Bear River Healing to Wellness Development

Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe located in Humboldt County, California. With this funding, the Bear River Band Tribal Court will: Increase their capacity to implement wellness based programs and services and will begin implementation through an Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) wellness-based court.

Proposed five-year funding under Purpose Area 3 will allow the Tribal Court to expand authority over wellness court matters. During the project period the court will work to establish capacity and expand authority by: building partnerships with other agencies, writing a strategic plan with action steps, expanding jurisdiction by having new laws adopted, and developing a comprehensive set of Wellness Court program guidelines. During the last two years the court will implement a wellness drug court for those with Substance Abuse Disorders.

The Wellness Drug Court will offer substance abuse counseling and will be supplemented with cultural prevention activities. The counseling and activities are to be available to those sentenced by the Tribal Court Judge in civil dispositions, and will be available voluntarily to the community as prevention activities. Program staff will screen participants using evidenced based methods in order to ensure proper levels of treatment. The Wellness Drug Court Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) program expects to serve a minimum of 25 unduplicated tribal members in the service area of Humboldt County. 25 people is the equivalent of 12.5% of the estimated Rancheria population, or 6.25% of the Bear River population living in the service area of Humboldt County.

The capacity building activities and implementation of the AOD program will also help prepare the court for implementation of future program areas of the wellness court, and for expanding jurisdiction of the court to criminal jurisdiction in the future.