Friday, April 26, 2024
4/26/2024
The Wichita and Affiliated Mental Health Awareness Program is sponsored by the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, a federally recognized Tribe. We will provide experienced Native mental health trainers to over 1,400 public sector employees about the signs and symptoms of severe mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbance (SED) among American Indians in three counties in southwest Oklahoma where Natives, comprise over 12% of the population and have large behavioral health disparities. The Wichita and Affiliated (WAT) have received five behavioral health grants in the past five years from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), all requiring community partner training. If funded, we will help Non-Native public-sector employees examine the unique cultural, economic and historical events that contribute to extremely high rates of Native suicide, depression and hopelessness. Our goals for this project are to provide regular, accessible, evidence based and informative mental health trainings to our public sector employees where they will learn cultural sensitivity as well as techniques of de-escalation for a person in crisis. We also expect to increase Native referrals assessments and treatments. Thirteen performance measures will be tracked. American Indians in Caddo, Comanche, and Grady counties, live in racially mixed communities and seven Tribal Nations (Apache, Fort Sill Apache, Delaware, Comanche, Caddo, Kiowa and Wichita) have their headquarters in our project area. In spite of their close proximity, Native people have higher rates of depression, anxiety and youth suicide than their Non-Native neighbors. The causes of these disparities have deep roots in our historical treatment of Natives as well as the economic and social upheavals which many Tribes have endured. Natives have been marginalized and family and tribal structures have deteriorated since contact with the dominant White culture. This is known as historical trauma and impacts individuals as well as whole groups. Its symptoms are like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Our goal is to inform and educate Non-Native public-sector employees in the specific mental needs and conditions among our Native people and about available community resources. We hope to increase cultural sensitivity among Non-Native people and provide opportunities for post training questions through monthly follow up coaching sessions. Trainings will empower organizations to refer individuals to local treatment centers where they can receive outpatient counseling or residential treatment. Our principal planning tool will be a Mental Health Awareness Training Plan that will be implemented through a Strategic Action Plan format that has worked well in other projects. We will establish training agreements with schools, first responders, health organizations, law enforcement and first responders as well as veterans groups. We have a current referral agreement with a state licensed mental health center (Jim Taliaferro Children and Family Center) where potential patients can be referred for professional assessment and the development of treatment plans. Trainees will receive important relevant handouts. Trainings will be followed by monthly coaching sessions to answer individual questions. We will train a minimum of 1,400 persons throughout the five years of the grant with 200 trained the first year and 300 per year after that.
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).
