Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that $9,343,231 is coming to Tribal communities in Oregon and across the Pacific Northwest to tackle the opioid epidemic by boosting prevention, treatment, and recovery programs. This federal funding is critical to providing Tribes with more resources to help address this public health crisis, which disproportionately impacts Indigenous communities.
“As I met with Oregonians in each of our 36 counties for town hall conversations this year, I heard about the need to combat the opioid crisis everywhere I traveled, especially for Tribal communities and those living in rural areas,” Merkley said. “People need access to addiction and treatment services. These federal dollars will help strengthen prevention and treatment options in Tribal communities across our region, and I’ll keep working to deliver resources and support individuals and communities suffering from this epidemic.”
“Opioid abuse slamming Tribal communities throughout Oregon demands an effective response,” Wyden said. “These federal resources totaling more than $9 million for Oregon and the region will help to provide that urgently needed response. And I’ll continue the battle to secure the investments in prevention, treatment and recovery that all Oregon communities need to combat the scourge of opioid abuse.”
The two Tribal organizations in Oregon receiving awards from this federal funding are as follows:
- $9,047,597 for the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB). This latest funding to NPAIHB was the sixth iteration of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Tribal Opioid Response grant. With these funds, the Oregon-based NPAIHB will support 34 Northwest (NW) Tribes across Oregon, Idaho, and Washington will continue to address the opioid crisis by expanding access to culturally appropriate prevention, treatment, and recovery activities.
- $295,634 for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Indians. This funding will be used to address the opioid overdose crisis by increasing access to FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (MOUD), and supporting the continuum of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services for opioid use disorder (OUD) and co-occurring substance use disorders.
“This is the first time SAMHSA has awarded these funds as a 5-year grant, which will prove to be beneficial throughout Indian Country and help reduce gaps in funding. The funding will reinforce efforts to reduce unmet treatment needs and substance-related deaths. Right now, fentanyl is causing extremely high numbers of overdose deaths and loss in many communities, and it is our hope that these additional funds, across the five years, will assist us and the NW Tribes at combating not only the opioid epidemic but also the ongoing devastation caused by fentanyl,” said the NPAIHB Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) Project.
“Opioid addiction is something that does not discriminate. It takes lives, destroys families and haunts tribal and non-tribal communities alike. Resources like these are a critical component to helping Tribes bring these services to those seeking treatment,” said Cheryle A. Kennedy, Chairwoman of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Indians.
SAMHSA—under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—is distributing this funding as a part of $1.5 billion in awards to address the opioid epidemic across the country. This includes $63 million for Tribal Opioid Response Grants, which assists in addressing the opioid overdose crisis in Tribal communities by investing in programs that connect individuals to evidence-based treatments and resources.
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