The hope & wellness screening toolkit: developing a community based suicide and substance use screening program for American Indians and Alaska Natives

ABSTRACT Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S. In American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) urban communities and rural reservation communities, youth experience high rates of suicidal ideation, attempts, and deaths. An urban AI organization partnered with a university to respond to this crisis with SAMHSA funds that supported the development and implementation of youth suicide prevention and intervention programming through screening, identification, and treatment of youth. They engaged the community in developing suicide prevention and intervention programming, and designed and tested procedures for implementing community-based suicide screenings, which led to the creation of the Hope & Wellness Screening Toolkit.