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Testimony
May 2, 2005 Introduction Thank you for the opportunity to describe how SAMHSA is working to provide effective mental health and substance abuse treatment services along with substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion services in Indian Country. It is also a privilege to testify along with Dr. Charles Grim, Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS) this morning. SAMHSA and IHS have developed a strong partnership reflected in our current Intra-Agency Agreement to work efficiently and effectively together to help meet the public health needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives. My testimony will focus on two issues of great concern to the public health of American Indian and Alaska Native youth. These two issues are suicide and violence. Sorrowfully, there are real-life examples to illustrate the impact of suicide and violence in Indian Country. Suicide Among American Indian and Alaska Native Youth In studies that examine risk factors among people who have completed suicide, substance abuse occurs more frequently among youth and younger adults, compared to older adults. For particular groups at risk, such as American Indians and Alaska Natives, depression and substance abuse are the most common risk factors for completed suicide. Mental health and substance abuse disorders are also risk factors for violence. Violence Among American Indian and Alaska Native Youth A recent example of violence in Indian Country is the tragedy at Red Lake. A 16-year-old junior at the Red Lake high school on the Red Lake reservation in Minnesota took the lives of nine others and then his own. On March 21, 2005, the 16-year-old shot and killed his grandfather, his grandfather=s partner, five students, a teacher, a security officer, and himself. Since this event, there have been 2 confirmed suicides and a number of attempts. The statistical picture on the Red Lake reservation, home to about 5,000 Tribal members, is well below the national average, and below that of many other reservation communities. Red Lake Nation is an impoverished community. Thirty-nine percent of the population lives below the poverty line; 4 out of 5 students at Red Lake High school qualify for free or reduced fee lunch. A third of the teenagers on this reservation are not in school, not working, and not looking for work, compared with about 20 percent on all reservations. A survey last year by the Minnesota Departments of Health and Education found that young people on the Red Lake reservation are far more likely to think about suicide, be depressed, worry about drugs, and be violent with one another than children across the State. A state survey of ninth graders found that at Red Lake High, 43 percent of boys and 82 percent of girls had thoughts about suicide, with 20 percent of boys and 48 percent of girls saying that they had tried it at least once. This event has led to community trauma and turmoil. Unfortunately, this condition is repeated on reservations across the nation. SAMHSA's Role in Better Serving American Indian and Alaska Native Populations To achieve the Agency=s vision and mission for all Americans, SAMHSA-supported services are provided within the most relevant and meaningful cultural, gender-sensitive, and age-appropriate context for the people being served. SAMHSA has put this understanding into action for the American Indian and Alaska Native communities it serves. It is important to note also that it is SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie=s policy to level the playing field and to ensure that Tribal entities are eligible for all competitive grants for which States are eligible, unless there is a compelling reason to the contrary. In total, SAMHSA provides about $42 million to American Indians and Alaska Natives annually. CMHS is transferring $200,000 to IHS to support programming and service contracts, technical assistance, and related services for suicide cluster response and suicide prevention among American Indians and Alaska Natives. One example is the development of a community suicide prevention Atoolkit@. This toolkit will include information on suicide prevention, education, screening, intervention, and community mobilization, which could be readily available to American Indian and Alaska Native communities via the Web and other digitally based media for Aoff the shelf@ use. To better assist Tribal organizations, SAMHSA funded a $1 million grant that was awarded to the Oregon Health and Science University to establish the One Sky Center - an American Indian and Alaska Native National Resource Center. The One Sky Center (www.oneskycenter.org) provides technical assistance, training, information dissemination, and communication to increase substance abuse prevention and treatment knowledge and skills among service providers, policy makers, Tribal communities, funding organizations, and consumers. Today, the One Sky Center is a National Resource Center that, in addition to its many other services, maintains a comprehensive list of American Indian and Alaska Native programs that are currently funded by SAMHSA. One Sky Center is currently providing technical assistance to the Standing Rock community by providing them with assistance in requesting a SAMHSA Emergency Response Grant (SERG) for immediate and intermediate emergency funds. SAMHSA's commitment was especially noted in our efforts to encourage American Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations to apply for Access to Recovery (ATR) funds. ATR is a Presidential initiative that provides funding to States and/or American Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations to expand substance abuse treatment capacity, to expand the array of providers, and to instill accountability into the substance abuse treatment system. SAMHSA held 4 technical assistance briefings for States, and while many Tribes were free to attend these briefings, a fifth briefing was set up specifically for Tribes and Tribal organizations. As a result, 22 Tribes submitted applications, and a Tribal coalition, the California Rural Indian Health Board, received one of 15 grants awarded in FY 04. The President is asking for an increase of $51 million for this program for FY 06, which should allow for additional awards for which Tribes would be able to apply. The Screening, Brief Interaction, Referral, and Treatment (SBIRT) program has awarded a grant to the Cook Inlet Tribal Council near Anchorage, Alaska, to provide treatment services for their population. SBIRT is designed to assist in reducing the suicide/violence in Indian Country by treating the underlying substance abuse that contributes to the problem. The FY 06 budget requests a $5.8 million increase in SBIRT funding. Additionally, SAMHSA=s Substance Abuse Treatment Targeted Capacity Expansion (TCE) grant program continues to expand treatment opportunities and capacity in local communities experiencing serious emerging drug problems. Tribes and Tribal organizations have received over $31 million in TCE funds, either in direct or indirect grant awards, during the past three years. Regarding mental health services, SAMHSA also collaborates with IHS and the National Institute of Mental Health within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the Circles of Care grant program. The Circles of Care program supports the implementation of mental health service models designed by American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal and urban Indian communities that utilize a systems-of-care community-based approach to mental health and other supportive services for American Indian and Alaska Native children with serious emotional disturbances and their families. SAMHSA's Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Grant Program provides funding for direct services to improve systems of care for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance and their families. Seven Tribal organizations are among the current total of 63 grantees. Additionally, SAMHSA, under the authority of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (Pub. L. 108-355), announced the availability of FY 05 funds for state-sponsored youth suicide prevention and early intervention programs. (Requests for Application No. SM-05-014, SM-05-015, and SM-05-017) SAMHSA takes seriously the current challenges in Indian Country, which include few trained service providers, major transportation barriers, and multi-generational poverty. SAMHSA is being proactive in addressing these challenges that rob communities of their most valuable resource: their children and their future. The vital treatment and prevention efforts that I have discussed today are designed to address these problems and are improving services for American Indian and Alaska Native children, youth, and their families. Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear today. I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have. Last Revised: May 3, 2005 |
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