Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to today’s webinar hosted by Patagonia Health. Today’s webinar topic is Holistic Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery within Native Populations.
We are so excited to hear from today’s panel of speakers. This includes Nielah, who is a medical family therapist at the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. We have Mary Kate, who is the program manager for the Tribal Opioid Response Grant at the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board. And we have Faye, who is a peer recovery support specialist with that same grant at the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board.
Thank you all so much for presenting today. We are really excited to hear your presentation. I am going to stop sharing my screen so you can take over.
As Dana said, I’m Mary Kate Haug. I am the program manager for the Tribal Opioid Response Program within the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board.
To give you a little background, Southern Plains Tribal Health Board is based in Oklahoma. We are also a Tribal Epidemiology Center, or TEC, one of several around the country. That arm of our organization does most of the work in Indian Country here in Oklahoma.
We have a variety of grants from different funders, but our overall goal is to advance tribal health across populations.
We will each speak to a different part of the program. Nielah is a medical family therapist at the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. Cassandra, who also goes by Faye, is our peer recovery support specialist.
A unique part of our partnership is that Southern Plains is the grant holder. When the grant first came out about five years ago, urban Indian clinics were not eligible to apply. Oklahoma City Indian Clinic approached us to apply and sub-award to them.
So they are our sub-awardee and handle the day-to-day operations, while I focus on oversight, budgeting, reporting, and communication with SAMHSA.
The grant primarily funds:
A MAT clinic (medication-assisted treatment) for tribal citizens with opioid use disorder
Referrals to outside resources
Cultural programming related to recovery
Wellbriety classes facilitated in prisons across the state
Patients begin by seeing a primary care provider and receiving Suboxone. From there, services include:
Peer recovery support
Physical therapy
Behavioral health services (individual and group therapy)
Talking circles and Wellbriety classes
The goal is to create a well-rounded support system that improves retention and outcomes.
Over the years, we have seen significant improvements in:
Client retention
Engagement
Overall outcomes
This is largely due to improved coordination across departments and consistent follow-up with clients.
Additional supports include:
Transportation services to appointments
Sober living stipends
Harm reduction supplies such as Narcan, medication lock bags, and disposal pouches
We also support awareness campaigns and outreach efforts.
Thank you, Mary Kate.
I introduced myself in my Cheyenne language. I said, “It is a good day. Hello, my name is Redleaf Woman.” That is my Cheyenne name. My birth name is Cassandra Fraser.
I am a certified peer recovery support specialist and a facilitator for the Native American peer support track through ODMHSAS, as well as a certified White Bison facilitator.
My role involves:
Community outreach
Facilitating Wellbriety classes
Using lived experience to support others
I meet relatives where they are and aim to be a beacon of hope. I recover out loud so others know they are not alone.
I am in recovery from:
Substance use disorder
Mental health challenges
Suicide attempts
Involvement in the criminal justice system
I have also experienced trauma, including domestic violence and sexual abuse. These experiences allow me to connect deeply with others.
Wellbriety is a holistic, culturally based recovery movement for Indigenous people. It combines:
Sobriety
Wellness
Healing from intergenerational trauma
Traditional Native American values
It focuses on healing the whole person:
Mental
Spiritual
Emotional
Physical
For me, Wellbriety changed my life by reconnecting me with my cultural identity and helping me find wholeness.
A major part of the work involves talking circles.
Key principles:
The circle is sacred
Everyone is equal
Healing happens face-to-face and heart-to-heart
Elements often included:
Four colors (red, yellow, black, white) representing unity
Sacred items such as sage, cedar, sweetgrass, and tobacco
Talking circles are inclusive and open to anyone, regardless of background.
Key teachings in Wellbriety include:
Change comes from within
Development requires vision
Learning happens individually and collectively
Healing requires community participation
The concept of a “healing forest” illustrates that individuals cannot fully heal if their environment remains unhealthy.
Outreach includes:
Work in jails and prisons
Facilitating recovery circles
Helping individuals reconnect with identity and purpose
The guiding belief is that the opposite of addiction is connection.
Cultural teachings emphasize:
Interconnectedness
Respect for all living things
The impact of decisions on seven future generations
Strong family bonds
The wisdom of elders
Cultural humility means recognizing that learning is ongoing and that no one is the expert on another person’s experience.
The medicine wheel represents balance across:
Directions: North, South, East, West
Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Life stages: Infant, Child, Adult, Elder
Elements: Air, Water, Earth, Fire
States of being: Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Emotional
Recovery is about achieving balance in all areas.
The real meaning of life is family, love, respect, and tradition. Families are central to passing on cultural knowledge and values.
Hello everyone, my name is Nielah Blaylock. I am a medical family therapist at the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic.
We provide integrated, culturally responsive care focused on whole-person wellbeing.
I work alongside:
Pharmacists
Behavioral health counselors
Psychiatrists
My responsibilities include:
Screenings (PHQ-9, GAD-7)
Safety assessments
Coordinating referrals
Providing brief interventions
I also help address barriers such as transportation through programs like Send A Ride.
Key elements that support recovery:
Addressing access barriers
Building trust
Meeting patients where they are
Encouraging engagement
We emphasize patient autonomy while offering consistent support.
We connect patients to resources such as:
Nutrition services
Physical therapy
Fitness facilities
Food assistance
Vocational rehabilitation
Family involvement and cultural identity are central to care.
Thank you to all of our presenters.
If this is your first time hearing about Patagonia Health, we are an integrated EHR, practice management, and billing solution serving public health, behavioral health, and tribal health organizations.
We will be sending a follow-up email with the recording and helpful links.
Thank you all for joining us, and have a great rest of your day.