Culture is Prevention: Creating an innovative strength-based inter-Tribal strategic plan through multi-disciplinary collaboration

In September 2011, Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council (GLITC) received a one year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant to develop an inter-Tribal five-year system level prevention strategic plan to promote behavioral health, prevent Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Abuse (ATODA) (including prescription drugs), and suicide.  This innovative plan is based upon the growing recognition and evidence from prevention science, nationally that, “Culture is Prevention.”

The plan was developed by a multi-disciplinary team and a policy consortium, which included an evidence-based practice (EBP) and practice-based evidence (PBE) workgroup.   Representatives worked in various sectors (e.g. ATODA, behavioral health, education, Tribal government, etc.) at six of the 12 Tribes and the state of Wisconsin.  The policy consortium met in-person monthly, worked via conference calls, and e-mail.  

SAMHSA required the plan address the following components: data collection, analysis and reporting; coordination of services; technical assistance and training; and performance/evaluation.  Therefore, existing aggregate inter-Tribal ATODA data and data collected from 66.7 percent of key stakeholders (n=44) from 12 Tribes on data collection, analysis software systems, collaboration among different programs, etc., were reviewed to guide discussions and make data-driven decisions of what to address within the plan.

As a result, the plan not only addressed the required components, but also distinguished between EBP and PBE, and used  SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework in conjunction with traditional cultural beliefs/approaches and strength-based medicine wheel logic models.  All components of the plan are interrelated; each section includes considerations for recommendations, relevant goals, and action steps.