Preventing Alcohol-Related Deaths through Social Detoxification

The purpose of this program is to increase access to community-based prevention strategies that provide social detoxification, evaluation, stabilization, fostering patient readiness for and entry into treatment for alcohol use, and other substance use disorders. In alignment with the IHS 2019-2023 Strategic Plan Goal 1: To ensure that comprehensive, culturally appropriate personal and public health services are available and accessible to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people, the Preventing Alcohol-Related Deaths through Social Detoxification (PARD) project is designed to provide communities the ability to reduce alcohol-related mortality and encourage clients to seek additional alcohol and/or substance use disorder treatment after discharge from a detoxification program. Indian Health Service (IHS) will use this funding to focus on the provision of services in Tribal and Urban Indian communities with the highest burden of alcohol-related deaths among AI/AN persons. IHS analyzed the national rates of causes of deaths using the CDC data (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Mortality 1999-2020 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2021), and determined that McKinley County, New Mexico (with the largest city of Gallup), continues to have the highest burden of alcohol-related deaths among AI/AN persons. Additionally, the 2017 Senate Appropriations Committee Report 114–281 expressed the Committee’s expectation that IHS address alcohol and substance abuse through Federal, State, local, and tribal partners, calling for a sustainable model for life-saving community services, with specific attention on the capabilities of the Na’Nizhoozhi Center in Gallup, New Mexico. A consensus among clinical and subject matter experts understand detoxification does not provide the full spectrum of alcohol and/or substance use disorder treatment but can serve as a pathway to seeking treatment and as a component in the continuum of services for alcohol and substance use disorders (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 45 (https://www.samhsa.gov/resource/ebp/tip-45-detoxification-substance-abuse-treatment).
Categories: Health.