Announcements

New Tribal Agenda Aims to Improve Behavioral Health in Native Communities: On December 6, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of the Tribal Behavioral Health Agenda (TBHA), a first-of-its-kind collaborative tribal-federal blueprint that highlights the extent to which behavioral health challenges affect Native communities, in addition to strategies and priorities to reduce these problems and improve the behavioral health of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Tribe Gets Funds to Tackle Youth Suicide: The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe's Health Services Division has been awarded more than $1,100,000 in federal grants to prevent and reduce suicidal behavior and substance abuse among Akwesasne youth. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will give $998,589 over five years to support the Native Connections Program, according to a St. Regis Mohawk Tribe press release. On top of that, the Health Services Division's Mental Health Department received a Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention Initiative Generation Indigenous award of $105,625 from DHHS's Indian Health Services Division of Behavioral Health's Office of Clinical and Preventive Services.

Our Culture and Meth Don’t Mix: Led by the Office of the Assistant Secretary as part of Generation Indigenous and in collaboration with the Office of Justice Services (OJS) of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), this initiative strives to educate students about healthy alternatives to meth use and ensure that students understand that meth is not a part of Native culture. The goal of this initiative is to provide a culturally appropriate approach for meth prevention among Native American youth through community and inter-agency involvement. The program is an interactive speaker series that will take place in BIE schools. The speakers consist of a speaker from OJS, a health professional recommended by SAMHSA, and one person from the community, chosen by the BIE school. For more information, contact Teresia.Paul@bia.gov.

IHS Opens New Youth Regional Treatment Center in California: The Indian Health Service, in consultation with the 104 Federally-Recognized Tribes of California, announced the grand opening of the Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center in Hemet, California yesterday, March 1, 2017. The new Youth Regional Treatment Center (YRTC) will provide culturally appropriate substance use disorder services to American Indian and Alaska Native youth ages 12-17.

OJJDP Releases Research-Based Guidelines for Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts: The Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) today released the research-based Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines (PDF | 1.1 MB) to support judges, professional court staff, and families in responding to the needs of youth with substance use disorders.The guidelines were developed by OJJDP in partnership with a research team, experts in the field, and other federal agencies over 18 months and synthesize research applicable to juvenile drug treatment courts. They provide juvenile courts with evidence-based, treatment-oriented recommendations that emphasize family engagement and address participating youths’ substance use and their often co-occurring mental health disorders.

HHS Annual Tribal Budget Consultation: The 19th U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Annual Tribal Budget Consultation (ATBC) will take place March 29-30, 2017, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building at 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. The consultation session (PDF | 192 KB) will provide a forum for Tribes to collectively share their views and priorities with HHS officials on national health and human services funding priorities and make recommendations for the Department's FY 2019 budget request. The consultation also will provide a venue for a two-way conversation between Tribal leaders and HHS officials on program issues and concerns that will lead to recommendations for action.

Recruiting New Fellows for the 2017 Prevention Internship Program: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) is accepting applications for the 2017 Prevention Internship Program for Tribes and Tribal Organizations. The Prevention Internship Program prepares interns to provide capacity-building technical assistance to support the integration of behavioral health prevention services within Tribal organization systems. Interns will benefit from hands-on experience and training in competency areas such as the Strategic Prevention Framework, epidemiology and evaluation, prevention in behavioral health and cultural responsiveness. If you know any individuals who may be interested in our program, please encourage them to apply.

Conferences and Events

HHS Annual Tribal Budget Consultation
Date: March 29-30, 2017
Where: Health and Human Services Headquarters: Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Washington, DC

National Indian Child Welfare Association Annual Conference
Date: April 2-5, 2017
Where: San Diego, CA
Link: http://www.nicwa.org/conference/

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Tribal Technical Advisory Group (TTAG) (Teleconference)
Date: April 12, 2017 2:30pm - 4:00pm EST
Call-In Number: 1-877-267-1577
Meeting Number: 991 559 727

The Medicare, Medicaid, and Health Reform Policy Committee (MMPC) Monthly Call
Date: April 5, 2017 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST
Call-In Number: 1-866-866-2244
Passcode: 594865#

2017 Tribal Self-Governance Annual Consultation Conference
Date: April 23-27, 2017
Where: Spokane Convention Center - Spokane, WA
Link: http://www.tribalselfgov.org/events/event/2017-tribal-self-governance-annual-consultation-conference/

National Indian Health Board Public Health Summit
Date: June 6-8, 2017
Where: Anchorage, AK
Link: http://www.cvent.com/events/8th-annual-national-tribal-public-health-summit/event-summary-534ba72c281144fe8b2a5c15613d2b92.aspx