PROJECT ABSTRACT SUMMARY
Project Summary: California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. (CRIHB) will implement the California Rural Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) project in rural Tribal communities in Northern California to address opioid use disorder by incorporating culturally appropriate and traditional practices in prevention, intervention, and treatment programming, as well as provide services to address stimulant misuse and use disorders as part of prevention activities.
Populations to be Served: CRIHB will partner with four Tribal Health Programs (THPs): Anav Tribal Health Clinic in Siskiyou County; Sonoma County Indian Health Project, Inc. in Sonoma, Mendocino, and Marin Counties; Toiyabe Indian Health Project, Inc. in Inyo and Mono Counties; and Tule River Indian Health Center, Inc. in Tulare County. The TOR project aims to reach THP staff and 200 unduplicated American Indian Alaska Native (AIAN) community members annually.
Project Goals and Objectives: The project has the following goals: increase medication of opioid use disorder (MOUD) services at participating THPs; partner with workforce development programs to implement opioid use disorder (OUD) training for Tribal healthcare workers; utilize an intergenerational, multifaceted approach to preventing OUD and overdose for Elders, youth, and other vulnerable populations; implement a Tribal Youth Council (TYC) campaign focusing on opioids and stimulant use awareness, helping the community learn about the dangers of opioids; support service delivery models in participating THPs that enable the full spectrum of treatment and recovery support services; implement activities to make harm reduction services available in AIAN communities; implement community recovery support services in participating THPs and the Tribal communities they serve; provide assistance to patients with treatment costs and develop other strategies to eliminate or reduce treatment costs for under and uninsured AIAN patients; work with CTEC to assess the impact of the project activities,
The project has the following objectives: all four THPs will provide MOUD services or have referral agreements with MOUD providers; provide at least ten training to participants; provide at least 15 training sessions in public health sessions (three annually) in the CRIHB Public Health and Research & Evaluation Department-sponsored training; provide at least 15 activities targeted at Elder education; partner with at least four organizations to help increase education and services for specific vulnerable populations within rural Tribal communities; partner with CRIHB's Elevate Youth California grant, California Tribal Epidemiology Center’s Tribal Overdose Prevention Program, and all participating THPs to develop a TYC to lead two opioid and stimulant use prevention meetings for youth; all four participating THPs will be designated hubs or continue to have agreements with their local hub in the California Hub and Spoke System; provide at least five training to participating THP staff on youth-specific service delivery and discharge planning; partner with CRIHB’s Tribal Medication Assisted Treatment project and external naloxone-distributing programs to ensure the medication’s availability; purchase naloxone vending machines or emergency naloxone cabinets to increase access to naloxone and other opioid overdose reversal medications; distribute naloxone and substance test kits, including fentanyl test strips, at 100% of in-person training/events; a peer support group schedule will be created for each of the four participating THPs; communicate to participating THPs how subcontract funds are utilized for patient treatment costs; the Program Evaluator will complete 20 quarterly reports (four per year) to determine the impact of the grant.