'One Sky Center' to Focus on Native Americans

A national resource center for American Native and Alaska Native substance abuse services will be established by the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland with a three-year, $3 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The center also will provide training, technical assistance and products to expand the capacity and quality of substance abuse prevention and treatment of practitioners serving this population, according to The Business Journal in Portland.

Dr. Dale Walker, director of OHSU's Center for American Indian Health Education and Research, will direct the new center -- devoted to understanding and treating addiction in Native Americans -- who are six times more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, according to SAMSHA.

SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) will funnel technical expertise and funding through the center to address substance abuse problems of the Native American population.