|
|
|---|
| TO: | All Indian Health Service Employees |
|---|---|
| FROM: | Director, Indian Health Service |
| SUBJECT: | Indian Health Service Grant Funds for Drug Checking Equipment |
The purpose of this Special General Memorandum (SGM) is to clarify the requirements for Indian Health Service (IHS) specific grant funding that may be used to purchase drug checking equipment by non-Federal grantees.
The challenges of substance use continue to affect communities across the nation, with American Indians and Alaska Natives disproportionately impacted by this crisis. While being connected to treatment and/or recovery services have been shown to lead to positive outcomes, not all patients are ready for intervention. In these instances, harm reduction strategies aimed at reducing the negative health consequences of substance use can be employed through implementing individual and community-based safety practices. Drug checking equipment, such as fentanyl test strips (FTS) and xylazine test strips (XTS), serve as valuable harm reduction tools to reduce the risk of overdose by alerting persons who use drugs of the presence of unexpected substances within a supply. While this drug-checking equipment provides results within minutes and is easy to employ when used in this manner, these items are not intended for clinical diagnostic use.
The IHS prioritizes prevention efforts and harm reduction strategies to mitigate the risks associated with substance use. This includes the deployment of drug checking equipment as part of a comprehensive harm reduction program. Non-Federal sites in need of drug checking equipment can purchase these supplies using IHS grant funding, when consistent with the grant purpose and within the scope of the particular grant award, and otherwise allowable pursuant to applicable cost principles.
Non-Federal sites interested in starting or expanding harm reduction programs should consider local Tribal and state paraphernalia laws to create an awareness of restrictions that may impact staff or program participants. Evaluation of product sensitivity, and specificity, should also be considered as product development continues to occur. While additional research is needed to determine the impact of drug checking equipment on behavior change, initial data is supportive of use as a means of risk assessment and reduction.
If a grantee is interested in using grant funding for these purposes, they may consult with their local IHS Behavioral Health Consultant.
Resources
Additional resources and information are available online at https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/overdose-death-disparities/index.html
/Roselyn Tso/
Roselyn Tso
Director
Indian Health Service
