Before it even opens, a U.P. addiction clinic has 225 patients

• The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians is opening a medically assisted treatment clinic for addiction
• More than 200 people looking for treatment signed up before the clinic opened
• Nationally, tribal members have the highest rate of overdose deaths among ethnic groups

Working as a social worker at an Upper Peninsula substance use disorder clinic, Austin Lowes noticed he had something in common with many of the clients: They were tribal members.

Now chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Lowes is overseeing the opening of the tribe’s own medically assisted treatment clinic.

Before it opens Tuesday, the clinic, called Naandwejgegamig for “healing place,” already has 225 people who’ve made appointments.

“There’s a huge need in the community,” Lowes said.

“Addiction is a horrible disease that can trap anyone, regardless of their social status,” Lowes said. “It’s something that has been especially damaging to Native American communities both here in the U.P. and across the country, so the Sault Tribe is very proud to be able to offer a safe and effective place for those seeking help.”

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The clinic opening is the latest example of the heightened attention to addiction in Michigan. 

Nearly 3,000 Michigan residents die annually from drug overdoses, with opioids, which include heroin and man-made drugs such as fentanyl, accounting for 80% of drug deaths. On average, a Michigander dies every four hours from an opioid-related overdose.

Nationally, tribal members and Alaskan Native Americans have the highest overdose death rate among ethnicities.

The state is receiving about $1.6 billion over 18 years in settlements with manufacturers and distributors of opioids, as well as some pharmacies, who played a role in the explosion of opioid addiction over the past decade.

While opioid settlement funds aren’t being used to finance the Sault Tribe’s clinic, other tribes have felt their efforts to address opioid addiction have been hobbled by the state, so far, not including tribes in the distribution of funds. 

That may change in the state budget now being negotiated in Lansing, where the House and Senate have each proposed directing $5 million to the state’s 12 federally recognized tribes, while Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposal does not include tribal funding.

Tribes are receiving an estimated $9 million total through 2030 in a separate national settlement, which amounts to an average of less than $100,000 per year per tribe.

The medically assisted treatment program at the new clinic will use a drug regimen to relieve withdrawal symptoms and the psychological cravings caused by chemical imbalances in the body when a person is working to overcome substance abuse issues.

The clinic, which will serve tribal and non-tribal clients, will be operated by two nurses and overseen by a physician.

“This is deeply important to me,” Lowes said.

Several other Michigan-based tribes are now providing addiction services, including Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe in Mt. Pleasant, to respond to the epidemic.

“The tribes have knowledge and connection with their own communities and to the broader rural communities they often serve,” Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, told Bridge recently. “They’re in a position to see the need and address the need.”