Amid ongoing uncertainty over federal funding of local health services, a project to prevent suicide and substance use among Native American youth in Kern County could be scaled back, or possibly eliminated.
Since 2020, the Bakersfield American Indian Health Project, a nonprofit serving Native communities in Kern County, has used federal money to fund a program that integrates cultural practices into its youth services. Customs such as music, regalia making and medicine gathering are taught and practiced to promote social, emotional and spiritual health.
“To me, it’s a huge concern that the project is going away because, for one, it’s driving a lot of community-based work that we’re doing,” said Johnny Delgado, BAIHP’s grant program director.
The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposes cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, including the elimination of its Tribal Behavioral Health Grants, also known as Native Connections. The five-year grant program aims to address behavioral issues, such as suicidal behavior and substance use, of Native youth up to age 24.
Grantees have received up to $250,000 per year to fund their projects. They have also been assigned government project officers, who monitor progress and compliance, and technical assistants, who provide guidance on planning and implementation, crisis response and other services for at-risk youth.
“Those delivering the technical assistance and supporting with the cultural services, cultural information and development were the ones that were really helping with driving a lot of the work that we were doing,” Delgado said.
Angel Galvez, CEO of BAIHP, wrote in an email to The Intersection that he was unsure why the status of the grant had changed.
“Honestly, not much is available to us in terms of reasons for the changes,” Galvez said. “I am unclear as to if the grant changes are due to any restructuring orders under the new administration or simply a change due to grant objectives and goals realignment.”
Galvez added that according to the group’s review of the SAMHSA grant portal, Native Connections is not set to receive further funding.
“Again, the details of why is uncertain to us at this time,” he said.
In addition to direct youth services, BAIHP also uses the grant to fund its largest culture-based event, Gathering of Native Americans, where participants discuss issues in their community, such as historical trauma, mental health and substance use.
The program’s last round of funding is set to expire on July 30. BAIHP’s contracts for technical assistants will end in August.
“Thankfully, BAIHP has planned strategically to minimize the impact of care by securing other funding for comparable services,” Galvez said.
BAIHP also plans to restructure its youth services by asking staff members to take on additional roles. But that could cause the program to phase out or continue without the attention and outreach it needs to support Native youth, Delgado said.
“It’s unfortunate because if you’re able to reach the youth at an early age, and you’re able to instill protective factors in them through culture, then that’s going to support them throughout their life,” Delgado said. “It could cause them to reduce chances of suicidal ideation or substance use disorder. We have to keep the work going, but we don’t know how due to the funding cut.”
Haydee Barahona is The Intersection’s reporting intern from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She covers health equity in Bakersfield and Kern County.