Blackfeet Tribe - TOR - Journey To Recovery Center - Abstract: The Blackfeet TOR project will provide prevention, treatment, and recovery services to people with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), fentanyl, and or stimulate use disorder in the Blackfeet Community within the boundaries of the Blackfeet Nation. This includes access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), contingency management, counseling, care coordination, peer support, and cultural wisdom services that were unavailable to approximately 11,000 Blackfeet residents prior to TOR funding. In 2019, the Blackfeet Tribe launched an outpatient substance use disorder facility, the Journey to Recover Center (JTRC), under the umbrella of the Blackfeet Tribal Health Department BTHD reorganized and is now the Health Systems (BTHS). BTHS includes the services of Crystal Creek Lodge Treatment Center, BTHS Behavior Health Programs, BTHS Clinics and Public Health Services for Youth and Adults. In 2019 and 20230 JTRC partnered with Community Medical Services (CMS), an established SAMSHA-certified Opioid Treatment Program, to set up a medication unit within the JTRC to provide FDA-approved OUD treatment medications such as methadone, buprenorphine, and naloxone. This partnership was on hold due to the COVID epidemic. This service will begin again starting September 1, 2022. Clients of the JTRC receive medication from CMS, they also receive services such as drug and alcohol counseling, mental health counseling, care coordination, peer support and cultural connection directly from JTRC. While the first and second round of funding established these services, the JTRC required continued funding to expand the current services to the large population experiencing OUD and create a sustainable array of services for those experiencing fentanyl and stimulant disorders, also. Statistics indicate extremely prominent levels of substance use on the Blackfeet Nation. March of 2022 the Blackfeet Tribe released a press release and resolution declaring the Blackfeet Nation a State of Emergency on Fentanyl and drug overdose. In the second week of March there were seventeen overdoses; four of these ended in death. The goals of this grant will be to (1) Increase the BTHS's Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder prevention and treatment capacity; (2) Provide comprehensive, evidence based outpatient Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder treatment to the people of the Blackfeet Nation; (3) Develop an Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder recovery program infrastructure. With funds from this grant, we plan to serve sixty people each funding year, for a total of 120 people over the two year funding cycle.
