor TAP (2026-2030) that will integrate the SAP and maximize collective effort towards shared goals. Project goals: 1. Behavioral health care for youth ages 10-24 and their families will be accessible and grounded in Dakotah traditions and values. 2. Transparent and practical response to crisis protocols with clearly defined follow-up procedures, interagency flow charts, and process maps will be established and disseminated communitywide. 3. Youth serving programs and organizations will systematically align work and resources with each other and operate within a shared mission, vision, and goals framework to achieve collective impact and form a community of practice. 4. Tribal leadership support in reducing suicidal behavior and substance misuse among Native youth will be activated as a result of project efforts.

The Osage Nation Si-Si A-Pe-Txa (Healing Place in Osage Language) strives to provide the best preventative and treatment care within our service area. Many Osage and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth within our Osage reservation struggle with behavioral health, substance use/misuse, and suicidal ideology and associated behaviors related to trauma impacts. The Osage Nation Prevention program strives to reach youth within the Osage reservation to provide services that help protect our youth from these issues and ancillary issues related to substance use/misuse, by addressing such issues consistently and specifically structured to target multiple communities, while recognizing the unique needs of each individual community. The Osage Nation Prevention program has an impeccable reputation throughout the Osage reservation, specifically partnering with schools we serve, which affords our program the commitment, confidence and trust of the people. A highly successful model we previously implemented in Native Connections Cohorts 1 and 5 is the introduction of culturally appropriate approaches and activities in the proposed project. Through prior Native Connection funding, we were able to achieve goals for suicide prevention and substance use/misuse prevention among the AI/AN residing in the Osage reservation. We continue following the proven approach, the successful path of assisting our youth, while addressing the generational trauma and other risk factors that come with today’s health disparities facing Osage and all American Indian youth across Indian Country. If funded, the Osage Nation Si-Si A-Pe-Txa Prevention department will continue to build on previous successes in offering youth programming through Native Connections Cohorts 1 and 5, while implementing the proposed goals: Goal 1: Assess the infrastructure of local school districts in the Osage Nation service area to support the continued education, prevention and reduction of suicidal behavior and substance use/misuse among AI/AN youth. Goal 2: Strengthen the capacity of local school districts to actively support school-based activities for the prevention and reduction of suicidal behavior and substance use/misuse among AI/AN youth. Goal 3: Implement revised strategic action plan. Goal 4: Increase family participation in efforts that address youth suicide prevention and substance misuse. To support our program with fulfilling our project’s purpose of preventing and reducing suicidal behavior and substance use/misuse, reducing the impact of trauma, and promoting mental health among the American Indian and Alaska Native youth up to and including age 24 in our service area, we are requesting $250,000 per year over a five (5) year project period, for a total requested amount $1,250,000 for five (5) years.

The Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center (WYSAC) is uniquely qualified to provide training and technical assistance (T/TA) to the substance misuse prevention community in the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) Region 8 through the establishment of a Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center (Region 8 PTTC) at the University of Wyoming, in partnership with the Educational Development Center, Inc. (EDC). The target population for the PTTC at the University of Wyoming will include key state and local prevention professionals, coalition members, pre-professionals desiring to enter the field, Tribal members, and other interested parties. With a total of six related State agencies, 281 counties, and 29 Tribes, many with prevention coalitions and staff, we estimate serving at least as 2,000 unique individuals each year, with a target of 15,000 over the lifetime of the collaborative agreement. Goals for the PTTC at the University of Wyoming include the delivery of high-quality T/TA to the substance misuse prevention workforce in Region 8 and across the country, supporting and building the substance misuse prevention workforce in Region 8 and across the country through collaboration and communication with State agencies, Tribal nations, and the PTTC network, and advancing the substance misuse prevention field through subject matter expertise in data collection, needs assessment, process and outcome evaluation, data visualization, and the development of a Prevention Fellowship program. WYSAC fills a gap in the current PTTC system with special expertise in data collection, needs assessment, process and outcome evaluation, data visualization, and the use of applied prevention research to improve the quality of interventions, trainings, and other prevention services.

The New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center will provide training and technical assistance services to the substance use prevention workforce in the New England region, covering Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Training and technical assistance services will include in person trainings, live webinars, self-paced on-line courses, science-based prevention tool development, and other distance learning opportunities. NE PTTC will engage prevention scientists and prevention practitioners to develop tools to facilitate the effective delivery of science-based prevention programs in New England communities. By the end of the 5-year project (September 2029), the project will have provided training and technical assistance services to a minimum of 6,000 prevention professionals and collaborators in New England. Services provided by the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center will assist the State and funded prevention contractors, with the trainings and tools to maximize the impact of state and federal prevention dollars for all populations in the region, with a focus on underserved and under resourced communities.