Building pathways - children's system of care in the interior - tanana chiefs conference will implement the building pathways children's system of care to expand coordinated behavioral health services…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $997,063 to Tanana Chiefs Conference (doing business as Dena Nena Henash) on September 30, 2026, under the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances program (CFDA 93.104).

Tanana Chiefs Conference will implement the Building Pathways Children's System of Care to expand coordinated behavioral health services for children, youth, and young adults ages 0–21 across three Interior Alaska sub-regions. The project will establish a governance board, create a single point of access, strengthen cross-system partnerships, and implement a digital safety plan. Village-based care coordinators will connect families to coordinated clinical and community services using family-driven, youth-guided, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed approaches. The initiative builds on prior system of care efforts and targets Alaska Native and other youth in the region, with the goal of creating a sustainable system that improves access, coordination, and integration of behavioral health services and strengthens outcomes for children, families, and communities across Interior Alaska.

The period of performance runs through September 29, 2030, with place of performance in Fairbanks, Alaska. Tanana Chiefs Conference is a tribally owned Alaska Native non-profit corporation and consortium of 37 federally recognized tribes serving approximately 16,000 Alaska Natives across 235,000 square miles of Interior Alaska.

Building pathways - children's system of care in the interior - tanana chiefs conference will implement the building pathways children's system of care to expand coordinated behavioral health services for children, youth, and young adults ages 0-21 across three interior alaska sub-regions. Building on prior system of care initiatives, the project will establish a governance board, create a single point of access, strengthen cross-system partnerships, and implement a digital safety plan. Village-based care coordinators will connect families to coordinated clinical and community services using family-driven, youth-guided, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed approaches. The project will improve access, coordination, and integration of behavioral health services for alaska native and other youth, creating a sustainable system of care that strengthens outcomes for children, families, and communities across the interior region.