Partnering with Tribal Communities to Promote Well-Being and Decrease Opioid Overdose Deaths

The opioid crisis is a current threat to American Indian health, yet American Indian tribal nations are resilient and determined. In Minnesota, American Indians have five to six times the opioid overdose death rate of other groups—the largest such disparity in the United States. This presentation reviewed findings from a HotSpot study funded by the National Drug Early Warning System (U01DA038360) that involved a partnership between Gaa-waabaabiganikaag (White Earth Nation) and investigators at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus. The team piloted overdose fatality review (a public health method) and conducted pre- and post-focus groups with the overdose fatality review team and community members. Themes related to risk and protective factors for opioid overdose deaths were discussed.