The Southern Ute Behavioral Health Division is dedicated to improving existing 988 Crisis Centers within the tribal community in response to the nationwide crisis. Suicide is an epidemic effecting communities across Indian Country. The Tribe is utilizing federal grant funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, by way of the Behavioral Health Division to do this. Behavioral Health is also focused on strengthening their effectiveness in assisting individuals facing a crisis — regardless of age.
In December of last year, the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board (AAIHB) received a grant for $1,925,000 in support of the 988 Tribal Response Cooperative Agreements, which will be used by its consortium for the AAIHB 988 Tribal Response Project.
As stated via the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website, “This project is focused on improving response to 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline contacts, ensuring follow-up care and facilitating collaborations with tribal/state health providers, tribal organizations, law enforcement, and other first responders in a manner which respects tribal sovereignty.”
The AAIHB 988 Tribal Response Project is a collaboration of a tribally designated organization, the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, Inc., all six of its consortium tribes –Jicarilla Apache, Mescalero Apache, Ramah Navajo, To’Hajiilee Navajo, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, along with three Pueblo tribes — Santo Domingo (Kewa) Pueblo, Isleta Pueblo, and Zuni Pueblo.
This project will include eight activities at minimum, these activities include developing and implementing a tribe-specific action and sustainability plans, developing quality improvement plans for existing 988 crisis centers, adapting and disseminating 988 crisis center communication products to strengthen tribal community awareness and utilization of existing 988 crisis centers, creating or enhancing screening and referral protocols to ensure navigation and follow-up care for tribal members post contact with 988 crisis centers, training a mobilizing a cadre of peer support workers in all 9 participating tribes to provide crisis services, offering instructor training and certification in evidence-based practices for suicide prevention and crisis services, i.e., ASIST, QPR and Mental Health First Aid, and training 988 crisis center staff to enhance cultural competency and understanding of the needs and priorities of participating tribes.
Within the details of the first activity Behavioral Health completed a tribal readiness or needs assessments to identify assets and gaps in tribal crisis response as well as follow-up protocols. On Wednesday, June 14 a Community Readiness Assessment (CRA) for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe was conducted by the Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center. CRA identified the strengths, gaps, resources, protocols, and relationships that contribute to addressing mental health challenges within the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and its community.
The details and results of the Community Readiness Assessment will be made available at a later date. For more information please contact the Southern Ute Behavioral Health Division at 970-563-5700.