These Indian rates are adjusted for miscoding of Indian race on death certificates. The suicide intervention program on White Earth is supervised by Indian Health Service staff in the reservation's new health service building. Selection of volunteers and their training is rigorous. People who want to join must be nominated by other volunteers. There's a background check, monthly training, and then a probationary period.
Volunteers monitor each other, watching for signs of burn-out.
They abide by a strict code of confidentiality and don't talk about any of the incidents. Over lunch in Ogema, a little town on White Earth's western border, volunteer Sharon Watson says getting the program off the ground was a challenge. People attempting suicide and their families resented the presence of outsiders. At first it was like, 'Who the hell are you. There's less resistance, Watson says, now that more people on White Earth know about the program.