Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
The Sayakturuk System of Care was developed over three years by 12 Inupiat tribes to promote the social, behavioral, cultural, and emotional wellness of Alaska Native children, youth, and families. Sayakturuk improves outcomes for children and youth navigating serious emotional disturbance (SED) through an integrated system that connects community organizations, family caregivers, cultural knowledge, and world-class care teams to bring expanded services to trusted, highly-utilized points of care. The name Sayakturuk was chosen by our Elders' Council to mean strength and resilience: the qualities we see and seek to grow in our region's children, youth, and families. Sayakturuk will serve 12 Inupiat villages across 38,000 square miles of the Alaskan arctic with a total population of 8,391. Our region is 83% Alaska Native, and half of the population is under the age of 25. We face a range of behavioral health and health care disparities in our rural and remote service area. Youth suicide rates are among the nation's highest at 182 per 100,000, with fewer than 8% of decedents having accessed behavioral health care over their life course before a first attempt. Of approximately 3,800 beneficiaries under the age of 22, over 500 experience SED with significant functional impairment annually. Adverse childhood experiences disproportionately impact our children and increase lifetime risk for SED, while only a minority of those affected receive any form of social care. This crisis has called our region to action to implement a comprehensive, culturally-safe, and effective System of Care. Sayakturuk addresses our region's priorities in alignment with the Tribal Behavioral Health Agenda by: 1) improving behavioral health;lth care access, continuity, and cultural safety through primary care integration; 2) increasing the capacity of first-contact caregivers to identify, address, and refer for SED; 3) delivering wraparound care through the Sayakturuk Social Care Partnership; and 4) fostering health child development through community-based supports for new families. Annually, Sayakturuk will result in an additional 750 children and youth (C/Y) screened for behavioral health and social needs, 300 C/Y receiving brief behavioral interventions and/or referral to social care programs, 80 C/Y participating in community-based wraparound care through the Social Care Partnership, and 120 families receiving support through both Sayakturuk parenting workshops and behavioral health services integrated into prenatal and family care. Over the four-year project period, Sayakturuk will result in 3,000 C/Y screened, 1,200 C/Y receiving brief interventions and/or referrals, 280 C/Y participating in wraparound care, and 480 families receiving child development support. In addition, 200 health professionals across the Alaska Tribal Health System will be trained in behavioral health and social medicine through our learning collaborative with the Harvard Medical School Program in Global Primary Care and Social Change, including a cohort of 20 tribal health leaders from its affiliated hospitals. Through community engagement and accountability, strong Alaska Native leadership, high-quality clinical staff, state and national partnerships, and a robust program evaluation, we will make Sayakturuk a lasting vehicle to achieve Alaska Native behavioral health equity.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
