The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) spearheads the Circle Of Care Program, a vital three-year infrastructure grant initiative dedicated to supporting American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This program, funded at the discretion of CMHS, provides crucial resources to:
- American Indian and Alaska Native tribes
- Tribal organizations
- Urban Indian programs
- Tribal colleges
Driven by SAMHSA’s commitment to addressing the unique needs of these communities, the Circle of Care Program was established in 1998. Its inception was the result of collaborative planning with tribal leaders, American Indian and Alaska Native mental health experts, and dedicated advocates. Significantly, until the launch of the Native Connections program in 2014, the Circle of Care grant program stood as the sole SAMHSA initiative exclusively focused on American Indian and Alaska Native communities, ensuring dedicated support without competition from state, county, or city entities.
Core Objectives of the Circle of Care Program
The Circle of Care Program is fundamentally designed to achieve two primary goals:
- Strategic Planning for Community-Based Care Systems: To facilitate the planning phase for the development of robust, community-based systems of care models. These models are specifically tailored to support children and youth facing mental health challenges, along with their families.
- Building Local Capacity and Infrastructure: To foster the development of local capabilities and the necessary infrastructure within tribal communities. This empowerment aims to equip these communities to effectively secure funding and resources. Ultimately, this capacity building is geared towards implementing sustainable systems of care models that enhance the mental health and overall wellness of their children, youth, and families.
How Circle of Care Grants are Utilized
Recipients of the Circle of Care Program grants are mandated to allocate funds towards key areas that foster long-term, systemic change. These areas include:
- Infrastructure Planning and Development: Investing in the foundational elements required to establish and sustain effective systems of care.
- Driving Systemic Change: Focusing on initiatives that promote comprehensive and lasting improvements in mental health service delivery.
- Local Capacity Building for Enhanced Services: Strengthening the local ability to deliver improved mental health services, substance abuse prevention programs, and wellness supports for children, youth, and families within their communities.
Furthermore, grantees are expected to adhere to critical guiding principles in their program implementation:
- Prioritizing Cross-System Collaboration: Actively fostering partnerships and coordinated efforts across various service systems to ensure holistic support.
- Integrating Family, Youth, and Community Resources: Ensuring that program design and delivery are inclusive of and responsive to the valuable resources within families, youth networks, and the broader community.
- Employing Culturally Relevant Approaches: Implementing strategies and interventions that are deeply rooted in and respectful of the cultural values, traditions, and perspectives of the communities being served.
It is important to note that Circle of Care Program grants are specifically for infrastructure development and planning; they are not intended for the provision of direct services.
The Circle of Care Program has specific deliverables that grantees are required to produce, demonstrating progress and impact. These include:
- Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment
- Thorough Community Readiness Assessment
- Detailed Community Resource and Asset Mapping
- Strategic Social Marketing and Public Education Plan
- Rigorous Process Evaluation
- Local Evaluation Plan to measure outcomes
- System of Care Model Blueprint, outlining the planned system
- Implementation Plan, including a feasibility study for the Blueprint
- Outcome Measurement Plan to assess the Blueprint’s effectiveness
For grantees seeking guidance and resources, “Planning a System of Care for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities: A Crosswalk” serves as a valuable resource. This document provides a comprehensive overview of the Circle of Care Program and its structured process.
A Legacy of Impact: Circle of Care Grantees Across Cohorts
The Circle of Care Program has a rich history of supporting diverse communities through various cohorts. The following list showcases the grantees from each cohort, demonstrating the program’s extensive reach and consistent dedication to fostering positive change across numerous American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Cohort 1: 1998–2001
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, SD
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, OK
Fairbanks Native Association/Tanana Chiefs Conference, AK
Feather River Tribal Health, CA
First Nations Community Healthsource, NM
In-Care Network, MT
Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, MI
Oglala Lakota Tribe, SD
Urban Indian Health Board, CA
Cohort 2: 2001–2004
Blackfeet Nation, MT
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes, AK
Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona, AZ
Puyallup Tribal Health Authority, WA
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, AZ
United Indian Involvement, CA
Ute Indian Tribe, UT
Cohort 3: 2005–2008
Cook Inlet Tribal Council, AK
Denver Indian Family Resource Center, CO
Muscogee (Creek) Nation, OK
Native American Rehabilitation, OR
Quileute Tribe, WA
Sinte Gleska University, SD
Tulsa Indian Health Care Resource Center, OK
Cohort 4: 2008–2011
American Indian Center of Chicago, IL
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, SD
San Felipe Pueblo, NM
Karuk Tribe, CA
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, ND
Nebraska Urban Indian Centers, NE
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, CT
American Indian Health and Family Services, MI
Cohort 5: 2011–2014
American Indian Education Center, OH
Boys and Girls Club, Northern Cheyenne Nation, MT
Fresno American Indian Health Project, CA
Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio, OH
Tohono O’odham Community College, AZ
Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, OR
Yurok Tribe, CA
Cohort 6: 2014–2017
Hoh Tribe, WA
Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, CA
Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, SD
Makah Indian Tribe, WA
Osage Nation, OK
Quartz Valley Indian Reservation, CA
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, WI
Seattle Indian Health Board, WA
Tanana Chiefs Conference, AK
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, CO
Cohort 7: 2017–2020
American Indian Health and Services, CA
Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council, Inc., NM
Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribes, NV
Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, MT
Kansas Kickapoo Tribe, KS
Maniilaq Health Center, AK
Phoenix Native American Community Health Center, AZ
Sacramento Native American Health Center, CA
San Diego American Indian Health Center, CA
Susanville Indian Rancheria, CA
Toiyabe Indian Health Project, Inc., CA
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, NE
Yakama Nation, OR
Cohort 8: 2020–2023
Alaska Native Tribal Health, AK
Central Oklahoma American Indian Health Council, Inc., OK
Comanche Nation, OK
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, MT
Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, & Siuslaw Indians, OR
Fort Defiance Indian Hospital Board, Inc., AZ
Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center, WI
Great Plains Tribal Leader’s Health Board, SD
Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, Inc., OK
Lac Courte Oreilles, WI
Native American Community Clinic, MN
Oglala Sioux Tribal Council, SD
Ohkay Owingeh, NM
Pueblo of Nambe, NM
Round Valley Health Center, Inc., CA
San Carlos Apache Tribe, AZ
Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, CA
South Dakota Urban Indian Health, Inc., SD
Southern Plains Tribal Health Board Foundation, OK
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, WA
United Indian Health Services, Inc., CA
Wichita & Affiliated Tribes, OK
Cohort 9: 2023–2026
Acorns to Oak Trees Restore the Village Project, CA
ATC Circle of Care, AK
Hopi Tribe, AZ
Nebraska Circles of Care, NE
Orange County Circles of Care Indigenous Project, CA
Ponca Tribe System of Care, OK
Red Road Youth Initiative, CA
TMO Circle of Care Project, ND
Connect with SAMHSA for More Information
For further inquiries about the Circle of Care Program, please reach out to:
Jeffrey M. Bedree
Public Health Advisor
Child, Adolescent & Family Branch
Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
240-276-1181
[email protected]
