The Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA) is requesting Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funding for the KANA Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) Program. This program will provide a comprehensive approach to serving the population of focus, Alaska Native/American Indian (AN/AI) patients diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) receiving treatment at KANA, to address the opioid epidemic in Kodiak, Alaska.
Kodiak Island is a 100-mile long island on the south coast of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the roughly 30-mile wide Shelikof Strait; it is surrounded by smaller islands of various sizes in the Kodiak Archipelago. KANA provides comprehensive services to over 2,500 AN/AI residents in the Kodiak region, and operates through resolutions from nine regional Tribal Governments under P.L. 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination Act. KANA provides primary medical, dental, and behavioral health services, as well as support services to families who struggle for resources to all AN/AI population of Kodiak and the surrounding villages.
In the Kodiak region, behavioral health, including substance use, has been regularly identified as a priority health need by residents. In 2013, 2016, and 2019 behavioral health and/or substance use were all identified as the number one or two need by the Kodiak Island Community Health Needs Assessments. In addition, KANA has seen large increases in the use of opioids, moving from three patients diagnosed with OUD to more than 30 in 2020.
As an accredited Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), KANA believes that an opioid response should encompass a comprehensive and integrated approach. The proposed project will support the expansion and strengthening of KANA’s Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program, enhance OUD treatment services, and serve to increase support services available for OUD clients.
The KANA TOR Program goals and strategies include: (1) increase the capacity and scope of medical staff training to improve the quality of MAT services being delivered to AN/AI patients diagnosed with OUD by providing case management certification training to medical support staff associated with the MAT program and to obtain an organizational membership with the Case Management Society of America to promote ongoing education; and (2) increase capacity to provide treatment, wraparound, and other support services for AN/AI patients diagnosed with OUD by hiring and onboarding a new Case Manager who will be trained in Integrated Case Management, and increasing the certification level and skillset of several Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program staff members.
Through TOR funding, KANA proposes to serve 24 AN/AI OUD patients in Year 1 and 28 in Year 2, a total of 52 unduplicated patients. These patients will be enrolled in MAT, IOP, and mental health services as appropriate and will remain in services for an average of 6-9 months, while also receiving needed support services with the assistance of the Case Manager.