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 nearly 5,700 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. Medication Assisted Treatment services have seen similar increases, with 69-70 patients receiving services during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 project years.
KANA has worked to address this issue through multiple avenues, including the implementation of a Peer Support Program, expansion of substance use treatment services, integration of the Wellness & Prevention team into the Behavioral Health service array, expanded community training in recognition of and response to overdose emergencies, and more. This has been supported various funding sources, including TOR grants awarded in 2019 and 2021.
As an accredited Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), KANA believes that an opioid response should encompass a comprehensive and integrated approach. The proposed project has identified three goals: 1) increase capacity to provide treatment, wraparound, and other support services; 2) support training for individuals involved in the provision of those services; and 3) design and implement a contingency management program.
Funding is requested to support salary for an Addictions Counselor and SUD Behavioral Health Clinician; purchase of supplies and materials used in the course of substance use treatment; facilitation of safe/sober social activities for clients in treatment and/or recovery; training in the evidence-based Matrix Model of substance use treatment for at least two staff members; attendance at the RADACT Academy and Chemical Dependency Counselor certification for at least two members of KANA’s Peer Support Program or village-based Behavioral Health Aides/Practitioners; and implementation of a contingency management program.
Through TOR funding, KANA proposes to serve 191 opioid-using clients within the Kodiak region throughout the life of the project.