Overview
KAI contracted with the North Dakota Department of Human Services Behavioral Health Division to conduct a mixed-methods partnership with North Dakota tribal nations involving tribal community readiness and adult substance use, perceptions of substance use, and community readiness.
Challenges
Understanding the current impact substance misuse has on tribal communities in North Dakota and prioritizing each community’s needs while addressing the gaps in treatment services for Native people in the state.
Solution
KAI’s work includes:
- Developing a research plan and sampling strategy
- Reviewing existing literature and data
- Creating and piloting the survey instrument using validated national and tribal examples
- Working with tribal leaders and representatives to measure stakeholder engagement
- Coordinating with tribal institutional review boards for approval and amendments
- Leading key informant interviews
- Collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data
- Providing a comprehensive report to the state and four participating tribal nations
Results
Through in-person and virtual data collection, KAI was able to gather 2,000 surveys from community members over the course of 3 months. In addition to this data collection, KAI performed a semistructured sixty-minute interview with two key individuals from each tribal community. Final deliverables included a statewide SUD-needs assessment and four tribal-specific SUD needs assessments.
