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Mary Annette Pember: Rosebud Sioux Tribe battles meth epidemic

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Members of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota participate in a methamphetamine awareness walk on May 5, 2016. Photo from Rosebud Sioux Tribe Meth initiative / Facebook

Methamphetamine is once again rearing its ugly head in Indian Country. Independent journalist Mary Annette Pember visits the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota to learn more about the crisis and its impact on the community:

Although the tribe opened the new, 67,500-square-foot, $25-million adult jail in 2013, there is little funding for inmate health care or drug treatment needs, nor is there funding for essential training for officers, who need more skills in dealing with drug-related problems such as meth addiction or HIV positive inmates. Since meth users often inject the drug, they greatly increase the possibility of contracting HIV.
The Rosebud Meth Initiative Program coordinates treatment with Rosebud’s Alcohol and Treatment Center for inmates. Counselors from the tribe’s Alcohol and Drug Treatment facility conduct recovery classes and treatment with inmates at the jail.
In 2010, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (RST) opened the first meth specific treatment facility in Indian country as part of a five-year pilot project. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe Methamphetamine Rehabilitation and Recovery Program grant cycle with Indian Health Service has ended but the program continues operating with a skeleton crew, according to its director, Ed Purcell.
The meth treatment program incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy with a behavioral therapy approach that includes individual therapy and counseling, as well as group counseling, family education, the 12-step philosophy and drug testing. It also includes a system of rewards and incentives for maintaining abstinence. “The original treatment protocol compartmentalized spirituality. We include the spiritual element throughout the treatment process,” Purcell says.
Most clients are court-ordered to participate in treatment. The initial phase, three months, often takes place in jail. They are usually court-ordered to continue the entire 48-week treatment program, regardless of when they are released from jail. They can transfer to the tribe’s meth treatment facility when they are free.

Get the Story:
Meth Tsunami Overwhelms Rosebud Rez (Indian Country Today 5/31)