The Fort Peck Tribes are located in northeastern Montana on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, home to two Indian Nations, the Assiniboine and the Sioux. The Reservation is 2.1 million acres and 1 way distances between Tribal communities can be as long as 40 to 50 miles. We are requesting a 3 year grant of $1,203,726 (Year 1 budget of $383,086) to implement the Community Opioid Intervention Pilot Project (COIPP) Initiative on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
The Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes' substance abuse treatment facility, Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center (SBRRC), will implement the COIPP Initiative to enhance its services to those who are experiencing Opioid Use Disorder through the enhancement of three areas: Prevention, Equine Therapy, and Aftercare. SBRRC will enhance its Prevention activities by dedicating 1 Peer Support Specialist (Prevention PSS) to participate in community events and seek out feedback from community members about opioids and their concerns and questions about opioids and opioid treatment and prevention. The Prevention PSS will develop answers to specific questions from community members in the form of factsheets, brochures, awareness campaigns, and local media outlet articles and posts taken from approved scientific sources including the benefits of Medication Assisted Treatment, the purpose thereof, and how to access those services at SBRRC.
SBRRC will enhance its in-house capacity to conduct equine therapy by training mental health providers and an Equine Therapy PSS in the Eagala Model to allow more flexibility in scheduling equine therapy sessions. Equine therapy has been successful on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in opening communication between clients and mental health service providers through the connection with the horse. SBRRC believes it can sustain an equine therapy program with training that allows for 3rd party billing. SBRRC will also enhance its ability to provide Aftercare Services through the dedication of 1 FTE to Aftercare to work with clients who return from off-Reservation Treatment for OUD or who have completed their Treatment at SBRRC. An Aftercare PSS will assist clients with resource referrals, aftercare treatment plan adherence, and emotional support during the aftercare stage of their recovery.
Success has been achieved with the implementation of the Native P.R.I.D.E./H.O.P.E. model and through the COIPP Initiative, we will conduct 4 of these events per year to build the leadership skills and belief in their own strength of youth, adults, and support networks (family and relatives) to assist OUD clients in successfully completing treatment, maintaining aftercare treatment plans.