The Comanche Nation is a federally recognized tribe located in Comanche County, Oklahoma.
The impact of historical and intergenerational trauma has created cycles of mental health problems, addiction, poverty, and crime has led to a complete breakdown of individual and family relationships extending across generations within our tribal community. Lack of access to culturally-competent and responsive care has had a devastating impact on the mental health stability of American Indian and Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) within our community. With this funding, the Comanche Nation will collaborate with local 988 crisis centers to improve the quality of response, care, and follow-up for tribal youth, teens, and young adults experiencing mental health crises and utilizing 988/lifeline call centers. The overarching program goals are to ensure culturally-responsive services, improve access to care, and improve effective 988 response and follow-up for AI/AN youth, teen, young adults and their respective family systems. The Comanche Nation will implement a mobile crisis program to provide crisis intervention, stabilization, and management to tribal youth, teen, and young adults callers utilizing 988/lifeline systems. We will also work to identify and analyze local data sources in an effort to provide community education addressing suicide awareness, education, and prevention within the local and surrounding communities. Collaborative community partnerships with local area schools and service providers will be sought out and developed in order for the Comanche Nation to effectively engage within the community. Training for key stakeholders and community partners will be provided in an effort to identify and refer AI/AN youth, teens, and young adults who are experiencing mental health crises. Funding for Comanche Nation FY 2023 988 Tribal Response Project will provide the Comanche Nation the ability to provide mental health services and continue the healing process from the effects historical and intergenerational trauma.