AUGUST 22, 2024
Overdose death rates in the United States are highest among American Indian and Alaska Native people, prompting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch a new program to support and fund public health efforts in Native communities to reduce overdose, substance use and pain.
The program brings roughly $268 million in funding over seven years (“pending the availability of funds”). The Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (N CREW) Program will
Overdose death rates in the United States are highest among American Indian and Alaska Native people, prompting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch a new program to support and fund public health efforts in Native communities to reduce overdose, substance use and pain.
The program brings roughly $268 million in funding over seven years (“pending the availability of funds”). The Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (N CREW) Program will support research projects that are led directly by tribes and organizations that serve Native American communities. It “was established in direct response to priorities identified by Tribes and Native American communities,” according to the NIH in a press release.
The program will have a strong focus on addressing related factors such as mental health and wellness, according to the NIH, which added that research shining a spotlight on the needs of Native communities “is essential for enhancing effective, culturally grounded public health interventions and promoting positive health outcomes.”
During NIH tribal consultations in 2018 and 2022, tribal leaders categorized the opioid overdose crisis as one of their highest priority issues and called for research and support to respond to them.
According to the NIH, the N CREW Program focuses on:
• research elevating and integrating Indigenous knowledge and culture;
• enhancing capacity for research led by tribes and Native American serving organizations using culturally grounded technical assistance, resources and tools; and
• improving access to, and quality of, data on substance use, pain and related factors.
“Elevating the knowledge, expertise and inherent strengths of Native people in research is crucial for creating sustainable solutions that can effectively promote public health and health equity,” said Nora D. Volkow, MD, the director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse. “As we look for ways to best respond to the overdose crisis across the country, it is crucial to recognize that Native American communities have the best perspective for developing prevention and therapeutic interventions consistent with their traditions and needs. This program will facilitate research that is led by Native American communities, for Native American communities.”
Based on a press release from the NIH.
