Reporter
I'm the Indigenous Affairs reporter for KOSU, an NPR affiliate in Oklahoma. I've cover a wide range of subjects including criminal justice in the wake of last year's landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in McGirt v Oklahoma to vaccine rates among tribal and non-tribal citizens. Before coming to KOSU, I worked for PRX/PRI's The World where I covered gender and equity.
With growing responsibility for public safety, reservation leaders are investing in prevention, counseling and treatment. But stigma and shame keep people silent about their struggles.
Cherokee Nation's harm reduction center offers an approach to addiction, providing clean syringes, counseling, and free supplies while aiming to reduce disease transmission and overdose risks.
Cherokee Nation received a $75 million settlement from opioid manufacturers in 2021, and they plan to utilize the funds to establish an addiction treatment and behavioral health center in Oklahoma.
Choctaw Nation and other tribal nations have made big investments in tribally run mental health care in the wake of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Two of the largest tribal nations in Oklahoma are spending more on their mental health programs, hoping it will cut down on crime and incarceration.
