As Elizabeth Prewitt reported earlier, in December 12 U.S. Senators sent a letter to DHHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell asking that she direct the agencies in DHHS serving Native Americans to plan and implement a comprehensive integrated trauma-informed strategy. In February, Secretary Burwell responded positively to the Senators, informing them that she has directed the Administrator of the Administration on Native Americans (ANA) to take the lead in developing such a strategy and plan. She also directed the Acting Administrators of SAMHSA and the Administration for Children and Youth to consult with tribes on the proposed new plan. A copy of her letter (this one to Senator Schatz but each of the 12 Senators received a personal letter) is attached. It is believed that this is the first time any Federal Department has been directed to develop a Department-wide integrated trauma-informed strategy. It is hoped that such a strategy will help to reduce the siloed programs that now exist in DHHS and that make it difficult for tribes and other local communities to pull together the resources needed to implement a comprehensive trauma-informed strategy.

The Roundtable on Trauma-Informed Native Communities, a non-profit organization that grew out of roundtable Senator Heitkamp (ND) hosted in November 2014, advocated for and assisted the 12 Senators the letter to Secretary Burwell and will now be offering to help the DHHS agencies implement the new policy. Anyone else interested in becoming involved in this process should also contact ANA and the other agencies to offer their support and assistance for the new plan.

Dan Press, General Counsel, the Roundtable on Trauma-Informed Native Communities