Thursday, March 13, 2025
3/13/2025
Project Title: “Strengthen Our Spirit”—Addiction Takes Everything, Returning to Self The overarching goal of our project is to send a message of overcoming addiction and reclaiming one’s true value. By implementing interventions within our communities, this project will address the rising opioid crisis. Having identified the need, this project will have a culturally relevant and multifaceted approach, aiming to prevent opioid misuse, with timely interventions for at-risk community members, while enhancing community resilience. The project objectives align with the funding purpose of addressing the opioid crisis in our Alaska Native communities. We aim to enhance community awareness and education, and treatment and recovery options for opioid misuse and opioid misuse disorder. By increasing knowledge and using culturally appropriate interventions, we predict an increased use of medication-assisted treatments. With this project, we aim to support our Tribal communities in their efforts to provide treatment, recovery, and preventions services, as well as identifying, increasing, and implementing harm reduction tools and strategies. Our project will hold community outreach and education campaigns to bring about awareness of the risks associated with opioid misuse. This will include the dangers of opioid misuse and the potential for addiction. Community members will be trained in how to recognize early signs of opioid misuse, thereby providing immediate assistance and support to individuals in crisis. Long term recovery requires support. We aim to establish support networks and teams, within our communities, that will strengthen and empower community families in addressing the opioid and overdose crisis and seeking help. These support networks will connect individuals and families affected by opioid use disorders to share experiences, resources, and encouragement. By partnering and working collaboratively, this project will increase access to MAT/MOUD treatment for persons who experience opioid misuse, opioid use disorder, and opioid related overdoses. Working closely with Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) will be an essential partnership for this project. ANTHC manages substance misuse prevention, HIV/STD prevention and harm reduction services for (AN/AI) people statewide. Through these programs, ANTHC operates the iknowmine.org website which is a holistic and culturally responsive health education resource for AN/AI youth and young adults. Educational materials on opioids and other drugs, harm reduction supplies, opioid overdose response training, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) toolkits, and HIV and STD testing kits are available for order for free through this site. Working with Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is a key partnership operating three certified opioid treatment programs in southeast Alaska and providing medication assisted treatment across the region. These treatment programs have been enormously successful in bringing life-saving medication and comprehensive treatment services for those struggling with opioid use disorder. Increasing harm reduction activities will allow us to minimize the consequences associated with opioid misuse. By acknowledging the challenges faced with substance abuse, our project will aim to provide overdose prevention strategies, reducing the spread of infectious diseases, promoting safer drug administration and disposal options. Striving for these objectives, our ‘Strengthen Our Spirit—Addiction Takes Everything, Returning to Self’ project will create resilient communities that actively prevent opioid misuse, use timely and culturally relevant interventions, and supports families and individuals on the path of recovery. Our partnerships will allow us to explore methods that that have been already implemented, that will continue supporting, bringing awareness, and enhancing our tribal citizens’ increasing knowledge, understanding and common language.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).