WHEREAS, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), established in 1972, serves all Federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal governments by advocating for the improvement of health care delivery to AI/ANs, as well as upholding the Federal government’s trust responsibility to AI/AN Tribal governments; and

WHEREAS, Tribal leaders encouraged collaboration with the NIHB, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Indian Health Service (IHS), and other key partners to produce a national Tribal Behavioral Health Agenda (TBHA) that would serve as a blueprint for increasing national visibility and awareness of AI/AN mental health and substance use concerns and improving the behavioral health and well-being of AI/AN communities; and

WHEREAS, the first national Tribal Behavioral Health Agenda was published in 2016, and includes historical context for behavioral health issues in AI/AN communities, behavioral health care and supportive service recommendations, and considerations for effective Tribal, federal, state, and local collaboration and priority areas; and

WHEREAS, over six years have passed since the publication of the TBHA, during which AI/AN communities have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of behavioral health disparities, especially related to substance misuse, overdose deaths, and suicide; and

WHEREAS, Tribal leaders and representatives, especially the SAMHSA Tribal Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC), have requested that the TBHA be reviewed for the following: evaluation regarding its practical use and impact in Tribal communities; any initial dissemination, communication, and feedback collection strategies that were implemented; possible content revision and updates needed due to both the natural passage of time and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; and an effective dissemination, communication, and implementation plan for the updated TBHA; and

WHEREAS, the NIHB served as a key partner in the development and production of the TBHA: in collaboration, in engagement with Tribal leaders, administrators, and members, and in the assurance that the TBHA was Tribally driven and culturally centered in its content, elevation of Tribal voices, and declaration of AI/AN cultural wisdom; and