Lightkeepers: Building a Tribal Crisis Continuum - Project Name: Lightkeepers: Building a Tribal Crisis Continuum Lightkeepers: Building a Tribal Crisis Continuum is Tlingit & Haida's integrated approach to strengthening community-based suicide prevention, culturally responsive 988 partnerships, behavioral health treatment, crisis follow-up, and postvention services for Tribal citizens throughout Southeast Alaska and Washington State. Building upon the Tribe's successful Community & Behavioral Services (CBS) Healing Center and previous SAMHSA 988 Tribal Response funding, this project will expand Tribal behavioral health capacity, strengthen connections to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and increase access to culturally grounded prevention, crisis response, treatment, recovery, and healing services for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The project will serve Tribal citizens and other American Indian and Alaska Native individuals throughout Southeast Alaska and the Puget Sound region of Washington State, where 8,000 tribal citizens live. Southeast Alaska includes more than 25 communities across approximately 35,000 square miles, many accessible only by air or ferry and facing significant behavioral health workforce shortages and barriers to care. The population of focus includes Alaska Native and American Indian youth and adults experiencing suicide risk, mental health and substance use challenges, historical and intergenerational trauma, and barriers to culturally responsive care. Through expansion of the CBS Healing Center into Washington State, the project will provide outpatient behavioral health services, crisis intervention, suicide risk assessment, care coordination, and follow-up services for Tribal citizens across the lifespan. Capacity-building strategies include strengthening partnerships with Alaska and Washington 988 providers; implementing standardized referral pathways and warm handoff protocols; expanding the Lightkeepers suicide prevention initiative; increasing culturally responsive behavioral health services through the CBS Healing Center; expanding the When Cedar Touches Water postvention model; developing a Tribal 988 communication strategy; strengthening workforce development; and implementing continuous quality improvement and evaluation activities. Project goals are to: (1) strengthen an integrated Tribal crisis continuum connecting prevention, 988, behavioral health treatment, and postvention; (2) expand community capacity for suicide prevention through the Lightkeepers initiative; (3) increase access to culturally responsive behavioral health services by expanding the CBS Healing Center into Washington State; and (4) strengthen postvention services, evaluation, and long-term sustainability. Key measurable objectives include establishing formal partnerships with Washington 988 providers; strengthening referral coordination and follow-up between Tribal behavioral health services and 988; expanding behavioral health staffing and services; increasing awareness and utilization of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline; participating in SAMHSA's cross-site evaluation; and using performance data to continuously improve program implementation and outcomes.
