KESHENA, Wis. WFRV – Elected officials and tribal leaders are addressing the state’s opioid epidemic. The Department of Health Services distrusted six million dollars to 11 tribal nations to prevent the spread of the epidemic, Menominee chairperson Gena Kakkak says tribes are struggling to solve the problem.
“For Menominee, our nation is in crisis, we have the services we have data we have the action plan we have created a drug intervention team, we have been under a declaration of emergency since March of 2020 and it is not enough, “stated Kakkak.
Attorney General Josh Kaul says the overdose rate amongst tribal nations is higher than other communities.
“The overdose death rate in 2021 among Native Americans was nearly three times as high as the overdose rate in the rest of the state and making sure that we are focusing on the areas that are having the biggest harm and the biggest impact from the opioid epidemic is how we’re going to be most effective in combating this,” said Kaul.
Kakkak hopes to see the epidemic come to an end.
“I hope that the discussion that we had is impactful and productive and that we see a plan of action coming forward for our nations,” explained Kakkak.
Tribal nations and other organizations can apply for open funding opportunities to prevent the spread of the epidemic.