MMHC's TOR 2024 project - mathiesen memorial health clinic's (MMHC) service area is located in and around jamestown, california, extending into the northeastern sierra foothills (ZIP codes 95327,…

MMHC's TOR 2024 project - mathiesen memorial health clinic's (MMHC) service area is located in and around jamestown, california, extending into the northeastern sierra foothills (ZIP codes 95327, 95370, 95305, 95372, 95379, 95383, 95346, 95335, 95310, 95321 & 95375 in tuolumne county and 95228 in calaveras county; all inside congressional district CA-005). The total population within this large rural area is 58,274; of which 3,323 are veterans. The geographic barriers include our remote/rural location, low-income populations, and limited access to direct medical services. This area is one of the historically underfunded indian health service areas. The population of focus is the chicken ranch rancheria me-WUK tribal membership of 39 members, 2152 unaffiliated american indians residing in tuolumne county, and an estimated 350 who live outside the county. MMHC's population of focus also includes non-tribal individuals living in and around jamestown, specifically the 13,234 individuals living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, including those experiencing homelessness. In tuolumne county the rate of people unhoused is 0.53 per 100 people. Tuolumne county exceeded california's rate in emergency room overdoses (69.5/100K to CA's 54.88/100K), opioid related overdose deaths (21.7/100K to CA's 18.6/100K) and fentanyl related deaths (19.25/100K to CA's 16.59/100K). In 2023, tuolumne county saw the highest overdose deaths in the last 16 years. MMHC was fortunate to have begun medication assistance treatment (mat) and substance use counseling services just prior to the pandemic, thanks to our first TOR grant. At first, we began small with a few patients, but as the pandemic raged, we had so many patients needing help that within a year we had to move to a new dedicated space in 2021, we now call that office red feather clinic. At that time, we had 345% more patients than we originally anticipated. Another 200% more in 2023. Thus, we recently opened a second red feather clinic office that is located just across the parking lot. IT has room capacity for additional providers. Our request for the $250,000 each year will go towards keeping the red feather clinic's properties in operation and hiring additional addiction therapists to assist in our efforts to combat the opioid and fentanyl crisis. We are planning significant community outreach efforts where we will distribute prevention and harm reduction education materials, as well as conduct overdose trainings and distribute narcan. Additionally, for our tribal members and non-tribal patients, we will offer native drum making sessions to encourage spiritual wellbeing. Participants will learn native prayers and songs while making their drums and then take home to use to further their healing process. MMHC expects to provide services to at least 125 unduplicated individuals per year, a total of 625 over the five years and touch the lives of over 2500 individuals through our outreach program, distributing at least 1125 overdose kits with narcan reducing our county's drug overdose deaths.