Description

ndigenous populations in the U.S. and Paci?c Islands are underrepresented in mental healthandsubstanceabuseresearch,areunderserved,andhavelimitedaccesstomainstreamproviders. Often, they receive care that is low quality and culturally inappropriate, resulting in compromised service outcomes. The First Nations Behavioral Health Association (U.S.) and the Paci?c Substance AbuseandMentalHealthCollaboratingCouncil(Paci?cJurisdictions),havedevelopedaCompendium of Best Practices for American Indian/Alaska Native and Paci?c Island Populations. The private and publicsector?sincreasingrelianceonevidence-basedpractices(EBP)leavesmanyIndigenouscommunities at a disadvantage. For example, funding sources may require the use of EBP without awareness of its cultural usefulness to the local Indigenous population. Indigenous communities are then faced with having to select an EBP that is rooted in non-native social and cultural contexts with no known effectiveness in an Indigenous community. The ?eld of cultural competence has tried to in?uence mainstream research, and the escalating requirement of EBP use. These efforts have given rise to the practice-based evidence (PBE) and the community-de?ned evidence (CDE) ?elds. All of these efforts, ranging from evidence-based practice to community-de?ned evidence, have a shared goal: practice improvement.