US to grant $35 million to tribes for 988 mental health crisis line

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A bookmark for kids with the 988 Suicide and Emergency Lifeline emergency phone number is shown by Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force volunteer Lance Neberger, speaking about mental health and suicide awareness.

Most of the people who live in Santa Clara Pueblo in northern New Mexico know each other. So when a tribal member seeks mental health services or substance abuse treatment, a call to the tribal office may lead to an aunt, cousin or other relative.

Confidentiality matters Pueblo Gov. Michael Chavarria said shortly after federal officials visited to talk about new funding for tribes to spread the word about a national mental health crisis hotline.

“That’s a hesitation, but they have to be strong enough to want to get that help again,” Chavarria said Friday. “And that’s why we’re here to help them in any way we can.”

988 Lifeline went live in June. It’s designed to be an easy-to-remember number, like 911. Instead of dispatching police, firefighters or paramedics, 988 connects callers to trained mental health counselors. People can text the number or chat with advisors online.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that it is providing $35 million in grants to Native Americans and Alaska Native tribes to help callers receive culturally sensitive support and follow-up care if needed. The application deadline is October 25.

Access will be limited, a fact often criticized by tribes who argue that they are forced to compete with each other for limited resources. Any of the 574 federally recognized tribes are eligible to register with tribal organizations. Up to 100 grants will be awarded.

The money is part of $150 million allocated to a 988 hotline on gun violence and mental health that President Joe Biden signed in June. In total, the federal government provided $432 million to expand crisis counselor and telephone infrastructure and educate the public on the 988 hotline — some of which was awarded to states and territories in the form of grants.

Chavarria said the tribal police chief plans to talk with other tribal departments soon about applying for a grant and what it might cover.

“Now we don’t know,” he said. We are now in the planning phase, at least it is being sold, it is about how we can use the other resources that we have, to fill in the gaps.

With the social isolation brought on by Covid-19 and Pueblo’s location in New Mexico, a state with high death rates from alcohol and drug overdoses, Chavarria sees a need. Native Americans and Alaska Natives are disproportionately affected by violent crime and suicide, federal data show.

“It has to be a well-consolidated collaborative effort to bring stability to this,” Chavarria said. Because sometimes it spirals into the community, local, regional and national (level) within that family and it’s a challenge for all of us.

Miriam Delphine-Ritmon, assistant secretary for mental health and substance use at the Department of Health and Human Services, was among federal officials visiting Santa Clara and James Pueblos and Albuquerque, New Mexico this week.

Some of the challenges she heard from tribal leaders in accessing funding included a lack of resources to apply for aid, unreliable internet and cell phone service, a lack of mental health professionals and culturally appropriate care.

“What we’ve appreciated is that we’ve had an open conversation,” Delphine-Rittmon said. I think it really helps to have a consensus.”

There’s no guarantee there won’t be future funding to raise awareness about 988 because it’s been decided by Congress, Delphine-Ritmon said. Tribes also have opportunities to receive funding through other federal grant programs to provide emergency response, overdose prevention and mental health training, he said.

The measure of whether the money is working as intended is not just the numbers, she said, but the tribes’ tangible evidence.

The 988 system was developed by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s network of crisis centers where counselors field millions of calls each year. 1-800-273-8255 still works even though the number has a 988.

The first full month of data from 988 Lifeline showed an increase of 152,000 calls, chats and texts in August 2021. The average time to return those contacts dropped from 2.5 minutes to 42 seconds, according to Health and Human Services.