Project Grant H79SM091678

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma $773,803 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to implement Project Tikba Tohwikeli (Shining Future), a trauma-informed, culturally integrated mental health initiative serving Native youth at Jones Academy, a Bureau of Indian Education–funded residential boarding school near Hartshorne, Oklahoma.

Project Tikba Tohwikeli will integrate Western evidence-based clinical modalities with Choctaw cultural practices to support students' mental well-being and cultural resilience over the 48-month performance period (September 30, 2026 through September 29, 2030). The initiative will serve a minimum of 35 Jones Academy students annually, targeting students in grades 1–12 experiencing clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation at rates significantly higher than national averages. The project nearly doubles the Academy's behavioral health workforce and establishes a partnership with Choctaw Nation Health Services Behavioral Health to provide screening, assessment, treatment, crisis intervention, and care coordination. Work will be performed at Hartshorne, Oklahoma.

The initiative deploys a multi-tiered system of supports: Tier 1 establishes a school-wide environment of "felt safety" across all classrooms and dormitories through the Academy's Residential Student Support Program and campus-wide training in Trust-Based Relational Intervention; Tier 2 targets 20–25 percent of the student body requiring additional support; higher tiers address students with more intensive clinical needs.