Fairbanks Native Association (FNA) is applying for the SAMHSA Emergency COVID-19 grant on behalf of Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) people in the Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) of Alaska. The purpose of the proposed project is to provide crisis intervention services and related recovery support for children, youth, and adults impacted by the COVID0-19 pandemic. The focus is on individuals with substance use disorders.
The focus of the proposed Alaska Native Pandemic Project (ANPP) is on individuals with substance abuse disorders and individuals with serious emotional disturbance. As an Alaska Native organization, our primary service population is Alaska Native. However by mutual agreement Alaska Native organizations also serve American Indians when they are in our service area, and vice versa. AN/AI are particularly vulnerable to this crisis requiring an immediate emergency response to stabilize those impacted by the pandemic. This pandemic will increase depression, anxiety, trauma and grief for Alaska Natives as a result of the virus and the corresponding results of the pandemic which are impacting our way of life and well-being, including loss of income, housing, lock downs (heavily impacting behavioral health) food shortages, and hope for the future. The world as we know it has entirely changed and Alaska Natives are a population least equipped to emerge from the virus unscathed. Alaska Natives are disproportionately negatively impacted by all indicators of well-being, as documented in Section A of this proposal.
FNA Behavioral Health has systems in place to address the behavioral health needs of clients negatively impacted by the epidemic, including Evidence-Based outpatient and residential treatment (including co-occurring), Screening and Assessment, Recovery Support Services (limited to the MAT Outpatient treatment unit), and a comprehensive system of care to provide necessary supports for ongoing recovery during and post-treatment.
Two service gaps are apparent and will be the focus of new services. (Crisis Mental Health and Recovery Support. New services will include a) the development of a comprehensive community-wide plan of evidence-based substance use disorder and co-occurring SUD and mental health disorder treatment services for individuals impacted by the pandemic, b) Recovery Support services for all FNA BH service units (serving 72 clients), and c) Crisis Mental Health Services (serving 60 clients) that include a 24 hour on-call crisis team and Crisis Intervention, Stabilization and Therapy. Recovery Support services are enhanced through our community-wide System of Care championed by our long-standing community coalition, the Interagency Transition Council (ITC). The FNA-sponsored ITC includes a community leadership network of 16 service agencies and individuals within the service domains critical to both MH and SUD (described in Section B. The ITC will spearhead community leadership, outreach for client recruitment and the plan referenced in (a) above.