The Indian Health Service office announced Thursday from the White House that more than $7 million in grants will be distributed this year to Tribal and Indian organizations across the U.S., and $200,000 of that is reserved for Southeast Alaska.
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium will receive $200,000 as part of IHS’ methamphetamine and suicide prevention initiative that will run through September 2017. According to an IHS press release, those awarded any portion of the grant will use the funds to increase positive youth development, fostering resiliency and promoting family engagement amount Native youth. The funds are meant to be used to increase positions for behavioral health providers who specialize in working with children, adolescents and families, with the overall goal of preventing suicide and substance abuse.
Other Alaska Native Tribes or associations receiving portions of the federal grant include the Cook Inlet Tribal Council ($158,172), the Fairbanks Native Association ($261,368), the Kodiak Native Association ($204,482) and the Maniilaq Association ($292,978). In total, $1,117,000 of the federal grant will be used in Alaska.
SEARHC’s director of health promotion could not be reached by the end of the business day to discuss SEARHC’s plans for the funds.
This grant is part of President Barack Obama’s Generation Indigenous program that launched in 2014, according to the IHS press release. The program’s goals are to remove barriers between Native youth and opportunities to succeed.
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