IHS Awards $16.5 Million in Grants to Support Behavioral Health Programs

Indian Health Service (IHS) made awards to four behavioral health programs serving American Indians and Alaska Natives across the United States. The four programs are Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention (SASP) and Domestic Violence Prevention Program (DVPP), as well as Behavioral Health Integration Initiative (BH2I) and the Preventing Alcohol-Related Deaths (PARD), which are both new programs.

“These awards will address the critical behavioral health needs seen in our tribal clinics, hospitals and Native communities,” said Rear Adm. Michael D. Weahkee, acting director of the Indian Health Service. “IHS is committed to providing resources to facilities to provide coordinated community responses, increase access to preventive care, integrate behavioral health with primary care, provide alcohol detoxification services, and incorporate culturally appropriate practices and services to our patients.”

Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention Program

The SASP funding opportunity provides culturally appropriate prevention and early intervention strategies aimed at reducing suicide and substance use and misuse among Native youth up to age 24. Funded projects work to implement evidence-based, practice-based, and emerging practices to build resiliency, foster positive development, and promote family engagement. IHS awarded $5.6 million to 43 projects.

The following IHS facilities, tribes, tribal organizations and Urban Indian Organizations received funding:

Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, $236,407
Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc., $299,828
American Indian Health & Services, Santa Barbara, California, $200,000
American Indian Health Service of Chicago, Inc., $115,000
Anadarko Indian Health Center, Anadarko, Oklahoma, $296,157
Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Odanah, Wisconsin, $136,919
Bay Mills Indian Community, Brimley, Michigan, $100,948
Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Alaska, $141,828
Copper River Native Association, Copper Center, Alaska, $155,346
Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, Alaska, $100,000
Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Roseburg, Oregon, $27,667
Eastern Aleutian Tribes, Alaska, $299,038
Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, $50,000
Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, $100,000
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians, Peshawbestown, Michigan, $42,950
Ho-Chunk Nation, Black River Falls, Wisconsin, $125,000
Indian Health Board of Minneapolis, $51,657
Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa, Oklahoma, $107,035
Indian Health Center, Inc. Lincoln, Nebraska, $100,000
Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, $50,000
Kenaitze Indian Tribe, Kenai, Alaska, $250,000
Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, Carnegie, Oklahoma, $152,258
Kyle Health Center, Kyle, South Dakota, $144,454
Native American Community Health Center (Phoenix), $190,064
Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, Oregon, $27,666
Norton Sound Health Corporation, Nome, Alaska, $275,858
Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, $151,811
Orutsaramiut Native Council, Bethel, Alaska, $239,097
Passamaquoddy Indian Township, Maine, $25,000
Phoenix Indian Center, $197,443
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, Kingston, Washington, $132,332
Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation, Mayetta, Kansas, $300,000
Pribilof Islands Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, Alaska, $118,500
Ramah Navajo School Board, Inc., Pinehill, New Mexico, $50,000
Seattle Indian Health Board, $100,000
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, Juneau, Alaska, $50,000
Southern Indian Health Council, Inc., Alpine, California, $50,000
Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ignacio, Colorado, $50,000
Taos Pueblo Central Management System, Taos, New Mexico, $50,000
White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians, White Earth, Minnesota, $11,750
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, Winnebago, Nebraska, $90,997
Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma, Wyandotte, Oklahoma, $102,803
Yankton Sioux Tribe Boys and Girls Club, Yankton, South Dakota, $96,193

Domestic Violence Prevention Program

The DVPP funding opportunity expands outreach and increases awareness of domestic and sexual violence, provides victim advocacy, intervention, case coordination, policy development, community response teams, community and school education programs, and forensic healthcare services. IHS awarded $2.9 million to 20 projects.

The following IHS facilities, tribes, tribal organizations and Urban Indian Organizations received funding:

California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc., Sacramento, California, $144,000
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Siletz, Oregon, $125,000
Crownpoint Health Care Facility, Crownpoint, New Mexico, $200,000
Fairbanks Native Association, Fairbanks, Alaska, $200,000
Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, Inc., Rio Rancho, New Mexico, $150,000
Kawerak, Inc., Nome, Alaska, $207,341
Minneapolis American Indian Center, Minnesota, $100,000
Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska, $100,000
Nevada Urban Indians, Inc., Reno, Nevada, $100,000
Nez Perce Tribe, Lapwai, Idaho, $50,012
Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, Oregon, $83,000
Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Cedar City, Utah, $166,321
Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Pawnee, Oklahoma, $200,000
Phoenix Indian Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, $199,997
Pine Ridge Indian Hospital, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, $80,000
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Red Cliff, Wisconsin, $204,000
Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, Agency Village, South Dakota, $200,000
Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, Utah, $100,000
Utah Navajo Health System, Inc., Montezuma Creek, Utah, $194,500
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, Winnebago, Nebraska $50,000

Behavioral Health Integration Initiative

The BH2I is a new funding opportunity at IHS and will assist awardees to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate behavioral health integration with primary care. Projects will operate on a 3-year funding cycle. IHS awarded $6 million to 12 projects.

The following IHS facilities, tribes, tribal organizations and Urban Indian Organizations received funding:

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Durant, Oklahoma, $500,000
Ho-Chunk Nation, Black River Falls, Wisconsin, $500,000
Indian Health Board of Minneapolis, Inc., $500,000
Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, San Jose, California, $500,000
Kodiak Area Native Association, Kodiak, Alaska, $500,000
Muscogee Creek Nation, Okmulgee, Oklahoma, $500,000
Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Lame Deer, Montana, $500,000
Red Lake Hospital, Red Lake, Minnesota, $500,000
Rocky Boy Health Board, Box Elder, Montana, $500,000
South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc., Pierre, South Dakota, $500,000
United American Indian Involvement, Los Angeles, California, $500,000
Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, Pendleton, Oregon, $500,000

Preventing Alcohol-Related Deaths

The new Preventing Alcohol-Related Deaths (PARD) grants will increase access to social detoxification, evaluation, stabilization, fostering patient readiness for and entry into treatment for alcohol use disorders and, when appropriate, other substance use disorders. Organizations that qualified for the grant must have a fully operational and staffed social detoxification program that primarily serves Indians. Projects will operate on a 5-year funding cycle. IHS will award $2 million to two projects.

The following tribe and city received funding:

City of Gallup, Gallup, New Mexico, $1,500,000
Oglala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, $500,000

The IHS Division of Behavioral Health serves as the primary source of national advocacy, policy development, management and administration of behavioral health, alcohol and substance abuse, and family violence prevention programs.

The IHS, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. Follow the agency via social media on Facebook and Twitter .