Project Grant H79FG001514

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services awarded Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness (WPHW) $489,492 on September 30, 2026, under the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Programs (CFDA 93.00R) to enhance the organization's capacity as the tribal 988 authority in Maine through September 29, 2029.

WPHW will strengthen its Wabanaki Careline—a 24/7/365 crisis warm line—to deliver culturally responsive crisis response services to Wabanaki people across Maine, with particular focus on Northern and Eastern rural counties. The project addresses substantial behavioral health disparities driven by rural geography, historical trauma, limited service availability, and socioeconomic barriers that impede timely access to crisis services for children, adults, veterans, elders, and populations at elevated risk for suicide, overdose, and psychiatric crisis.

In year one, WPHW will enhance Careline capacity through hiring, training, outreach, and quality improvement. WPHW will expand staff from two to five positions by month twelve, train 100 percent of grant-funded staff within six months of hire, and conduct a minimum of twelve outreach events annually while distributing 988 materials and culturally focused resources. Across all three years, WPHW will develop and maintain a partnership network with grassroots organizations, tribal leadership, and state entities to strengthen culturally competent crisis response integration.

Work is performed in Bangor, Maine. The five Wabanaki communities served by WPHW—Mi'kmaq Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Passamaquoddy at Pleasant Point, Passamaquoddy at Indian Township, and Penobscot Nation—are the beneficiary populations.