The Lummi Nation broke ground on its stabilization withdrawal management services center — the first of its kind on tribal land in Washington — on Friday, Feb. 14. The facility will be the newest addition to the tribe’s healing campus as it battles the ongoing fentanyl epidemic.
“There’s a long, long list of leaders at Lummi Nation that dreamt of today, that dreamt of what we’re doing,” Lummi Nation Chairman Anthony Hillaire told the crowd at the site. “That dreamt of healing for our people.”
Site plans for the 24/7 secure residential stabilization center include 16 beds, healing spaces, a dining room and a conference room.
The increased number of patients the facility will be able to accommodate is particularly exciting for Chavus Misanes, a member of the Lummi Nation and the lead recovery coach at the New Life Center, as well as a certified nursing assistant.
“It’s got a better eating facility, a dining area, just more room to roam,” Misanes told Cascadia Daily News. “It’s gonna mend families in ways that we need out here, because there’s a lot of holes in families.”
It was a sentiment shared by Hillaire.
“Our people can come home, they can be here and not have to heal in isolation, not have to try and find the way alone,” Hillaire said.
The secure residential stabilization center is a collaboration between tribal, federal, state and local governments, with funding coming from Washington State and Indian Health Service.
“I do want to really thank the Lummi for the vision for this facility,” Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) said at the event.
“This opioid crisis has devastated Northwest Washington communities,” Larsen said. “We also know that it’s impacting tribal communities the most throughout the country.”
Lummi Nation issued a state of emergency in September 2023 after seven tribal members died of fentanyl overdoses. Hillaire also called on then-Gov. Jay Inslee and then-President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency related to the fentanyl crisis.
Native communities in the U.S. have experienced a disproportionate increase in overdose deaths, Sen. Maria Cantwell wrote in a letter that was read at the event. Her schedule prevented her from attending the event.
“This detox facility will help members of the Lummi Nation and community members struggling from opioid addiction start the road to recovery in a treatment center capable of providing culturally competent care,” she wrote.
Having the substance stabilization facility across the street from the new health center ensures that people seeking treatment for their substance abuse disorder can access other health resources, Lummi Health and Human Services CEO Katy Halverson previously told CDN.
“We are much more than the atrocities that have happened to us. We’re much more than addiction,” Hillaire reminded the crowd on the bright winter day.
“It’s a milestone at Lummi Nation that we’re going to heal,” he added.
Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
