10
APRIL 15, 2023
Smoke Signals
Powder is most common form of fentanyl
GENERAL COUNCIL
continued from front page
tributor to fatal overdoses in the
United States.
Fentanyl comes in both pharma-
ceutical and illicitly made forms,
both of which are considered syn-
thetic opioids. Pharmaceutical fen-
tanyl is prescribed by doctors to treat
severe pain. As per CDC statistics,
most recent cases of fentanyl-related
overdose are linked to illegally man-
ufactured fentanyl, which is often
added to other street drugs because
of its potency and makes those drugs
more dangerous and addictive.
<When I first began working in
health care, one of the orst places I
worked was a hospital and fentanyl
was a hospital drug. & But like oth-
er illicit drugs, it made its way out
of there and is being manufactured
illicitly and being distributed in
every format you can think of onto
the street,= Rowe said.
Currently, the most common form
of fentanyl is a powder form that is
put into tablet form, or crushed up
to be smoked or injected.
<It is very powerful and people are
trying to use it and it takes over the
neuro receptors in a person9s body,
and they will do anything to get
ahold of it,= Rowe said. <We see their
struggles at Great Circle Recovery
and at the clinic in Grand Ronde.
We9re trying to do everything we
can, collaborating with the Tribal
Police and Social Services to put sup-
ports around it, but continue to see
people struggling and we9re trying
to respond accordingly. & There is
no way to know what is in the pills.
That is why we have started the 8One
Pill Can Kill9 awareness campaign
and have been giving out Narcan at
the pharmacy and teaching people
8It9s like the perfect storm of horrible.
We have all the people who need services
and no services to give to them.9
~ Health Services Executive Director
Kelly Rowe
how to use it.=
Narcan is a medication that re-
verses opioid overdoses and can be
easily sprayed into someone9s nose
in a similar manner as one would
use an allergy spray. Even if some-
one hasn9t overdosed, using Narcan
is not harmful, Rowe said.
The federal Food and Drug Ad-
ministration approved Narcan for
over-the-counter use last month.
<Drug overdose persists as a major
public health issue in the United
States, with more than 101,750
reported fatal overdoses occurring
in the 12-month period ending in
October 2022, primarily driven by
synthetic opioids like illicit fentan-
yl,= the FDA stated in a press release
announcing the decision.
In addition to giving out Narcan
at the clinic, Rowe said that manda-
tory training was recently provided
for all Tribal employees on how to
use Narcan properly if they suspect
someone is experiencing a drug
overdose.
<It only takes a very small amount
(of fentanyl) to trigger a lethal over-
dose,= Rowe said. <When it9s being
illicitly created, there is lots of mix-
ing with other drugs and we have
even seen it mixed into marijuana.=
During her presentation, Rowe
shared several slides with the audi-
ence, including one that tracked fen-
tanyl-related deaths in Oregon from
2019 to 2020. These skyrocketed
from 75 to 298. Although the number
itself is not large, the percentage
increase is telling. Compounding
this is Oregon ranking number one
in the country for the highest rates
of drug addiction, but the lowest
for its access to treatment options,
Rowe said.
<It9s like the perfect storm of hor-
rible,= she said. <We have all the
people who need services and no
services to give to them. For Native
people, we are disproportionately
impacted by substance use and over-
dose. You have the perfect storm and
then the storm within the storm.=
In response, the Tribe increased its
prevention programming and train-
ing, and also implemented good med-
icine programming to offer traditional
activities and offerings to promote
healing. There are also two outpatient
medication-assisted treatment cen-
ters 3 Great Circle Recovery 3 in Sa-
lem and Portland, which opened to the
public in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
There is also a mobile treatment clinic
that makes stops in Grand Ronde,
McMinnville, Willamina and other
areas of the West Valley.
In addition to the medication, the
centers offer a cultural component
that is often missing in traditional
drug treatment, as well as wound
care and referrals for other services.
<Having these options available is
critical,= Rowe said. <What we found
is fentanyl is so addictive and so
hard to treat that having multiple
tools in our tool belt is necessary.
We have to have as many options as
possible to get people to wellness.=
After her presentation, Rowe took
16 questions and comments from the
online and in-person audience.
<Thank you for the presentation
and for the recent staff training,=
Tribal Council member Kathleen
George said. <When in doubt, use
Narcan if you see someone unre-
sponsive. It won9t hurt them if they
aren9t overdosed and it could save
their life.=
Tribal Police Chief Jake McKnight
urged caution even when accepting
aspirin or Advil from someone.
<These fentanyl pills come in many
forms, which can even look like Ad-
derall and Xanax,= McKnight said.
<Don9t be surprised if we start see-
ing them in vitamin or aspirin form
next. If you didn9t buy the medicine,
don9t use it.=
In other action, it was announced
that the next General Council meet-
ing will be in a hybrid format at 11
a.m. Sunday, May 7, on Zoom and in
Tribal Council Chambers.
Door prize winners were Boaz
Wolpe, Karon Chapman, Tonya
Gleason-Shepek, Bill Stephens and
Mike Portwood, $50 each; and Rob-
ert Wiggs, Elias LaGoy and Tyla
LaGoy, $100 each.
After the General Council meet-
ing concluded, a community input
meeting was held at 1 p.m. to seek
advisory vote topics to possibly be
placed on the September Tribal
Council ballot. After a list of topics
is compiled, Tribal Council will
select the questions to be placed on
the ballot.
The entire meeting can be viewed
by visiting the Tribal government9s
website at www.grandronde.org and
clicking on the Government tab and
then Videos. þ
=I totally love the program of Motherhood Is Sacred and Fatherhood Is Sacred. The sessions are true to all native people and the
way we were brought up. Several of the sessions are the way I was taught as a child and have taught & passed down to my
children, nieces, nephews, and family members. This program needs to be offered throughout our communities, and in schools to
our students. I love how it is non3judgmental and open, makes you feel welcomed and willing to open up.= 3 Tammy Morin, LSW
All sessions are on Fridays
from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
April 28th: Introduction to the Program
May 5th: L aying the Foundation
May 12th: T he Creator
May 19th: Choice
May 26th: Essential Part of Choice
June 2nd: T eachable
June 9th: Barriers to Being T eachable
June 16th: W isdom
Please RSVP by Monday, April
17th by scanning the QR code or
using the link below:
June 23rd: Service
*June 30th: Self Identity
July 7th: R elationships
July 14th: Nurturing
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/
FISMIS23
* This schedule may be extended by one week
depending on how participants vote on how to handle
the Friday prior to July 4th.
This training will be facilitated by
Nicholas and Alisa Mull. If you have
any curriculum questions, please
email Nicholas.mull@grandronde.org
or A lisa.mull@grandronde.org.
RSVP is required so we can plan
for food and child care needs.