Heal(th) From Within: A Research Collaborative to Share our Journeys to Wellness

Abstract Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s (ANTHC) vision is that Alaska Native people are the healthiest people in the world. Alaska is homeland to an estimated 151,405 Alaska Native people who belong to culturally distinct communities in rural and urban areas of the state.8 Similar to the rest of the United

States, the health and wellbeing of Alaska’s Indigenous peoples is linked to its colonial past, and health disparities regarding substance use, overdose and mental health mirror national statistics. In 2022, Alaska Native people experienced the highest rate of fatal drug overdose in Alaska with 78.2 deaths per

100,000.9 This is a sharp increase from 36 per 100,000 in 2020.10 Despite having suffered a number of traumatic events throughout Alaska’s history of colonization and contemporary substance use, overdose and mental health disparities, Alaska Native people continue to be extremely resilient and connected to

their strong cultures through fishing, hunting, harvesting, singing, dancing, speaking Native languages, and practicing oral traditions.14-17 A growing body of evidence suggests that Indigenous-based healing approaches are successful in addressing the impacts of historical and community traumas.18,19 The

proposed project entitled Heal(th) From Within: A Research Collaborative to Share our Journeys to Wellness plans to look into this further. The proposed goal is to ANTHC’s research capacity and infrastructure in the areas of substance use, overdose and mental health. While ANTHC has a 65-year record of successfully conducting health

research to improve the health and wellness of Alaska Native people, there is a lack of research in these specific focus areas. The outcome is to decolonize and indigenize the way we collectively address substance use, overdose, mental health and pain through culturally appropriate health research. To

meet the intended goal and outcome the proposed Heal(th) From Within project aims are: Specific Aim 1. Expand research expertise, knowledge and skills to engage in culturally-based health research to address overdose, substance use and mental health among AN people. Specific Aim 2. Build a network for collaboration with tribal and community partners who are engaged

in substance use prevention and treatment as well as mental health efforts. Specific Aim 3. Assess local and culturally grounded approaches and strategies that show promise in addressing substance use, overdose and mental health in partnership with AN tribes and communities. Completion of this first phase of the proposed project will provide the foundation for moving forward

with conducting culturally-based intervention research to develop evidence-based approaches that will alleviate disparities in substance use, overdose and mental health among AN people and communities during Phase II of the N CREW Program. 1 of 1