The Rural, Remote, and Culturally
Distinct (RRCD) Populations program of the U. S. Department of
Health & Human Services' Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
(CSAT) awarded funds for projects designed to improve the availability,
accessibility, and effectiveness of services to individuals with
culturally distinct characteristics who reside in rural, remote,
and geographically isolated areas.
The State of Alaska, the Yukon-Kuskokwim
Health Corporation (YKHC), and CSAT signed a cooperative agreement
in 1993 for a special substance abuse treatment and recovery services
project with YKHC as the primary provider. The purpose of the
RRCD grant funding the project was to create a decentralized substance
abuse treatment program in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta that would
provide culturally appropriate outpatient recovery services to
Alaska Natives in three villages. The project became known as
the Chemical Misuse and Treatment Recovery Services (CMTRS) program.
This was the first example of a collaborative effort between YKHC,
the State of Alaska, and CSAT in joining forces to create a new
way of providing services to culturally distinct populations in
the Yukon-Kuskokwim area. The goal was for local village members,
trained in substance abuse, to provide successful, village-based
interventions and treatment services, making maximum use of local
Alaska Native cultural traditions and language. CMTRS thus sought
to incorporate the wisdom, beliefs, and knowledge of the indigenous
Yup'ik and Cup'ik people. Over the course of five years, many
innovative approaches in the program were developed to achieve
this goal.
The final CMTRS report is available
for viewing in pdf format: Evaluation
of the Chemical Misuse Treatment and Recovery Services (CMTRS)
Program. The following reports and products are also
available through ICHS and the UAA Consortium Library:
Program Description
Hamilton J., Saylor B. "The
Development of a Cultured-Based Substance Abuse Treatment Program
in the Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska." Proceedings of the
10th Congress on Circumpolar Health, Anchorage,
Alaska, May 1996.
Methodology
Kehoe. B., Saylor, B., Hamilton,
J., Smith, S. "Video Use in Social Research Among Indigenous
Populations," CMTRS Evaluation Series, ICHS, January 1998,
and accepted for publication, National Rural Institute on Alcohol
and Drug Abuse.
Saylor B., Booker J., Hamilton
J., Klose, K. "Methodological Issues in Evaluating a Culture-Based
Substance Abuse Treatment Program In The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta,
Alaska." Proceedings of the 10th Congress
on Circumpolar Health, Anchorage, Alaska, May 1996.
Kehoe, B. "Cross-cultural
Research Issues Regarding Alcohol and other Drug Program Evaluations
in American Indian and Alaska Native Settings." November
1996.
Saylor, B. "New Ways of Evaluating
the Effectiveness of Rural Health Services for Indigenous Peoples
of the Arctic." Presented at the 6th Circumpolar
Universities Cooperation Conference, University of Aberdeen,
Scotland, June 24-27, 1999.
Saylor, B. "Evaluation Methods
for Remote Community Substance Abuse Services." Presented
at the Northwest Health Policy Research Conference, Seattle,
WA, June 1997.
Evaluation Working Papers
Saylor, B., Kehoe, B., Smith S.
"Community Perceptions of the Culture-based Chemical Misuse
Treatment and Recovery Services Program in Southwest Alaska."
CMTRS Evaluation Series, ICHS October 1996. (Focus Group Report
from Yup’ik communities).
Saylor, B., Kehoe, B., Smith, S.
"Community Perceptions of the Village Alcohol Education
Counselors (VAEC) Program in Southwest Alaska." CMTRS Evaluation
Series. Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies. June 1997.
Marshall, D., Saylor, B., Smith,
S. "Comparison of Local and Non-Local Substance Abuse Treatment
Costs: Analytical Framework and Data." Institute for Circumpolar
Health Studies. December 1996.
Saylor, B., Kehoe, B., Smith S.
"Community Perceptions of the Culture-based Chemical Misuse
Treatment and Recovery Services Program in Southwest Alaska."
Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies. October 1996.
Saylor, B., Smith, S. "Public
Safety Data in Villages Served by the CMTRS Program." Institute
for Circumpolar Health Studies. June 1997.
Saylor, B., Kehoe, B., Smith, S.
"Comparing Substance Abuse Treatment Services in CMTRS
and VAEC Villages." Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies.
June 1997.
Saylor, B., Smith, S. "Community
Health Aide/Practitioner Patient Encounters, 1989-1996."
Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies. May 1997.
Abraham, A, et al. "Guidelines
for Developing Substance Abuse Programs for Native Americans:
Lessons Learned from the Chemical Misuse Treatment and Recovery
Program, Southwest Alaska." Institute for Circumpolar
Health Studies. July 1999.
Video Productions
"Strength from our Elders:
CMTRS- Village-Based Substance Abuse Treatment," a 45 minute
videotape, Pacific Productions; Robert Pond, Editor; Brad Kehoe,
Videographer; Brian Saylor, Producer, 1996.
"Protecting Our People, Strength
from our Elders: The Village Alcohol Education Counselors (VAEC)
Program in Southwest Alaska," a 45 minute videotape, Pacific
Productions, Robert Pond: Editor, Brad Kehoe: Videographer,
Brian Saylor: Producer, 1999.
