U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Tribal Behavioral Health Grant – Native Connections

The Tribal Behavioral Health Grant (Native Connections) seeks to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance abuse, reduce the impact of trauma, and promote mental health among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) young people up to and including age 24. Native Connections is intended to reduce the impact of mental and substance use disorders, foster culturally responsive models that reduce and respond to the impact of trauma, and allow AI/AN communities to facilitate collaboration among agencies to support youth as they transition into adulthood. Required activities include to:

• Conduct a Community System Analysis, a Community Needs Assessment, a Community Readiness Assessment, and create a Community Resource/Asset Map that addresses suicide prevention, substance use prevention, and mental health disorders.
• Develop policies and procedures to promote coordination among youth-serving agencies.
• Develop and/or revise protocols to ensure that youth at risk for suicide, including those who attempt suicide and use substances, receive follow-up services to ease their transition into treatment.
• Develop and/or revise “postvention” protocols for responding to suicides, suicide attempts, and suicide clusters to promote community healing and reduce the possibility of contagion (i.e., suicides following and connected to an initial suicide). The protocols should reflect the traditions and culture of the tribe, tribal organization, or consortia of tribes or tribal organizations, or that are incorporated into urban Indian programs.
• Develop and implement an action plan that addresses one, two, or three tiers of prevention and intervention strategies.
• Ensure that community members are involved in guiding all grant activities, including planning, plan implementation, and evaluation. For the duration of the grant, applicants must solicit the input of an existing (or create a) youth advisory council for guidance, feedback, and review of the applicant’s efforts.

Tiers of prevention and intervention strategies are:

1. Universal prevention strategies, which focus on reducing risk and increasing resilience for youth through the age of 24
2. Selective prevention and intervention strategies, which focus on delivering selective prevention and intervention strategies to youth through the age of 24 who may have greater needs than the general population (e.g., the risk of suicide and/or substance use is much higher than average)
3. Indicated prevention and intervention strategies focus on implementing interventions to youth through the age of 24 whose needs have not been adequately addressed by the previous two tiers of service delivery (e.g., youth who are at high risk for suicide and/or substance use, youth who have already attempted suicide, and youth who may be using or misusing substances)

Grants are intended to fund service or practices that have a demonstrated evidence base and that are appropriate for AI/AN populations. An evidence-based practice (EBP) refers to approaches to prevention or treatment that are validated by some form of documented research evidence. Both researchers and practitioners recognize that EBPs are essential to improving the effectiveness of treatment and prevention services in the behavioral health field. It is recognized that EBPs have not been developed for all populations and/or service settings. However, in addition to traditional practices, applicants are expected to identify and use EBPs for the types of problems or disorders addressed in the application to the extent practicable. Grant application reviewers will closely examine proposed interventions for evidence base and appropriateness.

Amount: A total of $12,797,090 is available to make up to 51 awards of up to $250,000 each, per year. The project period is for up to five years.

Eligibility: American Indian/Alaska Native tribes; tribal organizations; urban Indian organizations; and consortia of tribes or tribal organizations.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=310140

This post was filed under: