NIHB Co-Hosts Inaugural National Tribal Opioid Summit
WASHINGTON, D.C. As a national leader in behavioral health, the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is proud to partner with our member organization the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) in hosting the inaugural National Tribal Opioid Summit, August 22-24 at the Tulalip Tribes in Washington state. The summit, themed “Healing Our Nations Together,” will address the fentanyl crisis in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities by fostering safe discussions and identifying Tribal-led solutions and policies.
“As the national organization serving all 574 federally recognized tribes in the space of health, the National Indian Health Board is pleased to partner with our member organization in hosting a conference to bring national attention to the fentanyl crisis in Indian Country. American Indians and Alaska Natives are dying from fentanyl overdoses at a rate 30% higher than any other group in the United States, and this must not continue. This collaboration will elevate awareness, explore culturally informed healing and recovery successes, and develop a policy path forward. We must heal as Tribal Nations. We must heal as communities and individuals – together,” said William Smith, NIHB Chairman.
This summit will be a large working meeting with plenaries and breakout sessions structured to gather input from Tribal leaders, community members, front-line providers, and responders. The first day of the Summit will include discussions on fentanyl issues within communities, and the second day will highlight Tribal solutions. The third day promises to produce Tribally led policy recommendations to federal and state officials. In support of resolving the national fentanyl crisis, NIHB will identify policies and solutions that can be implemented at the federal level, including the Indian Health Service.
“Seeing our community members attend more funerals than birthday parties really hurts. It pains me to see our once-thriving relatives caught in a cycle of addiction, hurt, and harm. They don’t deserve this, and not doing something about is not our way. It’s not our culture,” said Nickolaus D. Lewis, NIHB Vice-Chairman.
In 2016, NIHB led the collaborative development of the National Tribal Behavioral Health Agenda (TBHA) to address the disparity in behavioral health issues for AI/ANs. In response to rising deaths due to fentanyl overdoses, NIHB partnered with NPAIHB and developed the Tribal Opioid Response: National Strategic Agenda. In July 2023, NIHB supported the 11th Annual National Native Harm Reduction Summit at White Earth.
Since 1999, deaths due to drugs among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people have quadrupled. In 2021, Native people had the highest opioid death rate of any group in America.
“The fentanyl crisis in Indian Country is spiking at dangerous levels and this Summit is the first step to healing,” said Stacy Bohlen, Sault St. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, CEO, NIHB. “Our people are dying from fentanyl overdoses at a rate higher than any other group in the United States, with a 279% increase between 2016 and 2021. The healing solutions will be found in culture and community. We must come together as Tribal nations now to protect people and the next seven generations.”
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Established by the Tribes to advocate as the united voice of federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes, NIHB seeks to reinforce Tribal sovereignty, strengthen Tribal health systems, secure resources, and build capacity to achieve the highest level of health and well-being for our Peopl
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August 26, 2023