Saturday, September 7, 2024
9/7/2024
Acorns to Oak Trees Restore the Village Project aims to strengthen Native children, youths, and families through a system of care and a village of support. Our target population is the 10 Tribes in Southern California, especially in San Diego County, with thousands of children and youths who face challenges in getting detection, support, and referrals for mental health care. We specifically target tribal children and youths with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD). At 19%, AI/AN had the highest rates of students receiving special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) compared to the average rate of 15% of the U.S. population. Native American and Alaska Native groups experience higher economic, social, and health disparities, including higher rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), relative to other racial and ethnic populations. The current social and educational systems disproportionately impact children of color, especially AI/AN children, who are more likely to come from low-income and low-education households. Teachers, administrators, and decision-makers often do not have the same cultural backgrounds as those of AI/AN children and families, creating a barrier to understanding their unmet needs and finding solutions to address those unmet needs. There is a pressing need to assess the prevalence of behavioral concerns and I/DD, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy (CP), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, and sequelae of fetal alcohol syndrome in tribal communities and provide appropriate referrals for care. Oftentimes, culturally competent services are not available to tribal children and their families, and if services are available, it is challenging to access them. Our overarching goal is to design a system of care that is an interconnected and collaborated network of families, communities, schools, healthcare services, social services, and tribal supports, with the child or youth at the center of this system to address the comprehensive needs of children and youth with mental health conditions and their families. Our goals start with understanding the needs and strengths of the community to increase awareness of mental and behavioral issues that tribal children and youths face. We will conduct a community needs and readiness assessment (CNRA) and report the results of the CNRA. Our second goal is to build capacity building and technical assistance to increase mental health outcomes through a system of care that is community-based and culturally competent. Goal 3 will focus on sustainability and long-term partnerships to create an environment where people are not stigmatized for seeking behavioral healthcare, to change the system to recognize the cultural and linguistic needs of a population and to change policies to provide funding or support to underserved populations. The success of our program will help not only I/DD members in the eight tribal communities in San Diego County but also help set up a model for other tribal communities.
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).
