Congresswoman Jayapal supports opening of Native-led fentanyl treatment center

VASHON ISLAND, Wash. — When it comes to the fentanyl crisis, Native people suffer more than any other ethnic group in King County. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has stepped in to help with an effort to address those addictions.

The Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB)has a track record of successfully treating people with substance use issues, but right now, it only offers outpatient services. It is preparing to open a new drug treatment center that promises a different approach, and a spot has been found on Vashon Island.

What was once an assisted-living center in a lush, woodland setting could soon be a 92-bed inpatient treatment center for substance use disorders. On Tuesday, Rep. Jayapal toured the facility, which has yet to open. Earlier this year, the congresswoman secured $5 million in federal appropriations to help the effort get off the ground.

“I think it really is the vision of something very different that doesn't exist in a lot of places,” Jayapal said.

The vision will be native-led and culturally sensitive, according to Esther Lucero (Diné), president and CEO of the Seattle Indian Health Board. Once underway, the program will combine traditional Indian medicine with modern therapeutic programs to help people beat the cycle of addiction. The facility will also be remodeled to highlight the connection to the earth and to each other that centers many Indigenous people.

“Our cultural ways have always been welcoming,” Lucero said. “It's built upon this idea that we're all related, and through those relations, we can heal together."

While Indigenous people will be prioritized, treatment services will be available to the general community as well. However, some worry that Seattle's issues with drug abuse and homelessness will be dumped on the doorstep of Vashon Island.

“I think this will be a valuable resource for everyone on the island," Jayapal said. “Sometimes people have fear about what a center might bring when it is a residential center, and my experience is that it always turns out to be a benefit for the community. The outreach is important, the community input is important, and I think they are doing that work and taking it really seriously, and there's a vision here for what's going to be created."

There is a desperate need for services. According to Public Health – Seattle & King County, American Indian and Alaska Native residents die from drug overdoses at more than 7.6 times the rate of white people.

Lucero said the reasons behind the rate are tied to the generational trauma Native people have experienced through colonialism.

“That is one of the reasons this organization needs to establish this residential treatment program so that we can disrupt that cycle of trauma that was inflicted upon us," Lucero said.

SIHB plans to undertake a lot more community outreach to address any concerns Vashon Island residents might have. The first patients could be served within the next 18 months.