'It can tear a family apart': The opioid crisis sweeps through Cherokee Nation

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Dr. Anna Miller sits with her legs pulled up, boots kicked off, in an exam chair at Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Hospital. She’s waiting for her first Suboxone patient of the day.

She knows the odds are stacked against these patients struggling to get off opioids. She’s seen firsthand how crooked the path to recovery can be. She also knows she has a few singular advantages, unique to Indian Country, in tackling the crisis.

But those advantages are double-edged — and all too swiftly can turn into obstacles.

https://www.statnews.com/2016/12/15/opioid-crisis-cherokee-nation/