Democratic U.S. senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada called for this. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to improve tribes' access to federal mental health services According to a letter sent on March 14th.
The Indian Health Service is “an agency tasked with providing public health assistance directly to its members,” the senators wrote. But it added that multiple agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are “working extensively on mental health needs and suicide prevention.”
The senators urged these agencies to “commit to increasing tribal access to mental health programs and services and improve culturally appropriate considerations in developing HHS mental health programs and research initiatives.” “We have made a new commitment to the United States and called for additional steps to be taken to provide care and services, including direct consultation with tribal communities and more culturally competent and inclusive research.” ”
“Despite tribal communities having some of the highest suicide rates and highest mental health needs in Nevada and the nation, access to robust, culturally appropriate care for tribes remains low in the U.S. lags behind other communities.” The senators wrote in their letter: “According to the Nevada Commission of Indian Affairs, a recent mass suicide in one of Nevada's tribal nations left 21 children without a parent.”
of Death rates by suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native adults are about 20% higher compared to the non-Hispanic white population. but Access to mental health services is limited This is because many tribal communities are located in rural and isolated locations.
“Like many Native American communities, Nevada's tribal nations have suffered irreparable damage from suicide,” Stacey Montooth, executive director of the Nevada Commission on Indian Affairs, said in a statement supporting the senators' letter. “I was injured in a way that I never would have been.” “For the first peoples of this land, especially our youth, intergenerational trauma and daily hardship have combined to create intolerable conditions in which taking one's life is commonplace. We know that the prevalence of mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder, violence, and substance use disorders is disproportionately high, but innovative, culturally appropriate approaches can help address this problem. We can deal with it.”
“Tribal communities across Nevada are feeling the effects of this mental health crisis,” Angie Wilson, director of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Tribal Health Center, said in a statement supporting the senators' letter. “It's clear that new solutions and resources are needed.” to H.H.S.
The senators' letter asks HHS to explain how the programs the department oversees are culturally appropriate and how to ensure that tribal nations are aware of federal funding for mental health services and programs. We asked them to explain what they are doing and how they are being funded. I received an award.
The letter also asked Becerra to identify changes to federal law that would make HHS-administered mental health programs more inclusive and available to tribal communities.
The senators then asked HHS to detail how it implements a national suicide hotline. 988 Tribal Response Cooperation Agreement through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It includes a list of states that were awarded federal funds to do this, states that applied but did not receive it, and states that did not apply.
Suicide is preventable. The national suicide prevention hotline is 988.
