DURANGO, Colo.

The Navajo Nation has taken the first step toward establishing its own addiction rehabilitation centers by asking the Indian Health Service to extend its Title I contract to include mental health.

Both President Russell Begaye’s spokesman, Mihio Manus, and IHS Public Affairs Liaison Genevieve Notah confirmed that the tribe sent a letter of intent to the Navajo Area IHS asking for the right to control its own mental health program several months ago.

In anticipation of the contract, Navajo Behavioral Health Services has become Navajo Behavioral and Mental Health Services. Although the distinction is sometimes fuzzy, behavioral health is usually defined as helping people avoid negative behaviors such as drinking too much or physically expressing anger, while mental health includes treating mental illnesses such as depression or schizophrenia, according to “Psychology Today.”

To run a full-service addiction treatment center, the nation would have to supply both kinds of services.