Rural Communities Opioid Response Program-Overdose Response - Address: Healing Lodge- 53 Penobscot Ave, Millinocket Maine, 04462 Project Director Name & Contact Info: Sharon Jordan, 207-631-1536, stomah@wabanakihw.org Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness Website: https://wabanakiphw.org/ Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness (WPHW) is a collaborative, tribally designated organization (created legislatively, in partnership between the State of Maine and the Maine’s Tribal Chiefs) that works with tribal and tribal non-profit organizations to deliver public health services to Wabanaki people (Maine’s tribal people). WPHW serves as a coordinating entity for public health efforts within and between tribal communities. Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness’s mission is to provide community-driven, culturally centered public health services to all Wabanaki communities while honoring our cultural knowledge, cultivating innovation, and collaboration. WPHW’s vision is that Wabanaki people and communities are healthy and culturally strong for generations to come. WPHW is a nonprofit 501(c)3 tribal organization that serves as the public health authority for the five Wabanaki communities of Maine spread across roughly 8,300 square miles of the northern part of the state. The HRSA-designated rural service area includes four of the five tribals communities: Mi’kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. Spread across Aroostook, Washington, and northern Penobscot counties, these communities are in areas with extremely limited access to health services, including mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services for which there is a high need. In addition to the rurality of these areas and limited specialized health care, Wabanaki people have been threatened by an accelerated loss of language and culture. Due to these conditions and health disparities including early onset of chronic diseases and high rates of addiction, Wabanaki people can expect to live 20 years less than their Maine counterparts. Addressing the needs of the SUD/OUD treatment infrastructure in our rural, tribal communities became a focus and priority, when in 2016, tribal leaders and health professionals estimated that approximately 50%, or 1 out of 2 people seeking help were unable to access needed SUD/OUD treatment services. Factors and obstacles identified included a lack of the following: MAT, support groups, aftercare services, tribal treatment centers in the state, rehab, detox, transition services, family-based services, culturally appropriate and traditional services, outreach programs, medication management availability, sober housing, and wraparound services in the surrounding communities, as well as transportation, tribal inpatient programs, and intensive outpatient treatment programs (IOP). Additional barriers identified included high costs of services, and local clinics that can only address basic needs. Efforts to address these needs have included creating the Center for Wabanaki Healing and Recovery, opening multiple recovery homes, creating peer services, medication assisted treatment (MAT), and a crisis line. While much has been accomplished, this work continues to branch further and expand to meet community goals and needs. WPHW’s current and historic RCORP awards have contributed largely to the infrastructure improvements that have been made. These large-scale initiatives have bridged many community needs and now allow WPHW to look towards the next phase of sustainability and implementation which includes addressing training, processes, and rapid response needs. Completing tasks associated with activities 3, 6, 7, and 13 will aid WPHW and the Wabanaki communities in building and bridging services further to bring high quality, accessible SUD/OUD services to communities to reduce negative health outcomes and long-term health disparities the indigenous population in the state experiences.
