The proposed project, Seminole Tribe of Florida (STOF) Opioid Response (TI22-006, CFDA 93.788) will develop and
implement programs to enhance the current treatment for and prevention of Opioid Use Disorders (OUD) within STOF.
STOF was awarded the Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) grant in FY2019, and FY2021 and since that time, STOF has
developed and implemented programs to treat and prevent OUD. This application will focus on providing prevention
and treatment programming designed to quickly facilitate the transition of tribal members experiencing crisis
events involving Substance Use Disorder’s (SUD’s) into treatment. American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN)
have the highest rate of substance abuse compared to any other population group in America (O’Connell, J. M.,
Novins, D. K., Beals, J., Whitesell, N. R., Spicer, P., & The AI-SUPERPFP Team, 2011). AI/AN comprise
approximately 0.8% of the United States population and yet they account for 2.5% of substance abuse admissions.
AI/AN are far more likely to require substance abuse treatment than equally matched individuals across all other
ethnic groups and nearly 11% of AI/AN adolescents and young adults struggle with Substance Abuse (SA) (SAMHSA,
2020). STOF has experienced similar struggles that mirror the national averages for AI/AN. The data available
shows the Center for Behavioral Health (CBH) received 356 requests for services last fiscal year. Approximately
200 of those RFS were a result of SUD’s.
From a public health perspective, getting individuals into treatment early as they are in crisis is critical to
obtaining successful treatment outcomes. Early interventions also reduce the frequency of crisis events that
occur, ultimately reducing the strain on STOF resources. Creating a Crisis Response Team (CRT) that has the
clinical and mental health capacity to respond to crisis events and provide services to the family whose family
members struggle with SUD’s appears to be a best approach to managing STOF’s SUD’s issue. The Community Crisis
Coordinators will be available 24 hours a day/7 Days a week particularly in the evening, on weekends and over
the holidays. Collaborating with the Seminole Police Department (SPD) and Seminole Fire Rescue (SFR), the CRT
will be part of a multi layered approach to responding to community crisis events. The team will specialize in
providing de-escalation training to its partners in order to provide a more holistic approach towards crisis
interventions.