Project Grant H79FG001446

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the Comanche Nation $644,177 on September 30, 2026, under the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Programs (CFDA 93.00R) to expand culturally responsive crisis care infrastructure and close persistent gaps in 988 crisis access for tribal members and the broader catchment population.

The Comanche Nation will deploy direct crisis services, including a dedicated case manager and peer recovery support specialist serving 988 callers across all age groups, and will expand culturally responsive 988 crisis center training, same- and next-day behavioral health follow-up care, and cross-sector coordination through the statewide Tribal Response 988 (TR988) workgroup. This award builds on two prior TR988 grant cycles and addresses three documented gaps: inconsistent cultural competency training reach to 988 staff, low warmline transfer and follow-up rates for Native callers, and incomplete integration between statewide TR988 infrastructure and local systems.

The service area encompasses the Comanche Tribal Jurisdiction Area, covering Comanche, Kiowa, Tillman, and Cotton counties and portions of Caddo, Grady, Stephens, and Jefferson counties in Oklahoma, serving an estimated 18,100 tribal members and a 248,137-person catchment where American Indian and Alaska Native individuals comprise 11 percent of residents. Clinical need is significant: depression and frequent mental distress rates among adults exceed national averages at 23–26 percent and 17–19 percent respectively, and the unmet mental health treatment gap ranges from 80.9 percent to 89.8 percent across catchment counties. The population of focus includes all ages, with particular attention to youth, adults in crisis, and older community members with limited service access.

The period of performance runs from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2029, with place of performance in Lawton, Oklahoma 73501.