Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program - The Tribal Behavioral Health Provider Training Project will provide culturally specific Behavioral Health Aide (BHA) education and training to American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) to address the behavioral health care profession shortages in the Portland Area so children whose parents and caregivers are impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD) and other substance use disorder (SUD) and their family members experience increased access to integrated, culturally relevant, interprofessional behavioral health services. Important deliverables of the project will be recruitment, retention, employment, and sustainability. We’ll recruit AI/AN students from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho Tribal communities who will complete the BHA education program at Northwest Indian College (NWIC) or Heritage University (HU) with pathways to permanent employment in Tribal behavioral health programs. Para-professional and professional behavioral health providers will increase by 10% in the first year and maintain that 10% increase in years 2 through 4. BHAs will apply for BHA certification through the Portland Area Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) Certification Board. BHA trainees and graduates will be linked with mentors who are Elders and Cultural Knowledge Keepers in their community and/or behavioral health professionals who practice through the lens of decolonization and in the right relationships, acknowledging the importance of Indigenous Trauma Care with screening and assessment as a Sacred Trust. Data will be collected to measure contributions to student recruitment, retention, employment, certification, and program sustainability. Other data will examine baseline figures related to overdose, death, provider demographics, and child welfare data. The BHA training project tackles social and structural determinants of health by connecting with Tribes, Tribal health programs, and Tribal leaders to break down barriers to education for AI/AN students. The goals of our Tribal partners include healthier populations, and we support that goal by creating infrastructure to train more AI/AN health care providers to increase access to care and improve health outcomes. Key partners include Northwest Indian College (NWIC), Heritage University, and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB). This Project is rooted in CHAP which evolved over the last 60 years in Alaska and became available to Tribes outside of Alaska in 2010. The NPAIHB is the first Area Health Board in the lower 48 to implement the Behavioral Health Aide Program as part of their CHAP.
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).