Navajo Leaders, Task Forces Set Five Year Priorities to Combat Violence and Suicide

Members of the 25th Navajo Nation Council gathered with Diné Action Plan task force leaders, community partners and subject matter experts in a two day winter meeting that concluded on December 23, 2025. The gathering focused on reviewing work to prevent violence, reduce substance use, prevent suicide, and address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives, while setting priorities for the next five years.

Task forces reporting to the Diné Action Plan brought updates from the Violence Prevention, Alcohol and Substance Use Prevention, Suicide Prevention, and Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives groups. Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty, who chairs the Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives Task Force, emphasized the need for stronger coordination and accountability across justice agencies and service providers. Discussions highlighted both immediate service expansions and system level reforms.

Practical strategies discussed at the gathering included culturally informed prevention efforts, expanded treatment and peer support options, revitalized talking circles, broader naloxone distribution, transportation assistance for people traveling to care, and expanded telehealth services for remote communities. A central theme was the development of culturally grounded data systems to guide decision making. Participants described plans for centralized data hubs that would allow leaders to identify trends, measure service gaps and track outcomes across programs.

For McKinley County residents, many of whom live on or near Navajo Nation lands, these proposals could translate into more coordinated response to overdoses and suicidal crisis, improved access to behavioral health care, and clearer lines of accountability when relatives go missing. Transportation assistance and telehealth were presented as direct remedies for long standing access barriers in rural areas, while naloxone distribution aims to reduce fatal overdoses in the short term.

The gathering concluded with a commitment to finalize comprehensive reports that will document accomplishments to date, outline remaining challenges and list priorities for the forthcoming five year period. Local providers, county officials and community organizations will be watching the reports closely as they plan how to align services and funding with the Diné Action Plan priorities.