An advisory group formed to help Michigan tackle high rates of opioid overdoses in communities of color has been disbanded by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration, leading to hard feelings among some members who say their work is being buried.
The Whitmer administration is “trying to … silence in a systematic way the voices of the Racial Equity Workgroup,” said Native American activist Banashee “Joe” Cadreau, a member of the work group. “For two years, we put our blood, sweat, tears, thoughts, time, to …. [come] up with these recommendations.”
The frustration comes at a critical time as state and local governments debate how to spend $1.5 billion over 18 years to address an opioid crisis that kills thousands of Michiganders a year and destroys countless other lives.
The dissolution of a work group made up primarily of racial and ethnic minorities struck a nerve among some members, because the opioid epidemic has hit those communities hard in the state. In 2021, for instance, non-Hispanic Black men in Michigan died of overdoses connected to opioids at more than twice the rate of non-Hispanic white men. Another study showed racial and ethnic minorities are prescribed opioids for pain relief at lower rates than white patients.
A major point of contention, some members say, is the state Department of Health and Human Services’ insistence that the work group’s recommendations on combating the opioid crisis — as well as plans to hold public hearings — be reviewed by state o …
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An advisory group formed to help Michigan tackle high rates of opioid overdoses in communities of color has been disbanded by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration, leading to hard feelings among some members who say their work is being buried.
The Whitmer administration is “trying to … silence in a systematic way the voices of the Racial Equity Workgroup,” said Native American activist Banashee “Joe” Cadreau, a member of the work group. “For two years, we put our blood, sweat, tears, thoughts, time, to …. [come] up with these recommendations.”
The frustration comes at a critical time as state and local governments debate how to spend $1.5 billion over 18 years to address an opioid crisis that kills thousands of Michiganders a year and destroys countless other lives.
The dissolution of a work group made up primarily of racial and ethnic minorities struck a nerve among some members, because the opioid epidemic has hit those communities hard in the state. In 2021, for instance, non-Hispanic Black men in Michigan died of overdoses connected to opioids at more than twice the rate of non-Hispanic white men. Another study showed racial and ethnic minorities are prescribed opioids for pain relief at lower rates than white patients.
A major point of contention, some members say, is the state Department of Health and Human Services’ insistence that the work group’s recommendations on combating the opioid crisis — as well as plans to hold public hearings — be reviewed by state o …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]