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Minnesota Native News Special Edition: Responding to the Opioid Crisis in MN Native Communities

Minnesota Native News | Special Editions | Ampers
For over a decade, the prescription pain killer and heroin abuse crisis has had a hold on communities across the U-S. Opioid overdoses tripled between 2000 and 2015. In 2015, Minnesota had more American Indians dying from overdoses than any other state. That same year, well over half of pregnant Native women gave birth to babies with opioids in their systems. Many American Indians in Minnesota are wrestling with how best to help people heal from the addiction and the historical trauma at the root of this crisis. Over this hour, reporter Melissa Townsend explores the unique nature of addiction in Native communities, and how it is - or is not - shaping a response to the current crisis.
MN Department of Human Services, May 2016

RECENT STORIES

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She connects low incomes families to energy-efficient practices and materials in Northern Minnesota. In addition, she is an advocate for women and diverse communities getting into the clean energy and home improvement industries. Her work led her to speak at the Aspen Ideas: Climate conference in March. She shares her experiences at the conference, what she does as a weatherization auditor and how her interest in solar energy has lead her down this path.

MN Native News- MN Chippewa Tribe Welcomes New Executive Director, Beth Drost

Drost grew up in Grand Portage and is an enrolled member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Her interest in tribal politics traces back to her childhood and especially to her father.

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McKnight FoundationPohlad family foundationThe Minneapolis FoundationSaint Paul & Minnesota Foundation