Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation - Medication Assisted Therapy Project - Alaska has seen a 68% increase in opioid overdose deaths in the last two years, and the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC), a tribal organization representing 58 Federally recognized Tribes in Southwest Alaska, has seen a similar rise in overdoses primarily by fentanyl. YKHC is seeking to increase MAT-PDOA services for the Alaska Native (Yup’ik, Cup’ik and Athabaskan) residents of our region, using a combination of Western and Indigenous treatment methods. With this funding we will double the number of clients we serve. Project Name: Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation’s Medication-assisted Treatment – Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction Project Population to be Served: The residents of the Yukon – Kuskokwim Delta region of Southwest Alaska, population 26,917 predominately Yup’ik, Cup’ik and Athabaskan residents. Our program will serve 40 inpatient clients during the life of the grant, a 100% increase. Strategies and Interventions: Evidence-based practices will be utilized, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Interactive Journaling, Family Systems Therapy, Living in Balance, and Calricaraq, an Indigenous intervention recognized as our local best practice developed by our elders teaching Alaska Native traditional and ancestral knowledge. Project Goals and Measurable Objectives: Our MAT-PDOA Program will increase the number of unduplicated clients served by 100% over the life of the grant using both outpatient and inpatient behavioral health services using strategies to encourage participation, including: increased case management, peer support services, community outreach, and improving the referral system to help identify and engage new clients. Our MAT-PDOA Program will decrease illicit opioid drug use and prescription opioid drug misuse in our service area by expanding the capacity of YKHC and its partners increasing treatment services available for our clients. Our MAT-PDOA Program will increase local, regional and statewide partnerships to provide robust treatment and recovery support services in the region. This will be accomplished by implementing outreach and engagement strategies to our communities, development of regional partnerships and collaborations resulting in additional resources for clients in need of treatment. Our MAT-PDOA Program will utilize an Alaska Native culture-based treatment program, Calricaraq, along with the main treatment milieu. The Calricaraq Wellness Curriculum will be used with our clients to teach Indigenous healthy living and coping skills. Clients will also participate in a 3-day Calricaraq Gathering, where they will learn about historical trauma, how to heal from trauma, and the Calricaraq wellness wheel showing how to start living a healthy life.
