Monitoring the Abuse of Drugs Project (MAD) NARCH
Background
According to national research studies, American Indians and Alaska Natives have higher prevalence of substance use disorders than do other ethnic groups. AI/AN communities report high rates of alcohol and marijuana use and methamphetamine abuse is a significant and growing problem for Northwest tribes. The abuse of prescription medications is also on the rise and is causing devastating consequences within AI/AN communities, although very little data exists documenting this emergent problem.
These studies, however, fail to capture the multi-dimensional consequences of substance use disorders specifically in AI/AN communities. It can be difficult to complete valid assessments of the epidemiology of alcohol and other drug use in AI/AN communities as they are sovereign nations and are often located in rural areas. As a result, there are few reliable descriptions of the impacts of drug use and the experiences of AI/AN communities.
Project Overview
In an effort to assist Northwest Tribes, NPAIHB has partnered with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Native American Research Centers for Health, to develop the capacity to collect and use health data to improve health status and reduce health disparities related to substance use. The Monitoring the Abuse of Drugs project will sponsor capacity development work in four American Indian communities in the Pacific Northwest.
Utilizing community based participatory research methods, this four-year project will assist tribes in (1) developing a drug problem index that monitors and tracks community impacts related to the use of drugs and alcohol in the community; (2) assessing current capacity for treating substance use disorders in the community and implementing quality improvement interventions; and (3) interviewing in-treatment and out-of-treatment drug users to estimate the level of substance use disorders present in the community.
Goal
The long-term goal of the Monitoring the Abuse of Drugs project is to identify and understand the unique experiences that American Indian communities face with regard to substance use and to assist communities in building skills to address these experiences.
