Project Grant 20194610030279

THE CURRENT PROJECT IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN SOUTH DAKOTA AND MINNESOTA, FOCUSED ON PARTNERING WITH RURAL TRIBAL COMMUNITIES AS THEY ADDRESS THE OPIOID CRISIS. THE WORK IS BASED ON THE IDEA THAT EVERY COMMUNITY CAN SUPPORT PEOPLE TO BOTH PREVENT OPIOID USE, AND TO ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN SOBRIETY FROM OPIOID ADDICTION. THE PROJECT'S GOAL IS TO SUPPORT FOUR TRIBAL COMMUNITIES IN THEIR WORK TO ADDRESS THE OPIOID CRISIS, THROUGH HIRING/SUPPORTING AMERICAN-INDIAN TRIBAL COMMUNITY FACILITATORS, EMBEDDED IN THE COMMUNITIES OF LOWER BRULE (SOUTH DAKOTA), FORT THOMPSON - CROW CREEK (SOUTH DAKOTA), BOIS FORTE (MINNESOTA), AND MILLE LACS (MINNESOTA). TRIBAL COMMUNITY FACILITATORS WILL WORK WITH EACH COMMUNITY TO PARTNER, COLLABORATE, AND CO-CREATE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH THAT BUILDS ON COMMUNITIES' CAPACITY AND UNIQUE STRENGTHS TO ADDRESS OPIOID USE DISORDERS. EDUCATION WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH OTHER EXISTING HEALTH PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING HEALTH AND NUTRITION EDUCATION DELIVERED THROUGH SNAP-ED AND OTHER PROJECTS ALREADY OFF THE GROUND. TRIBAL COMMUNITY FACILITATORS WILL WORK TOGETHER TO SHARE BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED, FOCUSED ON OPIOID USE DISORDERS IN AMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITIES, AS WELL AS PARTICIPATING IN AND DELIVERING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, IN RESPONSE TO WHAT COMMUNITIES IDENTIFY AS A PRIORITY. EACH TRIBAL COMMUNITY FACILITATOR WILL HOST AN OPIOID FOCUSED COMMUNITY GET-TOGETHER (I.E. A FORUM), AS AN EVENT TO SHARE HIGH QUALITY INFORMATION ABOUT PREVENTING OPIOID USE DISORDERS AND SUPPORTING THOSE IN RECOVERY, AS WELL AS STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS. LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PROJECT WILL BE DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TRIBAL PARTNERS CONNECTED TO THIS PROJECT AND WILL BE SHARED BROADLY, IN THE HOPE THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES FIND THESE STRATEGIES A SUCCESSFUL WAY TO PARTNER WITH AMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITIES TO ADDRESS THE OPIOID CRISIS. ?