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KBIC receives nearly $300K for addiction treatment, prevention

By Journal Staff

BARAGA — The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community will receive a Tribal Opioid Response grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for nearly $300,000, according to MDHHS officials.

KBIC’s grant is $295,634 allotted out of the $36.4 million state opioid response grant received by MDHHS from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for the current fiscal year .

These funds are in addition to the nearly $1.6 billion from national opioid settlements Michigan is slated to receive through 2040, with half being distributed to the state of Michigan Opioid Healing and Recovery Fund and the other half being distributed directly to county, city and township governments.

“These federal funds help our state address the multigenerational impact of the opioid epidemic as well as well as the racial disparities that exist with substance use disorder,” said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “Programs focused on prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery are saving the lives of Michigan residents each and every day. We will use these dollars to continue investing in supports, improvements and enhancements that further our efforts to decrease substance use disorders, improve treatment options and improve recovery success.”

In the next three years, Michigan is slated to receive more than $109 million in federal funding intended to address the overdose crisis.

The KBIC Substance Abuse Program clinical manager has reported increasing occurrences of fentanyl overdoses on reservation land as well as the use of heroin in response to the unavailability of opioid prescription drugs such as OxyContin. The tribal police chief also said there has been a significant rise in methamphetamine and cocaine use.

SAMHSA’s report on the KBIC’s need for these resources reads: “The funding of this opioid response project will allow KBIC to staff a halfway house for clients leaving inpatient treatment programs. This need is apparent, as Oshki Gijigad, New Day, Treatment Center data shows that, even though 46% of residents maintained sobriety upon discharge, 36% experienced relapse within 30 days of their release.”

These statistics provided were sourced from the KBIC SAP 2020 program management summary.

“Primary focus for recovery housing will be KBIC tribal members who have completed a minimum six-week residential treatment program at the Oshki Gijigad house but any Bemidji-area member can transition from residential treatment to the opioid response recovery house at KBIC,” reads the SAMHSA project description.

Traditional Indigenous cultural teachings and traditional medicine from the tribal healer will be used to support opioid and substance recovery. Some other forms of assistance include Cognitive Behavorial Therapy outpatient substance abuse therapy, talking circles and community and youth education.

Starting at $4.62/week.

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