Tribal Opioid Response (TOR)

  • Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) project is a two-year SAMHSA funded grant awarded to Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council to address the opioid crisis in Tribal and urban American Indian communities by increasing access to culturally appropriate and evidence-based treatment, including Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) services for opioid use disorder (OUD) and other stimulants (cocaine and amphetamines). The focus populations for this grant funding are urban American Indians served through Urban Indian Health Centers and the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana.
  • Collaborative partnerships with Urban Indian Health Centers and Little Shell Tribe address the unique needs of their individual communities. The project also partners with various community providers who work to serve the needs of the urban American Indian populations.
  • Community Activities for prevention of opioid and stimulant use such as beading and quill work, social dances, and cultural teachings.
  • Support for individuals in recovery through activities and programming.
  • Partner with local community resources that provide services to people who use substances to support efforts towards harm reduction such as needle exchange/return, personal hygiene, and care.
  • Provide speakers and presentations at Annual RMTLC Health Conference on the issues of addiction and substance use treatment and recovery.
  • Provide statewide training to the major Urban Indian Health Center service areas including Good Road of Life trainings, Equine Assisted Wellness and Cultural Trauma and Resiliency Competency.

Activities Provided

  • Educational classes on recovery
  • Naloxone training
  • Healing from grief
  • Indigenous food and cooking
  • Ribbon skirt making
  • Hepatitis C treatment campaigns
  • Indigenous dance classes
  • Sweet grass braiding
  • Sweat lodge ceremonies
  • Talking circles

In The News

Good Road of Life Training in Great Falls.

‘Native Pride’ program visits Great Falls.

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Native American Cultural Fair

Native American Cultural Fair Continues to Emphasize Community Outreach and Preservation.

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Unspoken Word Podcast

JC Beaumont explains the groups goal is to spread awareness of drug addiction and to provide resources to those in need.

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Unspoken Word Podcast

Members of the podcast Randy, Josiah, and JC celebrated National Recovery Month by sharing their experiences of recovery with the attending audience of inspiring others to move towards recovery.

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ALL SZN

ALL SZN hosts youth media class

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Prevention / Recovery Activities + Services

  • Provide Technical Assistance to other TOR programs and organizations on issues related to AI/AN opioid and stimulant use prevention programming.
  • Culture is Prevention programming for use at activities, conferences, and other associated educational opportunities.
  • Implement programming that targets to teens through activities, including a series of summer camps.
  • Provide community activities to support prevention and recovery opportunities and engagement in local urban Indian areas.
TOR Prevention

Activities Include:

  • Ribbon Skirts
  • Porcupine Quill Work
  • Beading
  • Dreamcatchers
  • Smudging

Workforce
Development + Training

  • Provide speakers and presentations for the RMTLC Annual Health Conference on the topics of opioid and stimulant use issues, and prevention and recovery of those issues.
  • Offer trainings on the Psychology of Addiction and Recovery to Tribal substance use recovery programs in each of the reservation communities served by RMTLC.
TOR Cupine

Activities Include:

  • Integrated Holistic PTSD
  • Trauma Resiliency
  • Good Road of Life
  • Equine Assisted Wellness
  • Peer Support

Harm Reduction Activities

  • Provide fentanyl test strip kits, test strips and information to Urban Indian Health Clinics and community partners.
  • Develop infographics on harm reduction and stigma to promote awareness and education for members of the community.
  • Provide materials and support for organizations working with individuals living on the streets such as basic hygiene supplies, fentanyl testing materials and cold weather gear such as hats and mittens.
  • Distribute Deterra medication disposal bags to Urban Indian Health Centers for distribution to communities.
TOR Harm Reduction 1

Activities Include:

  • Fentanyl Strips
  • Needle Disposal
  • Stigma Education
  • Deterra Drug Disposal

Partners

TOR works with the following primary partners:

Diversity

Each TOR partner is as unique as the area that it serves.  All partners experience diverse populations of Urban Indians that flow through their facilities.

Education

TOR provides educational materials related to opioid issues for increased and awareness of overdose, harm reduction, how to get help, stigma and recovery. Community and partner surveys are conducted to understand the needs of the cities where partners are located. TOR works with the Rocky Mountain Tribal Epidemiology Center to obtain needed information to help steer activities and educational efforts.

Resources

RMTLC TOR Strategic Plan

The Tribal Opioid Response Strategic Plan Rocky Mountain Region 2020-2022 was produced by the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council (RMTLC) Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) project with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Tribal Opioid Response grant (award no. 6H79TI083252).

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Culture Is Prevention

Culture is Protection

Participate in traditional ceremonies, learn from tribal elders, explore the rich history of Native American cultures.

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10 Guiding Principles Info

SAMSHA’s 10 Guiding Principles of Recovery

The belief that recovery is real provides the essential message of a better future.

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What are ACEs?

ACEs are traumatic events that occur between the ages of 0 and 17 years old

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Harm, Reduction, and Overdose Prevention strategies

Harm Reduction is a person-centered approach that uses strategies to reduce the harms of substance use.

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Opioid Overdose Signs & Symptoms

Did you know American Indians and Alaskan Natives have the second highest opioid overdose rates (15.7 per 100,000 people) than all other US racial/ethnic groups?

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Opioid Use Disorder

Infographic of signs and symptoms.

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Fentanyl: A Public Health Crisis

Just 2 milligrams can bea lethal dose and without test strips you do not know if another drug has Fentanyl in it or how much it may have.

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Opioid Use and The Affects on Pregnancy

A class of drugs that speeds up signals between the brain and body.

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Stimulant Overamping

Overamping: a term that describes an “overdose” on speed or cocaine.

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Tobacco Use Effects

Learn the health impacts of smoking tobacco.

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DETERRA

Prescription medication disposal product from safe removal from a home of prescription medications.

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Nutrition 101: Part 1

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Nutrition 101: Part 2

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Nutrition 101: Part 3

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Nutrition 101: Part 4

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Lacey Gonzales

Project Director

Dayle DeCoteau
Dayle DeCoteau

Project Manager