College of Menominee Nation

College of Menominee Nation (CMN), a Tribal college located in Keshena, WI, with a second campus in Green Bay/Oneida, is developing a suicide prevention program to offer prevention services currently unavailable to our high-risk populations. CMN serves several high-risk populations including Native Americans and veterans. Currently the college does not have a counseling department. This SAMHSA grant provides CMN with a full-time professional to develop awareness and preventative services, which include a referral networking system with local mental health agencies.

CMN will accomplish all required SAMHSA activities, targeting the approximately 1,000 students each year at its Keshena and Green Bay/Oneida campuses. In general, the project is assisting CMN to develop a campus suicide prevention/education program from the ground up.

The objectives of our project include the following:

1. By September 2012, train at least 50 percent of CMN employees, targeting faculty, administrators, advisors, tutors, and student workers, to respond effectively to students with mental and behavioral health problems.
2. By September 2010, develop the infrastructure to connect CMN to local mental and behavioral health providers.
3. Annually, educate at least 150 students on suicide prevention, identification, and reduction factors.
4. By September 2012, increase the availability of suicide prevention information materials and resources on the CMN campuses.

CMN is located in a very poverty-stricken area serving predominantly Native American students. While the reservation is poor monetarily, it is very rich in Native culture and natural resources. We intend to modify general suicide prevention information available where appropriate to draw on the strengths of Native culture and identity. We will use this grant to develop an information, resource, and referral system at both of our campuses.