New Report Highlights Impacts of Opioid on Minnesota Tribal Communities

In Minnesota, opioid deaths have increased 430-percent since 2000

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A new report released Thursday, highlights the impacts of opioids on Minnesota Tribal communities across the state.

The report is a summary of the Tribal-State Opioid Summit that took place last fall with Gov. Mark Dayton, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, and Minnesota’s 11 tribal nations, as an effort to develop strategies for prevention, treatment, and recovery.

The report points out strategies that are working, and makes specific recommendations of how state and tribal leaders can continue to address the issue of opioid addiction afflicting Minnesota communities.

The report released, recommends a number of strategies to address the issue of opioids across the state. This includes strengthening partnerships between tribes, the state, and the federal government; supporting cultural engagement and other culturally-focused services; and improving treatment and prevention efforts across Minnesota.

Since 2000, deaths from opioid overdoses have increased 200-percent nationally, and in Minnesota alone opioid deaths have increased 430-percent over the same time frame, disproportionately affecting women and Native Americans.

Governor Dayton’s budget includes funding to improve statewide tracking of overdoses in Minnesota, so that both law enforcement and health officials can respond more effectively. It would also invest around $4 million for Minnesota’s Tribal Nations and urban American Indian communities to fund prevention programs to reduce opioid addiction.