Billings Area

Blackfeet Tribe

The Blackfeet Tribal Health Department project is using a three-pronged approach of prevention, intervention, and postvention activities to increase awareness and continue educating the Blackfeet community about risk factors regarding suicide behaviors and methamphetamine use. They are training the Blackfeet community in suicide and methamphetamine awareness, intervention skills, and resources. The Blackfeet Tribal Health Department project is creating a media campaign and hosting healthy activities with an emphasis on traditional/cultural components that will raise awareness and educate the community about suicide and methamphetamine risk and protective factors.

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes – Purpose Area 2

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes project focuses on three areas: 1) Project Clinic is focused on patient-centered care with collaboration and integration with the medical clinic to identify and refer patients to the Behavioral Health Program prior to reaching a crisis level; 2) Project Postvention is focused on establishing strategies following a suicide or other trauma in their community; and 3) “Project Trauma-Informed Organization”, whereby a trauma-informed approach is used to create and implement an institutional framework for trauma-informed services in program delivery and staff development, policies and procedures, administrative practices, and organizational infrastructure in Tribal Health Services.

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes – Purpose Area 4

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes project is developing youth councils using the United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) platform and engaging youth in healthier alternatives. The youth are provided an avenue to discover their own strengths and weaknesses, set goals, and establish support networks to affect positive social change within their community. The youth councils are partnering with local agencies, elders, and community members to implement tribal customs to complement and address relevant topics affecting their generation.

Crow Tribe of Indians – Purpose Area 3

The Crow Tribe proposes implementing the Family Spirit program, a mental health promotion and substance abuse prevention program. This program is a culturally tailored home-visiting intervention held from pregnancy through 36 months postpartum for American Indian teenage mothers, who generally experience high rates of substance use, school dropout, and residential instability. The intervention is designed to increase parenting competence (e.g., parenting knowledge and self-efficacy), reduce maternal psychosocial and behavioral risks that could interfere with effective parenting (e.g., drug and alcohol use, depression, externalizing problems), and promote healthy infant and toddler emotional and social adjustment (i.e., internalizing and externalizing behaviors). It aims to prepare toddlers for early school success, promote parents’ coping and life skills, and link families to appropriate community services.

Crow Tribe of Indians – Purpose Area 4

The Crow Tribe of Indians project is providing suicide and methamphetamine prevention activities and education to Crow children and their families by using the American Indian Life Skills (AILS) curriculum and the Lifelines Prevention curriculum. The Tribe is using this curriculum in the surrounding schools via in-class instruction and after-school opportunities and integrates Tribal cultural activities and customs into lessons.

Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes

The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes project is utilizing youth leadership groups to address the problems of methamphetamine and suicidal behaviors (ideation, attempts, and completions) among tribal youth up to age 24. The Nokona Dakota Oyate (NDO) youth group(s) serve as the catalyst in accomplishing their main three objectives: 1) implementing evidenced based and practice-based approaches to build resiliency, promote positive development, and increasing self-sufficiency behaviors among native youth; 2) promoting family engagement; and 3) increasing access to prevention activities for youth to prevent methamphetamine use and other substance use disorders that contribute to suicidal behaviors in culturally appropriate ways.

Northern Arapaho Tribe

The Northern Arapaho Tribe project provides the Northern Arapaho Tribal members with prevention, intervention and postvention resources for suicide and suicide-related behaviors. The project is using and developing evidence-based and practice-based models that are both culturally appropriate and community-driven. The Northern Arapaho Tribe project believes culture is the key to prevention and healing, therefore incorporates Northern Arapaho specific tribal customs into many of their activities such as horse culture, Mother/Fatherhood is Sacred, round dances, sweats, and more.

Northern Cheyenne Tribal Board of Health

The Northern Cheyenne Tribe Project is addressing three programmatic objectives: 1) increase and implement evidence-based and practice-based approaches to build resiliency and promote positive development and increase self-sufficiency among Native Youth; 2) promote, encourage and provide activities for youth and their families that foster family engagement and family unity; and 3) Expand access to culturally appropriate prevention activities for youth to reduce and prevent suicide and methamphetamine use and other substance use disorders that contribute to suicidal behaviors. To promote this engagement, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe Project has organized a Healing Shawl Ceremony, Gourd Dancing, Art Therapy, and a summer camp.

Rocky Boy Band of Chippewa Indians - Purpose Area 3

The Rocky Boy Health Board project, embedded in the White Sky Hope Center (WSHC), is expanding and developing more effective addiction treatment services by implementing the Medication Assisted Treatment program (MAT) to help address the ever expanding problem on their reservation. They are providing culturally appropriate, evidence-based treatment and aftercare services to combat suicide, methamphetamine use and other substance use disorders. The Rocky Boy Health Board project is strengthening their partnership with the Rocky Boy clinic medical providers, leadership, and decision makers to add the MAT model to their services along with developing the policies, procedures, and processes needed to implement MAT.

Rocky Boy Band of Chippewa Indians - Purpose Area 4

The Rocky Boy Health Board project is implementing a School-Based Trauma-Informed Wrap-Around Initiative (STWI) at their local school district. Through this effort, the Rocky Boy Health Board project is promoting positive Chippewa Cree Tribal youth development and family engagement through the implementation of early intervention strategies to reduce risk factors for suicidal behavior and substance abuse by working with Chippewa Cree Tribal children, youth through age 24, and their families.