Prince of Wales Island SPIRIT Program: Suicide Prevention and Indigenous Resilience In Tradition - The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) will implement the Prince of Wales Island SPIRIT Program (Suicide Prevention and Indigenous Resilience In Tradition), a culturally grounded initiative for American Indian and Alaska Native youth and young adults through age 24 in Craig, Klawock, Hydaburg, Kasaan, and surrounding Prince of Wales Island communities in Southeast Alaska. The project will address transportation barriers, behavioral health workforce shortages, limited specialty mental health services, and risks associated with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, substance use disorders, adverse childhood experiences, and suicide loss. SEARHC will establish a Tribal Behavioral Health Suicide Prevention Workgroup, complete a Community Needs and Readiness Assessment, and develop a Tribal Strategic Action Plan. Activities will include community education, wellness events, youth-led messaging, suicide prevention outreach and training, standardized suicide risk assessment, collaborative safety planning, care coordination, referrals, and follow-up support. Indigenous knowledge, traditional healing, storytelling, subsistence activities, cultural gatherings, and youth culture camps will strengthen cultural identity, connectedness, resilience, and mental wellness. Community-informed postvention protocols will support healing after suicide attempts and deaths while strengthening sustainable prevention, intervention, and postvention systems.
