Strategic Prevention Framework to Prevent the Use, Misuse, and Abuse of Substances on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation - SUMMARY: Little Wound School’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) Project will serve Native American K–12 students by implementing a school-based, recovery-oriented system of mental and behavioral health counseling that promotes substance use, misuse, and abuse prevention and early intervention. Services offered by the project include counseling, cultural mentorship, substance use interventions, and related training to students, school staff, families, and members of the community. PROJECT NAME: Little Wound School Strategic Prevention Framework Program POPULATION SERVED: Native American (Lakota) students in grades K–12 residing on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and enrolled at Little Wound School (Kyle, South Dakota). STRATEGIES & INTERVENTIONS: This project will provide mental health, behavioral health, and substance use disorder resources to children and youth who have experienced significant trauma. This includes both historical and contemporary traumas impacting the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the lowest income place in the United States. Services to address these traumas and the presenting challenge of normalized substance use will include partnership-building, screening and referral to specific resources provided by the project; development of a coordinated, long-term strategic plan for school-based staff, including teachers and administrators; provision of training to parents, families, and community members; establishment of an interorganizational advisory board to promote infrastructure coordination and development; provision of cultural mentorship opportunities for students to promote Lakota self development; and other related evidence-based, culturally-informed best practices. PROJECT GOALS & OBJECTIVES: The project’s three goals are (1) expand access to evidence-based, culturally-informed trauma support for the focus population by implementing school-based mental health and wellbeing services, (2) decrease substance use and abuse in the target population by expanding access to culturally-informed, evidence-based treatment programs for Native American youth, and (3) increase the capacity of families of the focus population and members of the community to recognize and intervene in trauma-induced substance use, misuse, and abuse. Six objectives are aligned to these goals, summarized below and goal-aligned based on its number (objective 1a aligns to goal 1): (1a) provision of counseling services to promote mental health, wellbeing, and substance use prevention, (1b) provision of universal prevention services to K–12 enrolled students, (2a) screening of potential clients for signs of substance use, misuse, and abuse, (2b) individualized counseling to individuals using, misusing, or abusing alcohol, drugs, or other substances, (3a) training for clients’ families to promote home-based, trauma-informed interventions and referral for further service, and (3b) training for K–12 school staff that promotes universal prevention strategies and wellbeing in classroom settings. NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS SERVED: This project will serve 1,310 unduplicated individuals throughout the five year project period (398 in year 1, 582 in year 2, and 110 each year in years 3, 4, and 5) including children, youth, school staff members, and members of the community. As many participants will engage with the project each year, the total number of individuals engaged at least annually, over the entire grant period, will be 4,350 (duplicated number served).
