Sunday, February 9, 2025
2/9/2025
Kenaitze Indian Tribe (Kenaitze, “the Tribe”) is a Federally recognized tribal government reorganized in 1971 under the statutes of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, as amended for Alaska in 1936. Kenaitze serves 2,023 Tribal Members and approximately 4,740 Alaska Native/American Indian (AN/AI) residents of the Tribe’s service area, which comprises the communities of Kenai, Soldotna, Sterling, Nikiski, Ridgeway, Kalifornsky, Cooper Landing, Funny River, and Kasilof—a geographical area that spreads across more than 15,000 square miles of rural Alaska and contains nearly 35,000 people, most of whom are non-Native. Grant-funded services will be delivered within this geographic catchment area to the target population composed of Tribal/AN/AI un’ina (Dena’ina word meaning “those who come to us”, clients). Substance use is a perennial problem for the region, particularly among Tribal/AN/AI populations, with limited access to comprehensive recovery services for those seeking assistance via FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (MOUD), including prevention, harm reduction, peer and/or other supports. According to local law enforcement, the area has seen an increase in drug use and overdoses, especially from fentanyl, which has reached epidemic proportions in recent years. Data provided by the Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) showed that 26.8 kilograms of fentanyl were seized in 2022, which increased by 210% to 83.25 kilograms in 2023, making it the second most-seized drug of the year by weight behind marijuana. Further, the state saw a 73% increase in drug overdose deaths between 2020 and 2021, with fentanyl involved in almost 3 out of 4 opioid deaths. Exacerbating the problem is the significant shortage of outpatient substance abuse treatment providers, which are limited to three (3) organizations: Peninsula Community Health Services (PCHS), Cook Inlet Counseling (CIC) and Kenaitze’s Dena’ina Wellness Center (DWC) Behavioral Health Department, all of which suffer from long waitlists—up to nine (9) months, in some cases, as of the time of this application. Further, according to Alaska Department of Health data from February 2023 to January 2024, there were 1,196 emergency department (ED) visits statewide due to opioid-related health emergencies, and 55 of those ED visits were in the Gulf Coast Region, which includes the Kenaitze service area; and in the same year, there were 279 deaths statewide due to opioid-related overdose, with 16 of those deaths in the Gulf Coast Region. For Tribal/AN/AI persons living in poverty on the Kenai Peninsula, accessing the treatment and accountability programs needed to maintain sobriety and/or mental and emotional wellness is already difficult. Barriers faced by the target population include limited/unreliable transportation options, the inability to afford treatment fees, and a lack of culturally competent care; by contrast, non-Native community members do not face the same cultural barriers to treatment and are less likely to be low-income, meaning they are more likely to be able to afford housing, treatment fees, and regular access to transportation necessary to keep appointments and remain in treatment. Goal: Enhance the availability of MAT case management services to support Tribal/AN/AI un’ina diagnosed with OUD in the Kenaitze service area. Objective: By the end of each Project Year, provide MAT, case management, counseling, and supports to at least fifteen (15) Tribal/AN/AI enrolled participants, totaling 75 unduplicated participants served by the end of the 5-year performance period.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).