Modoc Nation's Youth Matters Suicide Prevention Initiative - Modoc Nation will implement Modoc Youth Matters: Tribal Behavioral Health Suicide Prevention Program, a five-year initiative to strengthen culturally grounded suicide prevention for American Indian and Alaska Native youth and young adults through age 24 in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and a 50-mile radius extending into Delaware and Craig Counties, Oklahoma; Cherokee County, Kansas; and Newton and McDonald Counties, Missouri. The project will establish a youth-inclusive Project Workgroup, complete a Community Needs and Readiness Assessment, and develop and implement a Tribal Strategic Action Plan using universal, selective, and indicated prevention strategies. Activities will include outreach, 988 awareness, gatekeeper training, resiliency and life-skills programming, cultural and family activities, screening, safety planning, referral and treatment linkage, transportation and home-visit supports, and lethal-means safety counseling. Modoc cultural practices will guide activities, including postvention protocols for suicide attempts, deaths, and clusters. Annually, the project will reach at least 1,000 people through universal prevention, deliver at least 4 selective programs, serve at least 25 youth through indicated prevention, train at least 40 gatekeepers, link at least 75% of youth who screen positive to mental health treatment, and complete referrals for at least 80% of youth identified as at risk. By September 30, 2030, Modoc Nation will adopt a sustainability plan.
