Arizona

Behavioral Health for American Indian AHCCCS Members in Arizona: AIHP, IHS, and Tribal Programs

By Dr. Stacey Forbes, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC

For American Indian families in Arizona, getting behavioral health care can mean navigating several systems at once: AHCCCS, the Indian Health Service, tribally operated programs, and sometimes a tribal behavioral health authority. Each exists for good reasons, and together they give members more choice than many people realize. This guide explains how AHCCCS describes those choices, so families can use them with confidence.

What AIHP is

The American Indian Health Program (AIHP) is one of the ways American Indian members can receive their AHCCCS coverage. According to AHCCCS, American Indian adult and child members who select AIHP, and who have not been determined to have a serious mental illness, receive integrated care through the program — meaning physical and behavioral health are coordinated together rather than handled by separate systems.

AIHP is a choice, not an assignment. AHCCCS states that American Indian members may change their enrollment between AIHP and an AHCCCS Complete Care plan at any time. Members who have been determined to have a serious mental illness follow different enrollment rules, which are worth asking AHCCCS about directly.

IHS and tribal 638 facilities, at any time

One of the most important points in AHCCCS’s description is about where members can go. American Indian members, whether they live on or off a reservation, may continue to choose to receive services at any time from an American Indian health facility, including an Indian Health Service facility or a tribally operated 638 health program. Enrolling in a particular plan does not close that door.

For behavioral health, that flexibility matters. Someone may prefer care from a program run by their own community, where cultural context is understood, while also using other services when they fit better — and they do not have to give up one to use the other.

Tribal Regional Behavioral Health Authorities

AHCCCS notes that behavioral health services may be provided through a Tribal Regional Behavioral Health Authority (TRBHA) where one is available. A TRBHA provides behavioral health services to members in its area. Whether one serves your community, and how to enroll, is a question for AHCCCS or your tribal health program.

Crisis support

Several tribal communities have their own crisis lines, which AHCCCS lists alongside the statewide line:

• Ak-Chin Indian Community and Gila River Indian Community: 1-800-259-3449
• Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community: 480-850-9230
• Tohono O’odham Nation: 1-844-423-8759
• Arizona Crisis Line: 1-844-534-HOPE (4673), or text 4HOPE (44673) — free, confidential, 24/7, regardless of insurance.
• 988 by call or text, and 911 for immediate danger

For how Arizona’s crisis system works statewide, see Arizona’s crisis line and AHCCCS.

Working alongside outside specialists

Sometimes a person needs something beyond what is available close to home — a detailed psychiatric evaluation, or careful adjustment of medication over time. Telehealth can bring that expertise to a patient without travel. It works best as a partner to existing care, not a replacement: with the patient’s written permission, an outside clinician can coordinate with a tribal health program or IHS provider so everyone is working from the same plan. Willow & Stone provides telehealth psychiatry to patients located in Arizona and respects the care relationships a patient already has. See psychiatric care across Arizona.

• Start with the program you already use, and ask what is available
• Tell any outside clinician which programs you use
• Decide what information you are comfortable sharing between providers
• Keep your tribal crisis line and the statewide line saved

Common Questions

Sources & Further Reading

• AHCCCS — American Indian Health Program: Integration
• AHCCCS — Crisis Hotlines
• AHCCCS — How to Apply
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline