Native Communities of Care Toolkit
This page features information about Native Communities of Care and provides access to the Native Communities of Care Toolkit. This program is funded by counties through the voter-approved Mental Health Services Act (Prop. 63). It is one of several Prevention and Early Intervention Initiatives implemented by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), an organization of California counties working to improve mental health outcomes for individuals, families and communities. Check out the links to learn more about the Each Mind Matters Campaign, CalMHSA and Prop. 63.
Native Communities of Care brings together California’s American Indian & Alaska Native Wellness Movement.We are working together to support behavioral health and wellness for mind, body, and spirit. We are refusing to stay silent while untreated mental illness takes an unnecessary toll on our families and communities. Native Communities of Care is for everyone because mental wellness is for all of us.
Together, we are creating Native Communities of Care across California.
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The Native Communities of Care Toolkit includes:
To Speak: | To Learn: | To Show: | To Share: |
Youth Messaging | Event Planning Guide | Video Resources | Resource Order Forms |
Provider Messaging | Website links for additional information | ||
General Native Public Messaging |
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Native Communities of Care brings together California’s American Indian and Alaska Native Wellness Movement.
• We are Tribes and American Indian organizations working together to support behavioral health and wellness for mind, body, and spirit.
• We are Native Americans refusing to stay silent while untreated mental illness takes an unnecessary toll on our families and communities.
• Native Communities of Care is for everyone because mental wellness is for all of us.
• Together, we are creating Native Communities of Care across California.
Our Community, Our People
• Native American tribes and organizations are communities that care.
• One in four American adults lives with a diagnosable mental illness in a given year. The National Indian Health Board recognizes behavioral health as a top 3 AI/AN healthy priority.
• Native Americans have come together in the past to overcome trauma and are uniting again to ensure each Native person is on a path to wellness.
• Fear of judgment, isolation and discrimination throw many Native Americans off their path to wellness, preventing them from getting the help they need and the support they deserve.
• All people deserve wellness and health.
Native Communities of Care is restoring the path to wellness.
• We are taking unprecedented steps, which are community-specific and culturally appropriate, to break through barriers of mental health stigma and discrimination for Native Americans.
• These local programs and grassroots efforts are conceived, designed and implemented at the local level to reach California tribes and American Indian communities with targeted solutions.
• Native American communities are a priority, because every person, family and community can benefit from improved mental wellness.
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Native Communities of Care brings together California’s American Indian and Alaska Native Wellness Movement.
• We are Tribes and American Indian organizations working together to support behavioral health and wellness for mind, body, and spirit.
• We are Native Americans refusing to stay silent while untreated mental illness takes unnecessary toll on our families and communities.
• Native Communities of Care is for everyone because mental wellness is for all of us. o Together, we are creating Native Communities of Care across California.
Seeking Mental Wellness
• Everyone is on a path to mental wellness. We all want to be well. But, life is filled with ups and downs, so sometimes we need help to stay on our path.
• Remember, you’re part of a community that cares, and you can seek help for your mental, emotional and spiritual health and wellness, along with your physical health.
• We all cope with issues differently, but we all have issues. You’re not defined by a feeling or diagnosis.
Native American Youth
• As a youth, you’re important to our society, you are our next generation. Your health and wellness are vital, not just for this generation, but for the generations behind you and the generations to come.
• The fact is that we need to pay closer attention to our mental, emotional and spiritual health; the historical trauma Native communities have experienced has a profound impact on the path to mental wellness.
• Fear of judgment, isolation and discrimination throw many Native Americans off their path to wellness, preventing them from getting the help they need and the support they deserve. o Staying on the path to wellness is essential to achieving their life goals and aspirations. Funded
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Native Communities of Care brings together California’s American Indian and Alaska Native Wellness Movement.
• We are Tribes and American Indian organizations working together to support behavioral health and wellness for mind, body, and spirit.
• We are Native Americans refusing to stay silent while untreated mental illness takes unnecessary toll on our families and communities.
• Native Communities of Care is for everyone because mental wellness is for all of us.
• Prevention and early intervention save lives and dollars by delivering help before a crisis when it’s most effective and less costly.
• Together, we are creating Native Communities of Care across California.
Integrative Cultural Services
• Behavioral health disparities are inherently tied to the historical and current sociopolitical experiences of Native people and have a profound impact on their mental wellness.
• Fear of judgment, isolation and discrimination throw many Native Americans off their path to mental wellness, preventing them from getting
• The current system of care is not equipped with the tools and resources to meet the needs of the Native community.
• For mental health services to be effective in the Native community, they must include culturally appropriate services.
• Cultural and spiritual practices vary by tribe and community. Be mindful when asking about a person’s cultural practices and know that not every Native American follows those practices.
Native Communities in California
• California has the most diverse Native population in the country. There are more than 100 federally recognized tribes in California and several more are petitioning.
• Over half of the Native American population resides in urban areas across California, in part due to past relocation policies that displaced tribal members from across the country.
Related Each Mind Matter Campaigns:
The ReachOutHere campaign links youth and young adults to tools, resources and a series of interactive forums at ReachOutHere.com (English-language) and BuscaApoyo.org (Spanish-language). The forums provide teens and young adults with a safe, anonymous community in which to discuss a range of social and mental health related issues with trained peer leaders. It’s an online space where young people can receive and give support, inspiring their peers to get through tough times.
Walk In Our Shoes is an early intervention campaign with 4th – 8th graders (9-to-13 year olds) to educate them about mental health and wellness. The award-winning interactive website hosts true stories of young adults who have experienced hope, recovery and resilience in the face of mental health challenges. The educational resources below remind kids to think about what it might be like to walk in someone else’s shoes and drives them to the website to learn more about mental health challenges.