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October 4, 2006 - New SAMHSA policy supports tribes for discretionary grants
After implementing a new policy that American Indians and Alaska Natives will be eligible for all discretionary grants, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded $49.3 million in FY 2006 grant funding for 14 new, and one supplemental, discretionary grants to tribal organizations for prevention, treatment and recovery support services. The announcement was made by Assistant Surgeon General Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H., SAMHSA's Acting Deputy Administrator, during his October 4 presentation to the National Congress of American Indians 63rd Annual Convention in Sacramento, California.
"In keeping with SAMHSA's vision of 'A Life in the Community for Everyone,' our goal is not only to ensure that there is a place in our tribal communities for everyone, but also that those lives are full and have a good quality of life where native language, culture and traditions - including native healing approaches - can flourish," said Dr. Broderick. "SAMHSA has set an aggressive agenda that supports this policy and these grants will ensure that true progress can be made."
The $49.3 million is the total approximate amount for the grant award period which ranges from one to five years. First-year funding totals nearly $11 million. Continuation of these awards is subject to both availability of funds and progress achieved by awardees.
The funds will support culturally relevant programs to promote mental health and prevent suicide, mental illness and substance abuse--especially methamphetamine use. Those receiving grants included:
Recovery Community Services Program
* Tohono O'odham Nation, Sells -- $350,000 for the first year to implement a comprehensive peer-to-peer system to support individuals in recovery with a full range of recovery support services provided locally in the 11 districts that make up the federally recognized tribe, which has one of the highest rates of substance abuse among all populations in the United States.
State-Sponsored Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Program are:
* Tohono O'odham Nation, Sells, Arizona -- $400,000 in first-year funding to implement a public private partnership-built program to address the risk factors leading to youth suicide, including substance abuse, using evidence-based practices appropriate to the Tohono O?odham Nation.
* White Mountain Apache Tribe, in Collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, White River -- $400,000 in the first year to collaborate to expand its suicide prevention initiative by implementing an integrated three-tier suicide prevention approach using culturally adapted, piloted and evaluated evidence-based interventions that address youth suicide risk and protective factors on the individual, family and community levels. Tier one focuses on community education about suicide risk factors and prevention. Tier two addresses the needs of youth with suicide risk factors. Tier three serves youth who have attempted suicide
* Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Fort Yates, North Dakota ? $400,000 in the first year to implement Okolakiciye Unyukinipi ("Revitalizing our Societies") that will bring together tribal leaders, service providers, youth and faith community leaders to implement a comprehensive tribal youth suicide prevention and early intervention plan that will identify and increase youth referral to mental health services and programs, increase protective factors and reduce risk factors for youth suicide, and improve access to prevention and early intervention programs.
* State of South Dakota, Pierre, South Dakota-- $400,000 in the first year to implement suicide prevention and early intervention programs in high schools and universities targeting youth ages 14-24, parents, staff and community "gatekeepers," providing awareness, training and education and establishing linkages among schools, mental health centers and substance abuse treatment providers through referral and post-intervention protocols. Among the partners are Sinte Gelska University on the Rosebud Indian Reservation and Wakanyeja Pawicayapi on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
* State of Wyoming, Cheyenne, Wyoming -- $400,000 in the first year to reduce the rate of suicidality among state youth, ages 10-24, with a special emphasis on Native American youth and college students, through better statewide coordination (including the establishment of a statewide youth suicide prevention advisory council), school-based programming, community-based prevention programming, a pilot program for high-risk youth and anti-stigma/public awareness.
Child Mental Health Services Grants
* Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Tucson, Arizona -- $1 million for the first year to develop the Sewa Uusim program, a sustainable tribal system of care for children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) and their families that is culturally-based and consistent with evidence-based practices, utilizing a wraparound service methodology that incorporates community members as caregivers and family members as advisors.
Strategic Prevention Framework Incentive Grants
* Cook Inlet Tribe Council, Inc., Anchorage, Alaska -- $1,633,546 for the first year will support a tribal infrastructure development project to establish a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective substance abuse prevention services for the Anchorage tribal community.
* Native American Health Center, Inc., Oakland, California -- $1,455,143 for the first year to support the One with All program to expand the capacity of Northern California tribal organizations to provide culturally appropriate, evidence-based substance abuse prevention services for American Indians and Alaska Natives in the region. Built on the principles of the strategic prevention framework, it will include not only a needs assessment and development of a comprehensive strategic plan, but also an in-depth evaluation of the approaches utilized and their impact on the growing community.
* Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa, Peshawbestown, Michigan -- $513,831 for the first year to work in partnership with the Michigan Public Health Institute's Center for the Collaborative Research in Health Outcomes and Policy to implement, evaluate, and sustain a strategic prevention framework-focused substance abuse prevention effort among the population of the Grand Traverse Band. The program is designed to prevent the onset and reduce the progression of substance abuse, including childhood and underage drinking.
* The Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, Oklahoma -- $2,093,000 in the first year to forge a comprehensive, data-driven, community-based integrated system of prevention across the nation. This substance abuse prevention system will provide the infrastructure for delivering and sustaining effective, efficient, and culturally appropriate substance abuse prevention services to American Indian citizens who live in the area served by the tribe.
* Great Lakes Intertribal Council, Inc., Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin -- $1,104,835 for the first year to develop and implement the Great Lakes Intertribal Council Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Project to help the 11 tribes of Wisconsin build the infrastructure and capacity needed to better prevent substance abuse in their communities, with an emphasis on underage drinking.
Grants to Prevent Methamphetamine Abuse
* Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, Oklahoma -- $350,000 in first-year funding to forge a comprehensive, community-base, integrated system to prevent methamphetamine abuse for American Indian children and adolescents. The preventive intervention will be culturally appropriate, use known-effective program elements, and engage the active participation of community members in development and implementation.
* Native American Rehabilitation Association of NW, Inc., Portland., Oregon -- $350,000 in the first year to implement Raising Our Seventh Generation, a pilot program to identify innovative methodologies to prevent, reduce or delay methamphetamine abuse among young Native American children whose parents are in treatment for methamphetamine abuse, including culturally relevant program components to develop or strengthen known protective factors for young children at risk of drug use.
Treatment for Homeless Program (Supplement)
* Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. Anchorage, Alaska-- $199,808 for one year to add five residential treatment beds for homeless chronic inebriates who are Alaskan Natives or American Indians. This program will provide comprehensive, coordinated case management services.
source: http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/061004_tribal.aspx