TRIBAL LEADERS COUNCIL BATTLING DRUG ABUSE IN INDIAN COUNTRY

The Montana Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council (MT-WY TLC) is proud to
announce that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) has funded a Tribal Access to Recovery
Program. The grant's mission is to address the gaps and barriers that
impede access to a continuum of care for American Indians that is
culturally competent and effective.

Gordon Belcourt, executive director of the Montana-Wyoming Tribal
Leaders Council, said, "We are pleased and honored to receive
notification that SAMHSA has awarded the Montana-Wyoming Tribal
Leaders Council this major grant. We are working to address the
devastating impact of drug abuse, especially methamphetamine abuse on
the reservations of Montana and Wyoming. This program will provide
important additional resources and tools to combat substance abuse in
Indian Country, and we thank the Montana and Wyoming Congressional
delegation for their continued support in this battle against abuse."

The MT-WY TLC will be managing the grant utilizing public health
professionals, with the support and participation of federal, tribal,
state, local and private agencies with similar responsibilities and
roles in the tribal communities. Tribal and urban Indian chemical
dependency programs will partner with MT-WY TLC to implement a
voucher-based system. The goal of the grant is to increase access
through client choice from an array of clinical and recovery support
services, addressing methamphetamine and other substance use disorders
during the three years of the grant. It will also include long-term
planning for sustainability for local tribal efforts beyond the grant
period.

Of the 70,000 American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in Montana and
Wyoming, in 2006, it is estimated that 11,200 who are age 15 years and
older needed substance abuse treatment and recovery support services.
However, only 4,405 clients actually received services, resulting in
6,795 with these needs unmet. Methamphetamine is particularly
problematic for AI/AN in Montana and Wyoming. The unmet need for
services for methamphetamine is estimated at 30 percent of the total.

Community-based providers in Montana and Wyoming will be recruited to
increase the current substance abuse treatment and recovery support
system. Grassroots, faith-based, tribal and non-tribal, public and
private organizations and providers will be welcome to provide
services authorized through the voucher system. The goal is
reintegration of the individual into the family and their communities
in a healthy way.