Indian Health Service Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention Program: Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention

For programmatic or technical questions:
Audrey Solimon
301.590.5421
Audrey.Solimon@ihs.gov

For grants management or budget questions:
Donald Gooding
301.443.2298
Donald.Gooding@ihs.gov

For systems questions:
Paul Gettys
301.443.2114
Paul.Gettys@ihs.gov

The Indian Health Service will provide funding for tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations to reduce the prevalence of suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations.

Required activities include:

• Foster coalitions and networks to improve care coordination
  • Educate and train providers on model practices for suicide screening
  • Educate and train community members to recognize and respond to the warning signs of suicide and prevent and intervene in suicides and suicide ideations
  • Increase community awareness of local behavioral health services
  • Develop community response teams
  • Develop community suicide response plans
  • Establish local health system policies and protocols to integrate suicide prevention and intervention services in schools, courts, corrections/detention systems, and law enforcement agencies
• Expand available behavioral healthcare treatment services
  • Develop a strategic plan to address the health system organizational needs for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention services including the use, or expansion, of telehealth and similar technologies
  • Integrate behavioral health into the primary care setting for suicide care and screening to include the use or expansion of telehealth and similar technologies
  • Provide evidence-based suicide care for clients at risk for suicide
  • Provide access to culturally appropriate treatment services and resources
  • Implement a trauma-informed approach and trauma-informed care treatment and services
• Improve the referral process
  • Increase the capacity of community members and service providers to make appropriate referrals to behavioral health services and support systems related to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention
  • Refer to cultural services and/or culturally appropriate suicide prevention, intervention, or postvention services, including natural support systems
• Expand on activities for the Gen-I Initiative by implementing culturally appropriate evidence-based and practice-based approaches to build resiliency, resistance, hardiness, empathy, promote positive development, and increase self-sufficiency behaviors among native youth
  • Implement evidence-based and practice-based interventions in suicide prevention for native youth in the community
  • Provide support services to native youth and their families impacted by suicide
  • Promote positive development and increase self-sufficiency of native youth by providing culturally appropriate suicide prevention activities through use of traditional practices
  • Promote family and community engagement in the planning and implementation of native youth suicide prevention activities
  • Provide school-based awareness/education about suicide prevention, intervention, postvention, and aftercare
  • Support the development of native youth peer-to-peer support and education programs
  • Promote/support the development of a Tribal Youth Council to provide guidance/feedback on community suicide prevention planning and strategic planning
• Develop a formal plan/process to ensure the sustainability of the project activities beyond the grant life-cycle
  • Develop a strategic plan to address long-term suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention needs of the community
  • Assess community and workforce needs and assets via a community and organization needs assessment and community resource asset mapping

Eligible applicants include:

• Federally recognized tribes
• Tribal organizations
• Urban Indian organizations

Anticipated award range: $300,000 - $400,000 per year
Project period: 5 years
Estimated number of awards: 35
Estimated total program funding: $14,000,000

Links to the full announcement, application instructions, and the online application process are available through grants.gov.