Growing Healthy Ute - Ute Mountain Ute Tribe's Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Aftercare Initiative - The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (UMUT) in Colorado has long faced the devastating impact of substance abuse and suicide, particularly among youth. Mógúán Behavioral Health Services reported that in 2019 and early 2020, between 45% and 55% of adult Ute Tribal Members battled SUD, and typically 30% of those individuals sought help for their addiction. Approximately 10% of the population presents with SMI, and approximately half of these individuals seek treatment. In the Towaoc community (pop of about 1,000), there were six suicide attempts, two completed, in the last year alone. The problem intensifies alongside the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continue lockdown of the UMUT reservation. Committed to proactive efforts to build a better life, UMUT opened a new behavioral health building in late 2019, offering culturally appropriate services to confront long-held stigmas that surround substance abuse and in this isolated community. With trained clinicians and case managers on site, these Tribal services represent a major step towards addressing the hundreds of years of historical trauma, substance abuse, and domestic violence that permeate the local community. Sadly, the community continues to lose youth and adults to addiction and suicide. There is an immediate and desperate need to systemically strengthen the safety net for Tribal Members through evidence-based mental health awareness and crisis prevention training, formal policies and procedures, and increased prevention and intervention services. Substance abuse intervention and SA/suicide prevention services will reach the nearly 2,000 Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Members living on the 889.1 square miles of Tribal land. The overall goal of UMUT’s Growing Healthy Ute initiative is to leverage evidence-based strategies to increase access to comprehensive, culturally appropriate services and programming that address substance abuse and suicide prevention and intervention among youth and adults. Growing Healthy Ute will: Develop a Drug Free Communities team that meets at least quarterly; Train Peer Specialists to work alongside counselor and client; Train parents, build awareness of vaping, alcohol, prescription drug use and prevention; Update and publish the Community Resource Directory, online and in print; Establish drug prevention and awareness programming on Tribal Channel 99; Formalize a community response plan related to substance abuse prevention and treatment; Establish substance abuse prevention policies and protocols in all Tribal departments and train all Tribal departments / 600 employees; Develop a website for Mógúán promoting services / hours; Finalize contract with Four Winds and Axis to provide culturally-responsive telehealth; Hire a Child Psychologist to work on UMUT lands; Establish a lending library of devices and jet packs / hot spots to enable telehealth, offer trainings and technical support; Build a relationship with Indian Health Services to facilitate coordination; Hire a Peer Specialist that can enroll individuals in Medicaid/Medicare to remove barriers to accessing appropriate services; Engage all UMUT Mental Health and Substance Abuse staff, first responders, court staff in regular training related to delivering trauma-informed care, expanding capacity; Provide behavioral healthcare through Mógúán, Four Winds, and Axis, offering Native American therapists and implementing evidence-based strategies; Provide behavioral healthcare through new Mobile Unit that can travel to homes; Deliver culturally-aligned drug use awareness and prevention trainings each quarter, reaching at least 100 community members annually; Train 600 employees of UMUT in new policies and procedures related to substance abuse; Establish Ute Culture program for UMUT youth; Engage youth in high-interest traditional activities, integrating Ute language and Elder mentors; Design policies and procedures for face-to-face outreach and support to youth and families impacted by substance
