Mi'kmaq and Maliseet tribes receive grants to fight drug addiction

Two tribal communities in Aroostook County will benefit from a grant that will help solve addiction problems.

HOULTON, Maine – Two tribal communities in Aroostook County will benefit from a grant that will help solve addiction problems.

US Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced on October 15 that four Aboriginal communities in Maine would receive $ 440,011 from the federal Department of Health and Social Services to fight addictions and launch community health projects. These four grants will focus on mitigating the effects of the opioid epidemic on tribal communities in Maine.

"No community is immune to this heartbreaking epidemic that has adversely affected too many of our peers, friends and neighbors," they said in a joint statement.

"This funding will provide Maine tribes with additional resources to fight the opioid crisis and protect the health of their community members."

the Council of the Micmacs of Aroostook $ 64,142 to fund the Mi'kmaq Community Health and Wellness Project. Tribal leaders have not responded to several requests for comment on how the funding will be used.

Wabanaki Health and Wellness will receive $ 140,526 to "increase the capacity of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and Wabanaki Health and Wellness" to provide medication-assisted treatment and develop new initiatives to prevent abuse of psychoactive substances, said the senators. Located in Bangor, Wabanaki Health and Wellness is a non-profit organization serving registered Indians in the tribes of Penobscot, Washington and Aroostook counties. According to its website, the agency provides case management, administers free HIV testing and organizes peer-to-peer recovery meetings, among other services.

Clarissa Sabattis, chief of the Houlton Maliseet Indian Band, said Tuesday that funding "will help us promote health and well-being in our community."

The grant money will also allow us to focus on developing and strengthening support mechanisms for addicts, she said. "This would also allow us to consider drug-assisted treatment as a potential service provided to our citizens, to identify capacity gaps and to give us the opportunity to plan."

Federal officials Centers for Disease Control noted that prescription opioid drug overdoses had tripled in the past three years, with 45% of opioid prescription pain medications also taking heroin.

According to Administration of Addiction and Mental Health ServicesAssisted drug therapy, which is sometimes used in opioid treatment programs, combines behavioral therapy with drugs to treat substance abuse disorders. The most common drugs include methadone, naltrexone and buprenorphine.