Project Grant H79FG001494

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma $1.5 million on September 30, 2026, under the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Programs (CFDA 93.00R) to expand its tribal 988 response system delivering culturally responsive behavioral health crisis services across the Choctaw Reservation in southeastern Oklahoma.

The Choctaw Nation will strengthen partnerships with Oklahoma's 988 Lifeline, increase behavioral health workforce capacity, enhance care coordination and follow-up, expand access to mobile crisis and peer recovery services, and implement a culturally responsive communications campaign to increase awareness of crisis resources. Services will address suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, mental health crises, substance use disorders, co-occurring conditions, and other behavioral health emergencies for tribal citizens and other American Indian and Alaska Native individuals of all ages. Multiple service entry points will include the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, tribal behavioral health programs, healthcare providers, first responders, schools, and community organizations. The project addresses geographic isolation, transportation challenges, and behavioral health workforce shortages across the 10,992-square-mile reservation, which encompasses many rural, medically underserved communities.

The award obligates $1.5 million over the performance period from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2029, with place of performance in Durant, Oklahoma. The project builds on infrastructure established through prior tribal 988 funding and incorporates ongoing staff training, quality improvement, data-driven performance monitoring, and strengthened collaboration with the Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority and the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.