Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
SWO Native Connections Behavioral Health Project - The Native Connections Behavioral Health Program will be implemented on the Lake Traverse Reservation, homeland to 14,799 enrolled citizens of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. Located in extreme northeast South Dakota, the Reservation shares geography and checkerboard jurisdiction with 7 counties in South and North Dakota and Minnesota. This project aims to engage the Oyate (people) in community-driven efforts to PREVENT substance misuse and suicidal behavior for 3,242 resident American Indian youth who are 24 years of age and younger and IMPROVE ACCESS to services for 500 young people at highest risk. Premature death, disability, incarceration, and other adverse consequences disproportionately affect young relatives, the future generation. Poverty, historical and intergenerational trauma (perpetuated through Adverse Childhood Experiences), short life-expectancy, severe health professional workforce shortages, and socio-economic inequities continue as root causes of the disparities that, unfortunately, persist and were exacerbated by the pandemic. The award will provide funding to employ a Project Director, Chemical Dependency Counselor/Family Case-Manager, and Data Specialist/Intake, who will lead the movement to regroup and revitalize prevention and intervention efforts. They will organize youth advisory groups and a Gathering of Native Americans during the first year, as well engage with the Behavioral Health Interagency Team, SWO Tribal Action Plan (TAP) Stakeholders Work Group, and others for an inclusive and coordinated approach through needs and readiness assessments. A Strategic Action Plan will be developed during the first year with involvement from leaders, workforce, youth, families and all sectors. The intent is to create systemic change in processes, policies, and laws to break down barriers and programmatic silos. The aim is to create a more functional and coordinated network of youth-serving programs and resources with improved capacity to reach underserved subpopulations at highest risk. Momentum and teamwork will be sustained into development of the successor TAP (2026-2030) that will integrate the SAP and maximize collective effort towards shared goals. Project goals: 1. Behavioral health care for youth ages 10-24 and their families will be accessible and grounded in Dakotah traditions and values. 2. Transparent and practical response to crisis protocols with clearly defined follow-up procedures, interagency flow charts, and process maps will be established and disseminated communitywide. 3. Youth serving programs and organizations will systematically align work and resources with each other and operate within a shared mission, vision, and goals framework to achieve collective impact and form a community of practice. 4. Tribal leadership support in reducing suicidal behavior and substance misuse among Native youth will be activated as a result of project efforts.
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).