Northwest Regional Research Center - The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) is proposing a partnership of Northwest tribes and tribal organizations to develop a Northwest Regional Research Center (NW RRC) to enhance tribal data science and ensure tribal data sovereignty. NPAIHB will utilize the Northwest Tribal Prevention System (NW TPS) as an opportunity to provide targeted in real-time training for tribal members who are working as community-based researchers on this project. A central aspect of the NW TPS is to develop a workforce of tribal members in becoming community-based researchers. Additionally, building data infrastructure for the tribes to access data in real time will enhance data sovereignty. NPAIHB will work with 5 tribes to identify key tribal site staff who will be responsible for developing the data protocol for the NW TPS and develop individualized training plans of tribes to lead this work. This project meets the NCREW goal of conducting community-led research, while improving data and increasing research capacity of tribes while enhancing culturally grounded, strengths-based, effective, and sustainable intervention strategies; and the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative (HEAL) goal of working closely with communities to implement programs for prevention, harm reduction, and recovery. In August 2023, NPAIHB hosted the National Tribal Opioid Summit (NTOS.) This event provided opportunities for tribal, federal, regional, and state leaders to discuss the opioid crisis through 4 focused tracks: data, care and support, prevention, and law and justice. The data priorities spoke to data classification, tribal data sovereignty, data sharing, technical assistance, and support. Additionally, NTOS recommendations include funding; providing research in prevention efforts; and evaluating the impact of culture into prevention and treatment efforts. In response, NPAIHB has proposed the development of the NW RRC and the development and implementation of the NW TPS project. NW TPS is a primary prevention initiative begun in conjunction with the WA HCA and 5 tribes in Washington state. The NW TPS project aim is to build upon tribal strengths to create a primary prevention model that will align efforts between tribal government and health, social service, justice, and education systems, internally and with municipal, county, state, and federal partners. The NW TPS is data driven through a youth survey that is undertaken and analyzed to gauge efficacy of prevention programs in real time. The NCREW two-year project will support the development of the training and infrastructure for the pilot project and will inform the expansion of the NW TPS project throughout the Pacific Northwest. NPAIHB will act as the data hub for the tribal youth surveys, providing consultation, development and adaptation of the of the Washington youth survey; identifying or developing additional project surveys; ensuring that culture is incorporated into surveys; and providing research training to tribal staff working on the initiative. Through the NCREW application, NPAIHB will provide targeted training, technical assistance and support to achieve the development of a community-based research infrastructure specific to each tribe. The overall goal is to simultaneously establish continuity across the projects to ensure the success of the NW TPS, while also meeting the specific needs of each of the tribes. This study is part of the NIH’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative to speed scientific solutions for the overdose epidemic, including opioid and stimulant use disorders, and the crisis of chronic pain. The NIH HEAL Initiative bolsters research across NIH to improve treatment for opioid misuse and addiction and acute and chronic pain.
