WISDOM OF THE ELDERS –

Nov. 1, 2022 – After five years of active addiction, Clayton applied for a spot at a local inpatient rehabilitation center. In the four months it took for a bed to become available, he lost custody of his kids, contact with his family and the roof over his head. He was living in a homeless shelter when he got the call that ultimately would save his life and give his children their father back.

“If it wasn’t for the recovery center, I would be dead today,” the 34-year-old Clark says of his time at Choctaw Nation Recovery Center in Talihina.

About $12 million has been awarded to 14 tribes across Oklahoma to keep those resources Clark needed flowing. Three of the state’s largest tribes, the Choctaw, Cherokee and Chickasaw nations, each will receive $1.9 million.

The money is part of the $1.5 billion the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, recently awarded to support states, tribes and territories’ efforts to address the opioid crisis.

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