IHS Holds National Grantee Meeting and Training for Behavioral Health Grant Programs

In 2022, the Indian Health Service's Division of Behavioral Health awarded 113 grants totaling $35.8 million through the Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention (SASP) and Domestic Violence Prevention (DVP) grant programs. Recipients received a five-year grant in the areas of Domestic Violence Prevention (DVP), Forensic Healthcare (FHC), Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention (SPIP), and Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Aftercare (SAPTA).

As grantees enter year three of their funding cycle, DBH convened the 2024 SASP/DVP National Grantee Meeting and Training at the Drury Plaza Hotel Nashville Downtown in Nashville, Tennessee to network, learn, and provide grant recipients with critical technical and programmatic information to help grantees achieve continued success with their projects.

From March 12 - 13, 2024, 180 individuals attended the in-person meeting and training, representing Tribal and Urban Indian organizations from across the country. Welcoming them was IHS Nashville Area Director, Dr. Beverly Cotton, who greeted the attendees in her opening remarks and helped kicked off the two-day event.

Grant recipients gathered to hear from selected speakers and presenters, while Headquarters' staff from the IHS Division of Behavioral Health and Division of Grants Management offered plenary and breakout sessions on topics that included: Effective Grants Management, National Evaluation and Data Collection, Family Engagement and Native Youth, 988 Mental Health Lifeline, Community Opioid Intervention Prevention Program, and Trauma Informed Care.

Attendees shared the work they are doing throughout Indian Country during the breakout sessions on topics that included how culture is important to suicide prevention; program sustainability; building a successful forensic nurse examiner program; building family resilience; and integrating public health measures to support substance use prevention, treatment and aftercare. The tailored sessions offered attendees the opportunity to hear the successes and outcomes from their fellow grantees.

As the event came to a close, BHI Branch Chief shared, "We know that a lot of work is being done to comprehensively address these critical issues that impact our Tribal and urban communities and a lot of what was shared by grantees this week demonstrates that. However, we at IHS know that there is still much to be done. With these grant awards, Tribes are able to identify how they need to address substance use, suicide, domestic and sexual violence in their communities and we are pleased to provide Tribes with that flexibility."

The Indian Health Service is excited to provide these learning opportunities for our grantees and will continue to facilitate these grants for the SASP and DVP programs. We look forward to hearing many more stories of your success and accomplishments for us to highlight in the months to come.

Ms. Solimon serves as the Behavioral Health Initiatives Branch Chief in the IHS Division of Behavioral Health and is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico.