Posted on Jun 1, 2022
Tribal leaders sound the alarm after fentanyl overdoses spike at Blackfeet Nation
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https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/01/ [login to see] /tribal-leaders-sound-the-alarm-after-fentanyl-overdoses-spike-at-blackfeet-natio
In summer 2020, as the pandemic was setting in, Justin Lee Littledog called his mom to tell her he was moving from Texas back home to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. And he was taking his girlfriend, stepson and son.
They moved in with his mom, Marla Ollinger, who lived on a 300-acre ranch on the rolling prairie outside Browning — and had what Ollinger says was the best summer of her life. "That was the first time I've gotten to meet Arlin, my first grandson," Ollinger says. Another grandson was born in the spring of 2021 — and Littledog, 33, found maintenance work at the casino in Browning to support his growing family.
In summer 2020, as the pandemic was setting in, Justin Lee Littledog called his mom to tell her he was moving from Texas back home to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. And he was taking his girlfriend, stepson and son.
They moved in with his mom, Marla Ollinger, who lived on a 300-acre ranch on the rolling prairie outside Browning — and had what Ollinger says was the best summer of her life. "That was the first time I've gotten to meet Arlin, my first grandson," Ollinger says. Another grandson was born in the spring of 2021 — and Littledog, 33, found maintenance work at the casino in Browning to support his growing family.
Tribal leaders sound the alarm after fentanyl overdoses spike at Blackfeet Nation
Posted from npr.org
Native Americans
Drugs
State of Montana
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 1
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The tribe has created a task force to identify both the short- and long-term needs to respond to the opioid crisis. Blackfeet tribal police investigator Misty LaPlant is helping to lead that effort.
Driving around Browning, LaPlant says she plans to train more people on the reservation to administer naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. She also wants the tribe to host more needle exchanges. There's also hope, she says, that a reorganization of the tribal health department will result in a one-stop shop for Blackfeet Nation residents to find drug addiction resources on and off the reservation.
However, she says, it's crucial to resolve some of the underlying issues — such as poverty, housing and food insecurity — that make communities like the Blackfeet Nation vulnerable to the ongoing fentanyl crisis. These problems can spur people to use drugs — and under-resourced communities are generally easier targets for drug traffickers, she says. Solving that problem is a massive undertaking that won't be completed anytime soon, she says.
Marla Ollinger, pictured, says her son Justin Lee Littledog died of a fentanyl overdose in March at her ranch on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Meanwhile, Ollinger is feeling optimistic that momentum is building to fight opioid and fentanyl addiction in the wake of her son's death and others. She hopes sharing her story will help advocate for more resources so no one else has to live through her experience.
"It's heartbreaking to watch your children die unnecessarily," she says."
..."The tribe has created a task force to identify both the short- and long-term needs to respond to the opioid crisis. Blackfeet tribal police investigator Misty LaPlant is helping to lead that effort.
Driving around Browning, LaPlant says she plans to train more people on the reservation to administer naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. She also wants the tribe to host more needle exchanges. There's also hope, she says, that a reorganization of the tribal health department will result in a one-stop shop for Blackfeet Nation residents to find drug addiction resources on and off the reservation.
However, she says, it's crucial to resolve some of the underlying issues — such as poverty, housing and food insecurity — that make communities like the Blackfeet Nation vulnerable to the ongoing fentanyl crisis. These problems can spur people to use drugs — and under-resourced communities are generally easier targets for drug traffickers, she says. Solving that problem is a massive undertaking that won't be completed anytime soon, she says.
Marla Ollinger, pictured, says her son Justin Lee Littledog died of a fentanyl overdose in March at her ranch on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Meanwhile, Ollinger is feeling optimistic that momentum is building to fight opioid and fentanyl addiction in the wake of her son's death and others. She hopes sharing her story will help advocate for more resources so no one else has to live through her experience.
"It's heartbreaking to watch your children die unnecessarily," she says."
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