Wednesday, April 30, 2025
4/30/2025
Kalispel Native Connections Project - Project Name: Kalispel Native Connection Project Population To Be Served: (Demographics and clinical characteristics) The Kalispel Tribe of Indians (KTI) is located on the banks of the Pend Oreille River in rural northeastern Washington state, not far from Idaho’s western border, and the communities of Cusick and Usk. We have 484 Tribal members in total, and 214 youth, age 24 and under. Tribal members live between the reservation and the major city of Spokane, 40 miles to the south. The KTI Camas Path Behavioral Health Clinic has two locations, one on the reservation and the other in the Spokane suburb of Airway Heights. Our Native Connections Program will focus on serving the 214 Kalispel youth up to and including 24 years of age, and any other Native or non- Native youth who engage with our Kalispel NC Program. The NC Program will 1) increase BH services capacity by adding two BH staff members who will serve Kalispel youth and families. The NC staff will also 2) collaborate with the immersion school in Cusick to provide after school cultural activities for the youth, and 3) the NC Program will work closely with the Kalispel Culture Department to facilitate several youth cultural activities, such as teaching young boys about traditional fishing skills, and how at one time this was at the center of their way of life that provided for their families and community. Project Goals and Measurable Objectives: In Year 1 of the grant, the NC staff will 1) conduct a Community Needs Assessment, 2) a Community Readiness Assessment; and 3) create a Strategic Action Plan based that addresses suicide prevention, substance use prevention, and mental health disorders. Secondly, the NC staff will review and revise the KTI Camas Path BH Postvention Protocols, including responding to suicide, suicide attempts, suicide clusters, and substance misuse and overdose. The protocols will reflect the traditions and culture of the Kalispel people. Finally, the NC Program staff will provide traditional and cultural activities to assist and encourage the Kalispel youth to make the choice to live a life of wellness. This outreach will be provided through the Immersion School in Cusick and in partnership with the KTI Culture Department to show and teach the youth what it was like to be raised Kalispel prior to colonization, and how their ancestors lived abundantly using fishing skills, living off the land, making their own clothes and catching their own food. The NC Program will teach the KTI youth the strengths and coping skills of their own culture, and how they can use these skills in today’s world to live a healthy and meaningful life. Number of people to be served annually: 75 Number of people to be served through the lifetime of project (5 years): 400 Summary of Project (5 lines or less): The Kalispel Tribe’s Native Connections Program will serve the 214 Kalispel youth and other non-Kalispel youth, up to age 24, providing behavioral health services for the youth and their families. In addition, we will provide activities aimed at teaching them how it was to be raised Kalispel before colonization, so they can learn skills and coping skills used by our people long ago which helped them live healthy, so our youth can apply those same skills in today’s world.
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).