Native Americans have the second-highest death rate related to opioid use in the nation – a number that’s been on the rise for nearly two decades. In 2017, the rate hit 15.7 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; only whites are dying at a higher rate – 19.4 per 100,000 people. The crisis took center stage at a gathering last week of Native American health experts sponsored by the National Indian Health Board.
Stacy Bohlen, CEO of the board, said a number of factors have contributed to the opioid epidemic among Native Americans. One, she said, is a lack of access to basic health care and treatment when someone is suffering.
“People can’t afford to get care but can certainly afford painkillers,” she said.
Bohlen said improving the public health system for American Indians and Alaska Natives would go a long way toward preventing opioid abuse and overdoses.
Shervin Aazami, a policy analyst at the health board, said the opioid crisis in Indian Country has been overlooked by most Americans.
The federal government has distributed grant money to states to address the addiction crisis.
“However,” Aazami said, “they often neglect to allocate money towards the tribes, leaving the Native people to sit waiting.”
At the tribal health conference last week, Virginia Hedrick, director of policy and planning at the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health, spoke about steps communities can take to address the opioid crisis, including reducing the stigma around addiction itself as well as alternative pain management.
“It could be that an individual has suffered trauma throughout their life, and an opioid is a way to address a mental health issue,” she said. “We don’t typically see individuals who are struggling with an addiction that don’t have an underlying issue.”
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