Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Naloxone training program and policy

Place Category: Specialized Court Projects

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  • Summary: As a response to the increasing rates of lethal opioid overdose in their community, the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah has developed a program, accompanied by a formal policy, that offers free Naloxone training to its community members and tribal employees. Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is an easily administrable, life-saving drug that can reverse an opioid related overdose. Interested community members and tribal employees can attend the short trainings and learn how to recognize an overdose and administer the Naloxone. Additionally, trained personnel also receive a free Naloxone kit that they can keep with them in the event that they come across someone who has overdosed.

    Tribe:

    Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah

    Program Running Length:

    The policy was first drafted in 2017 and passed in 2018. The first community training took place in the Fall of 2017

    Contact:

    Tina Warhurst, Mental Health Counselor

    P: (435) 586-1112 ext. 303

    F: (435) 867-2659

    Email: twarhurst@fourpointshealth.org

    Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah

    440 N Paiute Dr.

    Cedar City, UT 84721

    www.utahpaiutes.org

    Location:

    The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah is spread across fourcounties throughout South Central and Southern Utah.

    Land Characteristics:

    The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Reservation consist of ten separate land parcels located in four counties. In South Central to Southern Utah.

    Population:

    The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah has 928 enrolled members.
    The Paiute Indian Tribe has seen a sharp increase in opioid overdoses within the past few years. There are many rural areas of the Paiute land, and those who experience an overdose must be treated immediately if there is any hope for survival. Therefore, the tribe developed a program that allowsinterested community members and tribal employees to be trained in using Naloxone as a way to combat the rising rates of opioid related deaths.Any community member who is interested and willing can take part in the training program. Additionally, all tribal employees, with an emphasis on employees who are in the field or working in behavioral health services, are required to take part in the training.For the past few years, the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah has been battling a rise in opioid related deaths. To address this issue, Tina Warhurst, the Mental Health Counselor of the tribe, attended a free training offered by the Utah Naloxone program to learn more about the live-saving drug Naloxone. Utah state law allows for community trainings and administration of Naloxone and the statewide Naloxone program offers ½ day trainings to individuals, organizations, and state employees on how to recognize an overdose and administer a dose of Naloxone.

    After attending the training, Warhurst developed a similar one-hour training that is now offered to Paiute community members and non-medical tribal employees. Additionally, she drafted the policy that outlines the training, stipulates the continued training requirements, and continues to empower the Paiute community. The trainings began in the fall of2017 and the policy was officially passed by Tribal Council on March 15, 2018.The goal of the Naloxone program is reducing the number of opioid related deaths through training thePaiute community and employees on the use of Naloxone.The community training is offered through the Tribal Behavioral Services Department. It consists of a one-hour training that teaches participants to (1) recognize an overdose, (2) administer Naloxone, and (3) place the victim in a safe position for recovery. At the end of the training, all participants receive a free Naloxone kit of their own, provided to the tribe by the Utah Naloxone Program.

    The program is not restricted by age and is offered throughout the four bands of the tribe to all interested community members. It is also offered to tribal employees with an emphasis on staff who are in the field and/or work in the Behavioral CareDepartment. The training is not open to medical staff, as they go through their own respective medical training.

    If it has been a while since someone has been through a training, refresher trainings are also offered. This helps ensure that all trained personnel stay up to date on the most recent recommendations. If someone does administer the Naloxone, a follow-up is conducted to ensure that all the proper steps were taken.The Naloxone program is administered though the Behavioral Services Department of the Paiute Tribe. Mental Health Counselor, Tina Warhurst,the behavioral care team conducts the community and employee trainings and ensure participants receive their Naloxone kit.

    The Policy, written by Warhurst, was passed through Tribal Council on March 15, 2018.The program has received its Naloxone kits from the statewide, non-tribal,Utah Naloxone Program. The trainings for the tribal community and employees are funded by a grant through The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a department of the Federal Health and Human Services.The Paiute Tribe  has received support and assistance from the Utah Naloxone program. This program has, up to this point, supplied all the Naloxone kits for the Paiute community.The key partnership that was established was between the Utah Naloxone Program and the Paiute program. Though no formal partnership exists, the Utah program provides the Naloxone kits to the community. Additionally, ensuring that tribal staff from all departments come together for these trainings has increased the knowledge and awareness of this life-saving program.The dedication of Warhurst to the development of the training program has been instrumental to the success of the program. Additionally, her attendance at the Utah Naloxone Program trainings and her ability to access other state Naloxone programswere the foundation for the Paiute program and policy. The Paiute community’s recognition of the issues and the Tribal Council’s openness to this program was also key to its success.The major challenges for this program have been formatting and drafting of the actual policy. Because this is a formal policy, it was required that the policy be drafted and sent through the necessary tribal channels for approval. However, the policy moved quickly and was even distributed to the community for feedback.Thus far, the key lessons have been around solidifying the source of the Naloxone kits and the importance of offering the trainings in all fiveof the Paiute bands. Fortunately to date, neither of these has been an issue.So far 40 tribal members and 5 Behavioral Care staff of people have received the training and more trainings are scheduled to take place.The short amount of time that the policy has been in place makes it difficult to measure its effectiveness. However, the high demand by the community for more trainings and Naloxone kits demonstrates a positive trend towards the program’s effectiveness.The response of the Paiute community to the Naloxone trainings has been overwhelmingly positive. Because many of the community members have been impacted by the opioid epidemic or know someone who has, they have been extremely receptive to receiving training.To date, fortunately, no tribal member has needed to use their Naloxone kit or training. However, tribal members have consistently shared feelings of increase safety knowing they can help their family members or friends in the event of an opioid overdose.