In partnership with The Healing Lodge of Seven Nations
Principal Investigators: Martina Whelshula, PhD (Prime), Heather Gray, PhD (Capacity Core), Sarah Nelson, PhD (Research Core), Timothy Edson, PhD (Pilot Project), & Debi LaPlante, PhD (Administrative Core)
Funder: National Institutes of Health (National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Mental Health, and National Institute on Drug Abuse) via The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations (Grant No. 1S06GM146095)
Timeline: 2022 – 2026
The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations (HL) is a youth residential addiction treatment center with a focus on the Native American population. Seven Tribal communities started and continue to support HL: the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the Kootenai Tribe, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation.
The NIH has awarded the HL with funds for Assessing Cultures of Recovery in Tribal Communities (NARCH XII), building upon earlier awards: NARCH X–Building Recovery in Tribal Communities and NARCH VIII–Promoting Cultures of Recovery in Tribal Nations. Through this agreement, the Division will work in partnership with the HL to evaluate the community impacts of a new mental health first response training program developed with and for tribal communities, First Face for Mental Health (First Face), and build community mental health capacity through the training of clinical and non-clinical HL staff and community members on the First Face program. Simultaneously, we will support the HL in establishing a dedicated Research and Training Unit. We will build the Unit’s capacity by conducting assessments of the standard First Face for Mental Health program among HL non-clinical staff and a train-the-trainers program among HL clinical staff. This work also will include a mentored research project of determinants of return to use among HL youth residents. Finally, we will also support the HL in disseminating information about this work both within and outside the HL.