The Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma headquartered in White Eagle (5 miles south of Ponca City, Oklahoma) with Tribal jurisdiction extending to parts of Kay and Noble counties has a membership of 3,522. The Tribe operates a small, ambulatory health clinic, White Eagle Health Center (WEHC), with a user population approaching 5,000 consisting of infants, children, adolescent, adults, and elders. The WEHC service area encompasses four (4) additional counties (Grant, Garfield, Payne, and Pawnee). These six (6) counties are resident to four (4) other rural tribes, Otoe-Missouria, Tonkawa, Kaw, and Pawnee, each with limited access to mental health and substance abuse services. The proposed project will focus on adults ages 18-years-old and older, in the Tribe’s jurisdiction and surrounding area. The program looks to serve at minimum 30 adults annually and 105 throughout the lifetime of the project.
The wide-spread use of opioids, stimulants and other drugs of abuse pose additional threats to the physical and emotional wellness of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma. In the 2020-2021 Annual Report submitted to the Ponca Tribal Business Committee, the White Eagle Health Center-Behavioral Health Department (WEHC-BH) saw an increase of 20% in clients seeking services for opioid and stimulant treatment. Treatment outcomes are further complicated by the lack of transportation, employment, housing, detox, and aftercare. Additionally, the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma Business Committee has identified methamphetamine as a significant drug threat for the community. These gaps in services have been partially addressed by federal funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) but additional funding is required to produce optimum outcomes. The proposed project seeks to strengthen the recovery support services, treatment options, and prevention activities for the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma catchment area.
The goals of the project are too: 1)Increase the capacity of recovery support services designed to assist individuals and families to initiate, stabilize, and maintain long-term substance abuse recovery, 2)Maximize the accessibility of evidence-based treatment practices for American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) clients diagnosed with Opioid use disorder (OUD) or co-occurring disorder (COD), and 3)Initiate awareness and increase understanding of historical trauma and internalized oppression as contributing factors to current trauma, violence, criminal activity, and substance abuse.