Opioid Overdose Prevention in Tribes: Technical Assistance Through Public Health Institutes

About the Project

The opioid crisis disproportionately impacts American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) populations. AI/AN individuals had the largest increase in overdose deaths between 1995-2015 and currently experience the second highest fatality rate from opioid overdose at baseline. Compounded with frequent racial misclassification and general underreporting, these statistics are estimated to be higher.

To ensure and improve targeted opioid overdose prevention for AI/AN populations, NNPHI is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and Seven Directions, the nation’s first indigenous public health institute on a multi-year project that will seek to improve existing public health infrastructure, data and information systems, and programs and services to better address the needs of tribal communities.

Seven Directions serves the many tribes, communities and organizations from the AI/AN populations to create communities of practice, transform health systems, improve the workforce and capacity, and enhance knowledge transmission. More information about Seven Directions can be found here.

Goals of the Project

• Establish a tribal opioid overdose technical expert group, known as the Tribal Opioid Technical Advisory Group (OTAG)
• Identify best practices for epidemiological surveillance, tribal public health data infrastructure and coordination of care
• Develop a robust community of practice with a repository of resources, active technical assistance, and regular in-person and virtual meetings.

Related Resources

Seven Directions: A Center for Indigenous Public Health

An Environmental Scan of “Tribal Opioid Overdose Prevention Responses: Community-Based Strategies and Public Health Data Infrastructure”

Contact Us

For more information, please contact us at opioids@nnphi.org.  

This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award (NOFO OT18-1802, titled Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health) totaling $500,000 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.