Project Grant H79FG001522

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board Inc. $1.5 million on September 30, 2026, under the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Programs (CFDA 93.00R) to improve connection and response to 988 crisis contacts among tribal communities in the Albuquerque area.

The 988 Tribal Response Project establishes formal partnerships between the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board and six federally recognized tribes in rural New Mexico and southern Colorado — Mescalero Apache Tribe, Ramah Navajo, To'hajiilee Navajo, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Isleta Pueblo, and Zuni Pueblo — to create critical linkages with existing 988 crisis centers and the New Mexico and Colorado 988 Lifeline Centers. The project addresses persistent barriers to behavioral health services in geographically isolated rural communities with limited crisis stabilization services, mobile crisis teams, and behavioral health providers. Workforce shortages, transportation challenges, and privacy concerns reduce access to care in communities with median incomes of $24,190 annually and populations ranging from 1,567 to 5,864. The target region experiences elevated suicide rates: 26.2 deaths per 100,000 American Indian and Alaska Native residents in New Mexico and 17.3 per 100,000 in Colorado. The initiative delivers culturally competent crisis response services that honor tribal sovereignty, strengthening the continuum of crisis care across both states for American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

Performance period runs through September 29, 2029. Work is performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico.