Yakama Nation (Confederated Tribes and Bands)

The Confederated Tribes & Bands of the Yakama Nation is a federally recognized tribe in southwestern Washington. Our tribe experiences high rates of suicide, substance use and other health disparities amongst our youth ages 10 – 24. We plan to address the issue of suicide through culturally proactive interventions and strengthening our service provider collaboration to preserve our culture and future generations.

Demographics/Clinical Characteristics. The Yakama Nation reservation is 130,000 acres in southwestern Washington. It is located within the Yakima County and part of Klickitat County. There are four rural communities located within the reservation boundaries: Toppenish, Wapato, White Swan, and Harrah. There is high rates of suicide across the reservation amongst AIAN adolescents and young adults. We also experience high rates of alcohol and drug abuse.

Strategies/Interventions. YNBH will make proactive efforts to do community outreach through training, selected evidence based programs and prosocial activities. While hosting events, coalition/service provider meetings, we will emphasize the importance of data collection, service collaboration and evaluation.

Goals/Measurable Objectives. The purpose of the proposed project is to develop and implement tribal youth suicide policies and evidence-based prevention programs that enhances awareness, identification, referral and treatment strategies.

Number of People Served Annually of Project Lifetime. YNBH provides services to all Native American and/or Native American descendants. Services are not limited to Native American and/or Native American descendants residing on the Yakama Nation reservation. According to the Yakama Nation Indian Health Services, there were a total of 12,914 patients in FY 2013. This number includes 7,245 patients identified as Yakama Nation enrolled members, 2980 patients were identified as Yakama Nation descendants, and 2689 identified as Native American and/or Native American descendants from different federally recognized tribes. Indian Health Services estimated that 8,839 of the patient population reside on the Yakama Reservation and 4,075 reside outside the reservation boundaries.