Friday, April 26, 2024
4/26/2024
On February 15, 2017, Alaska's Governor Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration on Alaska's opioid epidemic. To address this, Fairbanks Native Association (FNA) developed Recovery is Real (R&R), a comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic. R&R enhances FNA's existing Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) Opioid Use Disorders (OUD) Outpatient (OP) Program by adding new services, ensuring a full spectrum of opioid services. New services to the continuum of care supported by SAMHSA funding include community-wide prevention efforts, transition planning from discharge for three months, and a transition plan, and includes ongoing recovery support services provided by peers post-treatment. FNA's Behavioral Health Division (BHS) has a sophisticated infrastructure in place to support BH services. As such, no new funding for infrastructure development is needed. Over the past four years, a focus on infrastructure development has resulted in multiple plans support BHS programming, including the following plans: Workforce Development, Financial and Access to Care, Sustainability, Outreach, and Trauma Informed Care. FNA BHS provides a culturally-specific continuum supported by an annual Cultural Competence Assessment and Plan and the involvement of Alaska Native/American Indian (AN/AI) Elders through Denakkanaaga, a tribal Elder program. FNA is eligible as an Urban Indian organization and as an Indian Tribe pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act through resolution from its regional Corporation, Doyon Limited. FNA is located in the Fairbanks North Star Borough of Alaska. It was founded in 1967 by a Native Elder and established to provide a voice and sense of belonging for AN/AI people in a time when signs proclaiming "No Dogs or Indians Allowed" were prevalent. The long-term, overarching goal of R&R is to reduce opioid abuse and reverse the life-threatening effects of overdoses through the provision of prevention, recovery support, and transition services for OUD resulting in a full spectrum of opioid services. The implantation of existing Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) will ensure the projected outcome. Existing EBP's for the MAT/OUD/OP Treatment Unit include Motivational Interviewing and Contingency Management. New practices include traditional practices (Talking circle and Elder Involvement) as well as Peer support and Community Level Prevention via Public Education Non-Supplantation: As FNA BHS has several active SAMHSA grant programs, we are cognizant of the need to ensure non-supplantation. To address this, we utilize Staff Activity Logs commended by the previous Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Administrator Dr. Westley Clark. These logs separate activities by funding source and include date, time spent on activity, name of staff, and activity. These are run weekly by the Evaluator and tracked by the Deputy Director to ensure each activity matches the grant program and staff member assigned to that grant program.
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).
