California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB) Receives $1.4m Grant to Prevent and Reduce the Onset of Substance Abuse and Transmission of HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis

Sacramento, CA, October 29, 2015 --(PR.com)-- California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB), a non-profit organization committed to elevating and promoting the health status and social conditions of the Indian People of California, was recently awarded a $1.4m grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration to implement a Capacity Building Initiative for Substance Abuse (SA), HIV and Viral Hepatitis (VH) Prevention Services for At-Risk AIAN Youth and Young Adults.

This 5-year program, which started on September 30, 2015, is focused on increasing community capacity to provide SA, HIV and VH prevention services, increasing knowledge about SA, HIV and VH, increasing the number of AIAN’s tested and/or referred for SA or HIV and VH services and decreasing substance use. The program is focused on the development of effective substance abuse and HIV prevention strategies through collaborative partnerships among tribal health programs, tribal organizations, state/local health departments and organizations working with HIV prevention as well as alcohol and substance abuse.

Lisa Elgin, Chair of the CRIHB Board of Directors, stated, “The commitment, dedication and support of our tribes, tribal clinics and CRIHB staff is what makes it possible to reach these at-risk youth. Our dedicated staff, particularly the ones that engage with AIAN youths, are the reason this kind of program has a great chance of being successful.”

Specific substance abuse and HIV prevention programming will be aimed at decreasing the risk of developing substance abuse issues and mitigating sexual risk factors among the AIAN youth population. “This joint effort is designed to combine existing testing services with education, awareness, engagement and social marketing campaigns that empower at risk AIAN youth to make informed decisions about their choices. It builds on the success of other youth outreach programs CRIHB delivers. These health programs are designed to increase awareness among AIAN youth and are a top priority for CRIHB and Tribal clinics across California,” adds Dr. Mark LeBeau, CEO of CRIHB.

Mini-grant funds will be made available annually to CRIHB member Tribal Health Programs to conduct needs assessment and strategic planning in their local communities, to develop local partnerships and recruit participating youth to implement evidenced-based prevention intervention and develop local media projects. The evidenced-based prevention intervention consists of four components:

· Collect information about the community, including HIV/STD risk behaviors and influencing factors;
· Create media materials such as digital stories based on personal accounts from individuals in the targeted populations;
· Recruit and train peer advocates from the target population to distribute prevention materials and role model stories that are appropriate to the participants’ stage of behavioral change;
· Develop a comprehensive health resource for Native youth, by Native youth, providing content and stories about the topics that matter most to them.

The California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. (CRIHB) is a network of Tribal Health Programs, which are controlled and sanctioned by Indian people and their Tribal Governments. CRIHB is committed to the needs and interests that elevate and promote the health status and social conditions of the Indian People of California. CRIHB provides advocacy, shared resources, training and technical assistance that enhances the delivery of quality, comprehensive health related services.

For more information about CRIHB, visit www.crihb.org Press inquiries: please contact Communications Specialist, Jeff Ziegler, by email: jeff.ziegler@crihb.org or phone: 916-929-9761 (extension 2005).

For further information about CRIHB's Substance Abuse, HIV and Viral Hepatitis programs, please contact Daniel Domaguin, Behavioral Health Manager, on 916-929-9761 (extension 1516).