Thursday, March 13, 2025
3/13/2025
The Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board (AAIHB) Community Opioid Intervention Prevention Project (COIPP) will bring together a multidisciplinary partnership to support the development, implementation and evaluation of culturally appropriate, evidence-based practices to address opioid use disorder among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals in the Indian Health Service (IHS) Albuquerque Area. The AAIHB COIPP will focus on two overarching goals, each with numerous objectives to be implemented over the next 5 years to 1) advance professional and community capacity to implement culturally relevant and trauma-informed public health education and training strategies for opioid use prevention, harm reduction, and treatment.; and 2) Develop and improve access to culturally appropriate, trauma-informed resources to enhances services for persons dealing with OUD and their families. The project will adopt the Sanctuary Model, a theory-driven framework for initiating and sustaining systemic and organizational transformations aimed at establishing trauma-informed environments.10 Central to the Sanctuary Model are four foundational pillars: shared values, shared language, shared knowledge, and shared practice. This comprehensive approach targets systemic shifts within organizations and communities, striving to cultivate safe, non-violent environments conducive to healing and support for individuals impacted by trauma. The AAIHB COIPP will provide two sub-awards to tribes in the IHS Albuquerque Area to implement community-driven strategies to develop community awareness and education campaigns, expand access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), build a support system for strengthening Native families, and increase harm reduction activities. Sub-awardees will be encouraged to address activities that focus on policy, systems, and environmental change related to opioid use prevention, treatment, and recovery. During each project year, the AAIHB COIPP will provide at least five trainings and develop resources on culturally appropriate, and trauma informed best practices to implement opioid prevention, treatment, including Medicated Assisted Therapy, harm reduction, and recovery strategies. The AAIHB target audience will include tribal partners from clinic and community-based settings from the 27 tribes in the IHS Albuquerque Area. In addition, every year, we will convene sub-awardees and regional partners for the Hope in Healing Native Opioid Summit, a two-day event to disseminate best practices and lessons learned. Furthermore, the AAIHB COIPP will recruit and retain up to 5 peer facilitators of the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT). CRAFT, a structured program spanning 8–10 weeks, is designed to support families coping with substance use disorder, equipping participants with constructive communication strategies while fostering healthy boundaries. Finally, the AAIHB COIPP will provide essential harm reduction supplies to American Indian/Alaska Native individuals and tribal organizations including naloxone, fentanyl and xylazine test strips, and Deterra medication disposal bags. This service significantly bolsters access to vital supplies that may otherwise be scarce or difficult to obtain within these communities. The proposed project is therefore sorely needed and will be led by an experienced team at the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, Inc. (AAIHB) who will build upon successful implementation of the 2021 Community Opioid Prevention Pilot Project to promote awareness, prevention, screening, referral and linkage to care for opioid use disorder.
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).