2024 Mino-bimaadiiziwin II

The Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, a federally recognized tribe located in Northwest Wisconsin has been tirelessly battling the opioid epidemic coupled with increased methamphetamine use in our community. Native Americans in Sawyer County are currently ranked 3rd in the entire state of Wisconsin for overdose fatalities and are being incarcerated in local jails at higher rates than our non-native counterparts where a majority of underlying charges are related to substance use. To address these community concerns, our Tribe plans to implement Mino-Bimaadiziiwin II, (“The Good Life”) by connecting with tribal affiliated individuals within the local jail or state/federal prison system to improve community integration upon release by increasing access to recovery supports and other services required to sustain recovery. We also will implement a youth prevention education program, based upon the Gathering of Native Americans framework to assess youth’s individual, family, and community needs to support substance use prevention and juvenile delinquency. Integration with cultural elders into all aspects of our project is crucial to support culturally appropriate and relevant program delivery to ensure we are meeting the mental, physical and spiritual needs of our community and individuals we are serving. The final component, includes a partnership with the Great Lakes Intertribal Epidemiology Center to strengthen our current substance use focused services by conducting a comprehensive evaluation to provide data driven support for modifications and prioritization of areas of focus.