November is Native American Heritage Month. To honor this month, Inseparable is reaffirming our dedication to advocating for equitable mental health care access for all.
Thousands of Native people suffer from multi-generational trauma and Native American youth have the highest suicide rate of any cultural or ethnic group in the United States.
Yet, Native communities frequently lack access to adequate mental health care. But there is hope. Programs like Native H.O.P.E. (Helping Our People Endure), a Native-created curriculum focused on building on strengths in Native youth, fully including Native culture, traditions, spirituality, and ceremonies, increasing awareness of warning signs, and helping Native youth commit to breaking the “code of silence” common among all youth.
Some states, like Minnesota, are focusing on Native mental health. Minnesota provides two million in annual funding to help ten tribal nations and five urban American Indian organizations incorporate traditional healing practices into mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
Access to mental health care is critical for those who need support. Everyone deserves to receive proper, timely, effective, and culturally appropriate mental health services.
Inadequate funding, rural and isolated locations, lack of culturally aligned providers, language barriers, and poverty can all contribute to a lack of access to appropriate care.
It’s okay to not be okay. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they text HOME to 741741.
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