Spthb native roots

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board Foundation $2,239,089 on September 30, 2025, under the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.492) to implement evidence-based strategies addressing youth substance use and mental health in Hughes, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, and Seminole Counties in central Oklahoma.

The project, titled SPTHB Native Roots, will serve approximately 1,000 unduplicated individuals (200 annually) across middle and high schools where American Indian/Alaska Native populations range from 2 percent to 29 percent. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, through September 29, 2030. Key activities include conducting comprehensive needs and prevention capacity assessments; establishing a community advisory workgroup and strategic partnerships; engaging school districts and rural partners; developing a Strategic Planning Workbook and Implementation Guidebook; and delivering ongoing prevention services. The project builds on prior SAMHSA grants that established relationships within school districts and expanded service access for American Indian/Alaska Native youth.

Abstract

The southern plains tribal health board (spthb) seeks funding through the samhsa strategic prevention framework-partnerships for success for communities and tribes (SPF-PFS) to expand evidence-based strategies addressing youth substance use (SU) and mental health (MH) within hughes, okfuskee, oklahoma, and seminole counties in central oklahoma. This project builds on spthb's previous samhsa grants, which allowed them to establish meaningful relationships within the counties' school districts and increase access to services for american indian/alaska native (AI/an) youth. Through this funding opportunity, spthb will implement targeted interventions to reduce youth SU and increase positive MH outcomes. The unduplicated number of individuals we are proposing to serve annually and over the entire project period with grant funds is approximately 1000 (200/YR.). For the selected middle and high schools, the AI/an population ranges from 2% in bethany school district to 29.0% in wetumka school district. The following information provides an overview of how we will address the identified capacity needs, service gaps, and the required activities. Key project activities include: assessment - conduct a comprehensive needs assessment and prevention capacity assessment of resources and readiness. Identify youth and community partners to serve on the assessment workgroup throughout the life of the project. Capacity - identify and engage targeted strategic partnerships and convene a community advisory workgroup. Engage/RE-engage oklahoma city public school teachers and school administrators to promote programs and activities. Planning - create a PFS strategic planning workbook to include standards for youth, community, and other partners. Improve engagement with emerging rural partners in our area. Implementation - initiate delivery of selected prevention services and provide ongoing prevention services. Create an implementation guidebook. Identify one-two additional programs to enhance existing substance-use prevention efforts. Evaluation - complete and monitor a project evaluation plan and update annually. Conduct an annual capacity survey. Develop an activity tracker with a visual dashboard to monitor progress. Footnote 1 district and school profiles, oklahoma educational indicators program, office of educational quality and accountability, https://WWW.schoolreportcard.ORG/. Accessed march 13, 2025.