Abstract
Title: Increasing the Capacity of a Community-Based Research Center to Address Opioid Use
Disorder and Related Health Inequities in Urban American Indian Communities
The Native American Community Clinic (NACC) research center, The CEDAR Center, proposes
a two-year project to increase their research capacity and evaluate culturally-centered models of
care for urban-dwelling American Indians struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD) and related
conditions. As an Indigenous-led Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving over 4,500
American Indian/ Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients annually, NACC’s research center is uniquely
positioned to conduct research inline with the organization's mission to provide care through a
culturally-centered model that integrates Western and Indigenous knowledge systems to
address the opioid crisis and related health inequities.
Our project will:
1. Build capacity to conduct local community-based HEAL-prioritized research by:
a. Increasing key staff
b. Developing research policies, practices, and procedures
c. Establishing a Community Advisory Board
d. Establishing a Scientific Advisory Board
2. Enhance NACC's model of integrating cultural healing practices within a Western
community health center to address OUD/SUD, overdose, and related health and
wellness factors.
3. Prepare a NIDA proposal for a full-scale project testing the impact of our culturally
centered model.
a. Employing a mixed methodological pilot approach, including analysis of existing
clinical data, community surveys, focus groups, and interviews, we will assess
our culturally-centered model's effectiveness and identify improvement areas.
Throughout the project, we will focus on building sustainable research capacity within our
organization and community. This includes training AI/AN staff in research methods,
establishing data governance protocols, and creating pathways for community members to
engage in all stages of the research process.
This project aims to improve health outcomes and overall wellness for urban AI/AN people by
developing and evaluating culturally centered, community-driven approaches to OUD treatment
and prevention. Our findings will inform larger-scale intervention studies and contribute to the
evidence base for holistic Indigenous healthcare models addressing the opioid crisis.
