Project Grant H79SM091020

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma $400,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to implement the Zero Suicide Project.

The Ponca Tribe will strengthen suicide prevention for American Indian and Alaska Native adults served by White Eagle Health Center in rural north-central Oklahoma. The project builds workforce capacity, expands integrated behavioral health and telehealth services, and improves suicide risk screening, crisis response, care coordination, and continuity of care using the Zero Suicide framework. Implementation includes universal PHQ-9 and C-SSRS screening, cognitive behavioral therapy for suicide prevention (CBT-SP), brief CBT, applied suicide intervention response training (ASIST), and Stanley-Brown safety planning. Expected outcomes include expanded access to culturally responsive behavioral health services, universal suicide risk screening, stronger follow-up after crises, improved care coordination, increased treatment engagement, and reduced suicidal ideation and crisis recurrence.

Performance occurs in Ponca City, Oklahoma, with a period of performance from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031.