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NATIONAL METHAMPHETAMINE TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
Focus on ...
Focus on ...
Indian Country
Limited meth treatment, health care
From a National Congress of American Indians report:
g Almost seven in 10 (69%) of tribal respondents to a Bureau of Indian Affairs study Indicatedt that they had no tribal-sponsored meth rehab centers. There are very limited treatment resources or facilities available in Indian Country. Therefore when law enforcement or intervention efforts increase, there is often insufficient treatment resources to absorb or address the increase in individuals wishing to obtain assistance.
g Indian Health Services (IHS) are funded at less than 60% of the level needed to provide basic adequate health care services. Limited health and treatment resources are already overtaxed in Indian Country. Meth treatment costs substantially more than most other addiction treatments and last substantially longer, often over a year.
g Addiction treatment in Indian Country is often outsourced, utilizing the annual mental health dollars provided to tribes through an Indian Health Services formula. Even without methamphetamine in a community, these dollars are usually insufficient to meet the treatment and mental health needs of a community. For communities dealing with meth, these allocations are grossly inadequate. Most communities are running out of their annual treatment and mental health funds just a few months into the year, leaving them unable to provide any kind of treatment to anyone, including such pressing needs as teen suicide mental health assistance, for the entire remainder of the year. For example, last year the IHS Portland Area Office spent 90% of its behavioral health budget on treating meth.
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Indian Country
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