25 U.S.C. § 1667b: Indian youth telemental health demonstration project

have expressed suicidal ideas; have attempted suicide; or have behavioral health conditions that increase or could increase the risk of suicide. located in an area with documented disproportionately high rates of suicide; reporting active clinical telehealth capabilities; or offering school-based telemental health services to Indian youth. The Secretary shall award grants under this section for a period of up to 4 years. serve a particular community or geographic area in which there is a demonstrated need to address Indian youth suicide; enter into collaborative partnerships with Service or other tribal health programs or facilities to provide services under this demonstration project; serve an isolated community or geographic area that has limited or no access to behavioral health services; or operate a detention facility at which Indian youth are detained. In developing and carrying out the demonstration project under this subsection, the Secretary shall consult with the Administration as the Federal agency focused on mental health issues, including suicide. psychotherapy; psychiatric assessments and diagnostic interviews, therapies for mental health conditions predisposing to suicide, and treatment; and alcohol and substance abuse treatment. To provide clinician-interactive medical advice, guidance and training, assistance in diagnosis and interpretation, crisis counseling and intervention, and related assistance to Service or tribal clinicians and health services providers working with youth being served under the demonstration project. To assist, educate, and train community leaders, health education professionals and paraprofessionals, tribal outreach workers, and family members who work with the youth receiving telemental health services under the demonstration project, including with identification of suicidal tendencies, crisis intervention and suicide prevention, emergency skill development, and building and expanding networks among those individuals and with State and local health services providers. suicide prevention; suicide education; suicide screening; suicide intervention; and ways to mobilize communities with respect to the identification of risk factors for suicide. To conduct data collection and reporting relating to Indian youth suicide prevention efforts. In carrying out the purposes described in paragraph (1), an Indian tribe or tribal organization may use and promote the traditional health care practices of the Indian tribes of the youth to be served. a description of the project that the Indian tribe or tribal organization will carry out using the funds provided under the grant; meet the telemental health care needs of the Indian youth population to be served by the project; or improve the access of the Indian youth population to be served to suicide prevention and treatment services; evidence of support for the project from the local community to be served by the project; a description of how the families and leadership of the communities or populations to be served by the project would be involved in the development and ongoing operations of the project; a plan to involve the tribal community of the youth who are provided services by the project in planning and evaluating the behavioral health care and suicide prevention efforts provided, in order to ensure the integration of community, clinical, environmental, and cultural components of the treatment; and a plan for sustaining the project after Federal assistance for the demonstration project has terminated. The Secretary shall carry out such measures as the Secretary determines to be necessary to maximize the time and workload efficiency of the process by which Indian tribes and tribal organizations apply for grants under paragraph (1). The Secretary, acting through the Service, shall encourage Indian tribes and tribal organizations receiving grants under this section to collaborate to enable comparisons regarding best practices across projects. describes the number of telemental health services provided; and includes any other information that the Secretary may require. describes each project funded by a grant under this section during the preceding 2-year period, including a description of the level of success achieved by the project; and evaluates whether the demonstration project should be continued during the period beginning on the date of termination of funding for the demonstration project under subsection (g) and ending on the date on which the final report is submitted under paragraph (2). On a determination by the Secretary under clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) that the demonstration project should be continued, the Secretary may carry out the demonstration project during the period described in that clause using such sums otherwise made available to the Secretary as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. describes the results of the projects funded by grants awarded under this section, including any data available that indicate the number of attempted suicides; evaluates the impact of the telemental health services funded by the grants in reducing the number of completed suicides among Indian youth; expanded to provide more than 5 grants; and designated as a permanent program; and evaluates the benefits of expanding the demonstration project to include urban Indian organizations. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2013.